There will be a South Dakota Civics Conference Sponsored by SDCFL on Saturday May 15 from 8 AM to 5 PM at Grand Gateway Hotel in Rapid City, located at  1721 N Lacrosse St., Rapid City, SD 57701.  To attend or for more information please call (605) 348-5640 or Toll Free: (877) 428-5666.

The Winner City Council will hold their bi-monthly meeting tomorrow night in the Winner City Council Chambers at 6:30 p.m. John Burns, Jeremy Clay, and Bradley Schramm will take their oaths of office in this meeting.

Governor Kristi Noem and Secretary of the Department of Tourism James Hagen will hold two news conferences on Monday, May 3, 2021. The press conferences will recognize National Travel & Tourism Week, the “Power of Travel,” and the impact of the tourism industry on South Dakota’s economy.

Press conferences will be on Monday, May 3, 2021 at two locations:

• Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, at 9:30 a.m. MDT
• Falls Overlook Café at Falls Park, Sioux Falls, at 3 p.m. CDT

A City Wide Garage Sale will take place in Gregory, South Dakota from Friday June 4th through Sunday, June 6th. One can have their sale listed on the Chamber Facebook Page by e-mailing all of the information to gregoryareachamber@gmail.com.

• Buffalo Rock Lodge – Keystone, SD
• McDonald Mountain Ranch – Keystone, SD
• Knotty Pine Cabin – Hill City, SD
• Emerald Pines Bed & Breakfast – Rapid City, SD
• Triangle Ranch Bed & Breakfast – Badlands/Philip, SD
• Borglum Inn – Keystone, SD
• Normarke Farm – Deadwood, SD
• Sweet Grass Inn – Rapid City, SD
• Lincoln House Bed & Breakfast – Stickney, SD

The Chamberlain Middle School Explorers will host their annual “Explorers Vs. Dirty Cars” car wash event this Saturday, May 1st from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Riverview Chevrolet in Oacoma, South Dakota. Donations will be accepted that day with proceeds from the carwash will go to upgrading the skateboard park.

For nearly 30 years, Garden Line was South Dakota’s source for lawn-and-garden advice. Produced by South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension and broadcast through the South Dakota Public Broadcasting network, Garden Line featured Extension educators and specialists in horticulture, entomology, soil science, weed management, forestry, wildlife and more. Each week throughout the growing season, viewers could tune into the live show to ask questions and get expert advice.

“Garden Line captured the hearts of many South Dakotans for many years, providing timely information on all things gardening, while providing listeners a direct connection with SDSU experts to answer questions ranging from when to plant and what to plant, to how to maintain those plants throughout the growing season,” says Rhoda Burrows, SDSU Extension Horticulturist. “Video clips and real-life samples — and occasionally live creatures— served as illustrations and sometimes unintentional entertainment for the audience.”

While Garden Line was canceled in 2011 due to budget cuts, the spirit behind the program has lived on through SDSU Extension. This May, the horticulture team is excited to announce the launch of a new virtual program, Garden Hour.

Every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. CST, South Dakotans are invited to join the online discussion as SDSU Extension horticulture specialists tackle the latest gardening and landscaping questions from across the state. The program will kick off May 4, with the final session slated for Sept. 28.

Garden Hour will be hosted by Burrows, along with John Ball, Professor, SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist and South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SDDANR) Forest Health Specialist.

“Garden Hour will include many features of Garden Line, including SDSU experts on hand to answer gardening questions live, video clips and timely advice through the growing year,” Burrows says. “There will also be guest experts throughout the season to add expertise in topics, such as lawncare and pest-and-weed control for homeowners.”

Garden Hour will be recorded for viewing convenience and published on the SDSU Extension YouTube channel, however Burrows encourages participants to join the live Zoom to submit questions during the program.

There is no fee to attend, but participants will need to register for the weekly webinars on the SDSU Extension Events page. Confirmation Zoom links and reminders will be emailed to attendees.

In addition to Garden Hour, the SDSU Extension Garden Hotline staff will be available to help South Dakota citizens with their gardening questions this growing season. The service is free to South Dakota home gardeners.

Local horticulture assistants respond to calls and email inquiries throughout the spring, summer and fall. Participants can expect to receive individualized and research-based solutions on topics, such as plants, lawns, trees, insects and other horticulture questions.

The contact information for the three SDSU Extension Garden Hotlines are:

• Aberdeen (open year-round): sdsu.gardensnorth@sdstate.edu; 605-626-2876
• Sioux Falls (open mid-March–Oct.): sdsu.gardenseast@sdstate.edu; 605-782-3298
• Rapid City (open mid-March–Oct.): sdsu.gardenswest@sdstate.edu; 605-394-6814

Citizens are welcome to contact any location if they do not live near a garden hotline center.

To receive regular updates and the latest resources on gardening and landscaping, South Dakotans are also encouraged to subscribe to Extension’s new bi-weekly Garden and Yard newsletter.

South Dakotans are also welcome to visit the SDSU Extension Garden and Yard Problems and Solutions page for additional resources and contact information.

Governor Kristi Noem joined Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and 8 other state attorneys general in suing to prevent the Biden Administration from establishing a damages value to the “social cost of greenhouse gases,” which would kill thousands of American jobs and impose more burdens and harms to the American people.

