South Dakota

Lawmakers discuss changes to the farm bill at Sioux Empire Fair

Published

1 year ago

August 7, 2024

Lawmakers discuss changes to the farm bill at Sioux Empire Fair

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dakota News Now) – While many of us may be eyeing the November election, others have been watching legislative changes and a bill making its way through Congress.

One such bill is the Farm Bill, which is the main policy governing agriculture and food.

Farmers are concerned as to why the bill hasn’t passed yet, and Dakota News Now spoke with lawmakers and producers to learn what’s important for them.

On Wednesday at the Sioux Empire Fair, in celebration of Ag Appreciation Day, South Dakota’s elected officials and farmers alike met to share a meal and talk about what’s going on in the state.

Representative Dusty Johnson discussed the changes with the farm bill, who it impacts and why it’s important.

“Obviously, we all eat. We all want to make sure that we’ve got food available for purchase and having great American farmers and ranchers who have the predictability of knowing what the rules of the road are gonna be, makes sure that America is growing a powerful amount of food to feed us and the rest of the world,” Rep. Johnson explained.

Overall the bill affects everyone, especially the farmers.

“This really does affect them on a day-to-day basis because it identifies what the price support is for those commodities, and so for them, it means affecting their daily lives. It means it’s affecting their income. So they watch it carefully and they know a lot more about it than some people realize. They’d like to know what the future’s gonna look like for farming operations and what to plan for,” Senator Mike Rounds said.

Several people have been eagerly waiting to hear about the bill, including SD Pork Producers Council Executive Director Glenn Muller.

“Well, I’d be very surprised if we’d get a new farm bill. It has to be extended in September to be maintained and I would predict that they will do an extension to get passed the election and possibly the inauguration before we get a new farm bill. We’re certainly pushing to get it done prior to that, but optimism is not real high that that’s gonna happen,” Muller expressed.

The big question still remains: Who is to blame for the long wait? Muller said he’s not completely sure.

“Well, I think as far as, I don’t know that I want to say blame. It just seems like there’s a lack of functionality at a national level in the legislative process and administration right now. A lot of focus on the election, but not so much productivity on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. is our concern,” Muller said.

Officials said that they hope to see a change in the congress by the first of the year.

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South Dakota

SDHSAA state basketball tournament to returns to Sioux Falls in 2027

Published

5 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

SDHSAA state basketball tournament to returns to Sioux Falls in 2027

There won’t be any South Dakota high school state basketball championships in Sioux Falls in 2026, breaking a 65-year run of South Dakota’s largest city hosting one of the state’s premier high school sporting events.

The Class AA and A boys tournaments will be in Rapid City at The Monument, with the AA boys in the ice arena and the A boys in Summit Arena from March 19 to 21. The Class B boys will still be at the Barnett Center in Aberdeen on the same dates.

The AA girls will also be at Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City on March 12 to 14, the Class A girls will be at the Watertown Civic Arena and the Class B girls will be at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings.

The South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) updates its website to reflect the next year’s state tournament schedule, but the organization knew well in advance that Sioux Falls would be without a championship in 2026.

SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos, Ed. D., said the Denny Sanford Premier Center is the only venue in Sioux Falls that can hold 5,000 to 7,000 people for a basketball tournament. With a couple of extra events booked for 2026 and an existing contract with the Sioux Falls Stampede requiring Friday and Saturday nights to be saved, that squeezed out the high school state tournaments.

“March of 2026 is a unique year because we were awarded two NCAA events – D2 wrestling and also the NCAA (Division I) hockey regionals,” said Denny Sanford Premier Center General Manager Mike Krewson. “That has never happened in the history of the city before.”

The Summit League tournament is also scheduled for the first week of March. The Summit League is scheduled to be at the Premier Center through 2029, and the center is holding dates beyond in case of a contract renewal.

Swartos said this situation will also arise in 2028, and the success of the 2026 state tournaments will help determine the final plan for 2028. If this Rapid City experiment works out, that can be back on the table.

“We might have an opportunity to have some more casual fans out in Rapid City,” Swartos said. “For the people who are there, if they want to bop between venues for different games throughout the tournament, they’d be allowed to do that and see both classes at the same time.”

Swartos is also considering working with South Dakota State University to get First Bank & Trust Arena and the University of South Dakota for the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, but other logistical challenges arise from there.

The Premier Center is working with the City of Sioux Falls to diversify its events, including concerts, shows and sporting events, but sometimes there are just not enough weeks in a given month or year.

March is especially difficult for scheduling, with the Stampede’s season coming to a close, high school state tournaments taking place and NCAA winter sports seasons ending. That’s a lot of opportunities for the Premier Center to showcase Sioux Falls both in person and on broadcasts.

“Different events reach different people,” Krewson said. “We try to schedule in everything we can and be accommodating, but sometimes there’s not enough weeks in the month. Especially March, which is our busiest.”

The City of Sioux Falls benefits from some of the Premier Center events in more ways than getting people in town. Krewson recalled a curling event that was broadcast on Peacock and NBC Sports that included a promotional package for Sioux Falls that would have cost over $1 million if it were purchased.

“We look at it as revenue, exposure for the community, how is it going to do for tourism, those types of things,” Krewson said.

Krewson noted that the city bids on the NCAA events, then lets him and other Premier Center officials know, so the dates could be saved.

Both parties, the SDHSAA and the Premier Center, will continue their partnership in 2027 and beyond, with the AA boys basketball state tournament in Sioux Falls in 2027. The A boys will be in town in 2029, the AA boys will be back in 2030 and there are requests out for 2031.

