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Ranchers say they’re waiting months for brand registrations
Some South Dakota ranchers say they’re waiting more than six months to get a livestock brand registered with the state board, while the wait is about a week in neighboring North Dakota and Nebraska. Brands are the symbols on hot irons used for marking livestock and identifying ownership. Rancher Tim Allen received his first licensed […]
Landowners feel sidelined as Custer plans wastewater discharge into French Creek
Critics of a city’s decision to release treated wastewater into a scenic and historic Black Hills creek say it could pollute the water and is being done without sufficient input from affected residents. The city of Custer is upgrading its wastewater treatment system because of projected population growth and maintenance problems with the current system. […]
Noem and some legislators want a board vetting foreign ownership of ag land
Governor Kristi Noem and some legislators plan to introduce a bill to establish a vetting process for foreign purchases of agricultural land in South Dakota. The plan includes creating a board to investigate proposed purchases of ag land by foreign interests, and to make recommendations of approval or denial. “With this new process, we will […]
Sudden low water in Rapid Creek frustrates anglers, water users
Anglers and water users are criticizing a Black Hills dam’s government managers for a lack of communication about sudden low-water flows threatening downstream fish and domestic water supplies. Rapid Creek flows dropped from 40 to 12 cubic feet per second on Nov. 30. That imperiled brown trout spawning, which occurs during the fall, and created a […]
Xcel raising electric rates 18 percent as state regulators take no action at initial deadline
A company that provides electricity to nearly 100,000 South Dakota customers will raise its rates by about 18 percent next month as an initial deadline passes for a state regulatory agency to act on the increase. Xcel Energy will increase its electricity rates by 17.9 percent, starting Jan. 1. That’s a jump of $19.60 per […]
Noem recommends $70 million to update ‘outdated’ accounting software
PIERRE — Gov. Kristi Noem says state government’s accounting and software system is so out of date that it needs millions of dollars and multiple years to fix. That revelation came during Noem’s annual budget address Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre. Noem’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2024 includes $70 million in one-time funding […]
Drought causing more minerals to enter Sioux Falls drinking water source
A state water quality report says the part of the Big Sioux River that Sioux Falls uses for drinking water contains dissolved solids beyond the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. A city water official says the drought is causing the uptick in minerals, like salt. The state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources […]
Barnett resigns early, and Noem appoints Johnson as secretary of state
Gov. Kristi Noem is appointing Monae Johnson as secretary of state, effective Monday. Current Secretary of State Steve Barnett is resigning from the role ahead of the official end of his term on Jan. 2. He will take over as general manager of the South Dakota Rural Electric Association. Johnson beat Barnett for the Republican […]
Endangered designation raises further alarm about bats in Black Hills
The federal government’s designation of an endangered bat species hit home this week in the Black Hills, where the bats lurk in caves and abandoned mines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species on Tuesday. That announcement came as part of an effort to save the species […]
Federal government opens grassland conservation program to tribes
Three South Dakota tribal nations have a new opportunity to partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conserve and improve grasslands. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program pays landowners to set aside environmentally sensitive land for a specific conservation concern. Landowners get money, and the public gets benefits like cleaner water and more wildlife habitat. […]
Fed survey finds more cash filling farmers’ pockets, and land values soaring
Good crops and higher commodity prices are putting more money in farmers’ pockets while agricultural land values are soaring, according to a new multi-state survey by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. The survey compares agricultural credit conditions from July to September of this year with the same period last year in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, […]
Incoming Secretary of State looks to hand-count ballots, audit each election
Secretary of State-Elect Monae Johnson campaigned as the candidate who would secure South Dakota’s elections. That message helped her defeat Democratic challenger Tom Cool – who campaigned on concerns about Johnson being an “election denier” – with 65% of the vote. But the campaign is over, and Johnson is thinking about the changes she hopes […]