“After a year of misguided lockdowns in response to the COVID pandemic, the last thing that America needs is more burdensome regulation that will cripple our economy,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “President Biden’s attempt to implement a ‘social cost of greenhouse gases’ value will result in government sticking their hands into virtually every aspect of our day-to-day lives. With this lawsuit, we are committed to fighting off such unconstitutional overreach.”

In a recent Executive Order, President Biden established a “working group” to establish a damages value based upon global environmental damages from climate changes. This value would be called the “social cost of carbon,” as well as methane and nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are by-products of everyday activities in America, because they are among the most common and prevalent by-products of human economic activity. The President further required federal agencies to immediately begin applying such value in regulatory actions and other decision-making.

The Biden executive fiat has wide-ranging impacts on decisions made by virtually every federal agency, including the Departments of Interior, Commerce, Energy, Transportation, Environmental Protection, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the U.S. Treasury. These values have the ability to fundamentally transform the entire regulatory structure of the federal government, which would have devastating impacts on the lives of everyday Americans.

In addition to Louisiana and South Dakota – the following states joined in the lawsuit filed this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The South Dakota State University College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Prexy Council hosted its 11^th annual campus-wide Ag Day on Thursday, April 22 in the SDSU Student Union.

With the theme “Ag Proud: Sustaining the Future,” the event’s main program included a sustainability panel featuring four individuals with strong backgrounds in conservation and sustainability. Panelists included Lyle Perman of Lowry, South Dakota, Brian and Jamie Johnson of Frankfort, South Dakota, and Jared Knock of Willow Lake, South Dakota.

“Sustainability has become a big topic of discussion in the agriculture industry, and we wanted to provide all SDSU students, regardless of their agricultural backgrounds, with a better understanding of what it means for the future of the industry,” said Cara Teigum, Prexy Council president. “We are incredibly thankful for our panelists and the breadth of knowledge and experiences they shared with our students.”

Additionally, the 2021 CAFES Club of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Advocate were announced at the event.

Organizations and students within CAFES have the opportunity to nominate a professor they feel has gone above and beyond in their duties as an educator. Dr. Kent (KC) Jensen, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resource Management, received the 2021 CAFES Teacher of the Year award. Other nominees included Dr. Carmen Paulson, instructor in the Department of Animal Science, Dr. Rosie Nold, professor in the Department of Animal Science, Nicholas Uilk, instructor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and Dr. Brent Turnipseed, professor in the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science.

CAFES Prexy Council also selects an outstanding organization that provides members with meaningful experiences throughout the school year through their program of activities. Alpha Gamma Rho received the 2021 CAFES Club of the Year award, with the Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Club receiving honorable mention. Other club finalists for the award included Sigma Alpha, Alpha Zeta and Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow.

Serving as the student voice for CAFES students on the Prexy Council executive team, the Advocate position is voted on by CAFES students. The 2021-2022 CAFES Advocate is Sadie Vander Wal, a junior animal science and agricultural communications student from Brentford, South Dakota. Logan Tesch, a junior animal science and agricultural business student from Henderson, Minnesota, and Miguel Mena, a junior agronomy student from Harlan, Iowa, were also finalists for this position.

CAFES Prexy Council has organized campus-wide Ag Day since 2011. The council is made up of representatives from each of the 38 clubs within CAFES and is overseen by an executive board that organizes meetings and events for students.

“Celebrating our beloved Ag Day tradition in person this year provides a glimmer of hope and a sense of normalcy for our students,” said Lauralee Eaton, 2020-2021 CAFES Advocate. “Prexy Council is grateful to be able to provide this opportunity again this year.”

In February, Prexy Council raised $21,611 from 170 donors to help establish an endowment. The endowment will help support clubs and organizations in the college and promote agriculture on campus through programs and events such as Ag Day. The council has a goal to raise $50,000 over the next five years to put toward the endowment fund. Contributions to the endowment are still being accepted; donations can be sent to the SDSU Foundation with CAFES Prexy Council or Ag Day listed as the designation.

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition and Partners are sponsoring two LANDOWNER PRESCRIBED FIRE WORKSHOPS. Workshops are 1-day events. Landowners can choose to attend either day May 25th or May 26th.

The workshops are from 9 am to 5 pm and will be held at the SDSU Oak Lake Field Station in Astoria, SD. Due to covid restrictions, all students must pre-register (no walk ins). All food and drink will be the responsibility of the student.

Focus of the workshops will be to instruct landowners and others on prescribed fire planning and implementation and will cover everything from preparing a written burn plan to preparing the
fire unit to implementing the fire in a safe and effective manner.

Training will include live fire and equipment demonstrations. Key concepts will be human and equipment resources, timing,
objectives, communications, and SAFETY.

This class will offer no specific certifications, rather it is an opportunity to simply learn core lessons that apply to conducting save grassland fires.

Registration fee: Free to SD Grassland Coalition member, $35 for non-members (includes an annual membership for 2021).

You can purchase your SD Grassland Coalition Membership at

Join SDGC

Register by contacting Jan Rounds at the Watertown SD, SDSU Regional Extension Center. janice.rounds@sdstate.edu or call her at 605-882-5140 Please see the full flyer as the SD Grassland website: https://bit.ly/3dybEPB