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South Dakota

South Dakota Legislature Moving Toward Lab-grown Meat Ban | Aberdeen Insider

Published

17 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota Legislature Moving Toward Lab-grown Meat Ban | Aberdeen Insider

South Dakota lawmakers are gunning to ban lab-grown meat.

A panel of state House legislators has advanced legislation that would ban artificial meat in the state, setting up a pointed debate over food safety, consumer choice and whether lawmakers should block products that aren’t yet on grocery shelves.

Auch

Earning support from the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee with a 9–3 vote Tuesday, Jan. 27, House Bill 1077 would classify cultivated-protein products — meat grown from animal cells in laboratories — as “adulterated food” under state law, effectively prohibiting their sale in South Dakota.

Supporters described the bill as a preemptive food-safety measure and a defense of the state’s livestock industry.

“This is more about a philosophy,” bill sponsor Rep. Julie Auch, R-Yankton, told the committee.

MORE: SD Senate advances Rohl’s legislative term limit proposal

She argued the state should draw a firm line against products she said are manufactured in laboratories using undisclosed processes and proprietary ingredients.

Auch also questioned federal oversight of cultivated protein, noting that companies developing the products provided their own research to regulators.

“We don’t even know what’s in it,” she said, referring to growth serums used in production.

Some cattle producers not concerned about lab-grown mean, Wittman says

Several lawmakers pressed Auch on why the Legislature should ban a product that is not currently sold in South Dakota.

Wittman

“I’m having a hard time understanding how us banning a product that isn’t on our shelves currently will help our cattle producers compete,” said Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, during committee questions.

Wittman later said some producers are not worried about competition from lab-grown meat. She told the committee that she’s spoken with a cattle producer who said, “I am confident that my beef will speak for itself in the future.”

Opponents warned the proposal repurposes food-safety statutes to block a product on principle and could invite retaliation against South Dakota agricultural products in other states. Apprehensions about consumer choice and the precedent set by labeling a product adulterated based on how it is made rather than measurable health risk also generated committee debate.

MORE: More should qualify for senior, disabled assessment value freezes, Loeschke says

Rep. Kevin Van Diepen, R-Huron, said South Dakota is home to increasingly diverse communities with different food traditions.

“If someone else wants to eat that, why are we going to stop them?” Van Diepen asked. “That should be their choice.”

Worries about interstate retaliation were also cited, with critics contending HB 1077 could spur more politically progressive states to restrict the sale of conventionally raised livestock products.

“We all collectively can say that is bad policy,” said Rep. Drew Peterson, a cattle producer who cited California’s Proposition 12 and similar laws in Massachusetts that restrict some pork products from being sold in those jurisdictions. “If we don’t want them to do that in those states, how can we do it to them in this state?”

Supporters countered that cultivated protein represents an unresolved health experiment and a long-term threat to rural economies.

Rep. Kaley Nolz, R-Mitchell, said she views the issue through a food safety lens and does not want another generation to serve as a test case.

“I really don’t want to see another generation of Americans be an experiment for a health product,” Nolz said.

HB 1077 will next be considered on the House floor.

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South Dakota

Rodeo Rapid City Returns to South Dakota as 7-Time PRCA Indoor Rodeo of the Year

Published

1 day ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Rodeo Rapid City Returns to South Dakota as 7-Time PRCA Indoor Rodeo of the Year

The seven-time PRCA Top Indoor Rodeo of The Year is back once again in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rodeo Rapid City kicks off January 30th and is full of a week of non-stop action in the rodeo arena. As one of the biggest rodeos this early on in the season, athletes are ready to show out after the National Western Stock Show and the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Best Indoor Rodeo of the Year Begins This Weekend

Starting things off in The Monument Arena will be Xtreme Bulls 2026 on Friday night, following that on Saturday the 31st is Xtreme Broncs 2026. These two events mark the opening of what is sure to be some of the season’s most action-packed performances from the best athletes bull riding, and saddle bronc riding have to offer.

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The official Rodeo Rapid City doesn’t kick off until Friday, February 5th, and it continues all weekend. Last year, securing the top spot for rough stock was Garrett Shadbolt in bareback riding, Damian Brennan in saddle bronc riding and Jake Lockwood in bull riding.

Men’s timed event winners were Boyd Sawyer (steer wrestling), Cullen Teller and Brayden Fillmore (team roping), and Tyler Milligan (tie-down roping). Katie Chism won the barrel racing.

Last season, this rodeo was an indicator of how 2025 was going to go for some of these athletes. More than one who performed well in Rapid City went on to secure a spot at the National Finals Rodeo. With a payout of nearly $200,000, a win here adds a nice chunk of change to season earnings totals early in the season.

Come For The Rodeo Stay For The Music

While there is just over a week of rodeo arena action happening in South Dakota, there will also be plenty to do in between. A new event is being added this year called Rope, Ride and Slide where two cowboys, one bronc rider and one steer wrestler each perform in individual events, then join together to team rope. This fun new addition happens Friday (Jan. 30th) and should be a way to introduce more people to the events of rodeo.

There will also be live performances happening all week as well. Kicking things off Friday night will be Tristan Schofield & The Drive by Night followed by Jessica Loobey on Saturday. During the week Big Skillet performs on Tuesday with Brandon Jones taking the stage Thursday. Rounding out musical acts are Tanner Usrey with Kenny Feidler (Friday, Feb. 6th) and Ole 60 with Rob Langdon (Saturday, Feb. 7th)

From rodeo action to live music, Rapid City is sure to be full of some of the best performances seen by rodeo fans so far this year.

To get tickets head to https://www.centralstatesfairinc.com/events