South Dakota
Bien Ranch receives South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award
![Bien Ranch receives South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award Bien Ranch receives South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award](https://media.socastsrm.com/uploads/station/2300/fbShare.png?r=61662)
The Bien Ranch of Veblen has been chosen because the recipient of the 2022 South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award®.
Given in honor of famend conservationist, Aldo Leopold, the award acknowledges farmers, ranchers and forestland homeowners who encourage others with their dedication to the land, water and wildlife habitat administration on personal, working land.
In South Dakota, the award is offered yearly by Sand County Basis, American Farmland Belief, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Affiliation, and the South Dakota Grassland Coalition.
Bien Ranch is operated by Neil and Muriel Bien, together with Neil’s brothers Boyd and Lyle and their households. The ranch was homesteaded in 1888 by Ole Bien.
The South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award recipient announcement is made along side Earth Day. The Biens might be formally offered with the $10,000 award on the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Affiliation’s Annual Conference in December 2022.
“Trying on the Bien household’s operation, it’s clear they see the ecological huge image and perceive that if we establish and feed the wants of the setting, the setting will then assist us feed the wants of our operations. Many people have thought that behind our thoughts, however few of us take the steps to implement conservation practices to the extent the Biens have,” stated Eric Jennings, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Affiliation President. “The Biens are an amazing instance of what long-term ecological objectives and goals can accomplish. SDCA applauds their accomplishments and congratulates them on being awarded the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award.”
“The Bien’s give attention to conservation, whereas conserving the grasslands and wetlands on their household ranch, is commendable and we congratulate them on receiving the 2022 South Dakota Conservation Award,” stated Brett Nix, South Dakota Grassland Coalition Chairman. “We sit up for persevering with to spotlight their conservation story all year long.”
“The recipients of this award are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and effectively at this time. Their dedication to conservation exhibits how people can enhance the well being of the land whereas producing meals and fiber,” stated Kevin McAleese, Sand County Basis President and CEO.
“Because the nationwide sponsor for Sand County Basis’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Belief celebrates the arduous work and dedication of the South Dakota recipient,” stated John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we consider that conservation in agriculture requires a give attention to the land, the practices and the individuals and this award acknowledges the integral function of all three.”
Final yr, South Dakota landowners have been inspired to use (or be nominated) for the award. Purposes have been reviewed by an unbiased panel of agricultural and conservation leaders.
The primary South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award was offered to Doud Ranch of Midland in 2010. The 2021 recipient was Prairie Paradise Farms of Fort Pierre.
The Leopold Conservation Award Program in South Dakota made potential due to the beneficiant assist of American Farmland Belief, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Affiliation, South Dakota Grassland Coalition, Sand County Basis, First Dakota Nationwide Financial institution, South Dakota Division of Agriculture and Pure Sources, South Dakota Farm Bureau Federation, South Dakota Recreation, Fish & Parks, South Dakota State College School of Agriculture, Meals and Environmental Sciences, SD DENR Discovery Heart, USDA Pure Sources Conservation Service, Audubon Dakota, Dangerous River Ranches, Belle Fourche River Watershed Partnership, Blair Brothers Angus Ranch, Cammack Ranch, Dawn Ranch, Geese Limitless, Jim and Karen Kopriva, McDonald’s, Millborn Seeds, North Central SARE-Sustainable Agriculture Analysis and Training, South Dakota Pheasants Endlessly, Skilled Alliance, South Dakota Affiliation of Conservation Districts, South Dakota Soil Well being Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, Todd Mortenson Household, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Companions for Fish and Wildlife, and Wagner Land & Livestock.
Sand County Basis and American Farmland Belief current the Leopold Conservation Award to non-public landowners in 24 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. For extra info on the award, go to www.leopoldconservationaward.
ABOUT BIEN RANCH
“Grass has been the very root of our household’s survival,” says Neil Bien. “To have that in our historical past spurs us to avoid wasting the grassland and maintain it so long as we will.”
The Bien household’s dedication to conservation has allowed them to maintain the panorama whereas incomes their livelihood from it for greater than a century. Neil and Muriel Bien, together with Neil’s brothers Boyd and Lyle and their households, function the ranch homesteaded in 1888 by their grandfather Ole Bien.
“We attempt to give attention to being environmentally sound and economically viable,” Neil stated. “In the event you don’t do issues which can be worthwhile, you received’t have anybody right here. And, in the event you don’t have anybody right here (on the land), you possibly can’t handle the setting.”
A lot of Bien Ranch’s 8,200 acres is grassland and unique native prairie. About 2,000 acres of no-till farmland produces hay and different feed for a herd of about 1,000 beef cattle. Neil’s brothers personal adjoining land that’s managed with the identical conservation ethic. The Biens try to preserve water as they ranch in a manner that mimics nature by retaining fields inexperienced with cowl crops.
Situated in northeast South Dakota’s Prairie Coteau, the Bien Ranch is an intact illustration of the prairies, wetlands, and woodlands this glacial panorama is understood for. Neil’s ardour has lengthy been preserving and restoring wetlands. He has preserved 100 pure wetlands, and restored 15 wetland basins throughout Bien Ranch.
Neil says wetlands are important to the water cycle and supply important habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. This method is in distinction with those that transformed to row crop agriculture by draining wetlands in latest many years.
“We consider you possibly can’t pump one thing out of the bottom with out placing it again for the longer term,” Neil stated. “Sustainability is just not potential in the event you exploit, exhaust, or use it up.”
Water improvement and miles of well-designed inside cross fences have been established at Bien Ranch in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Geese Limitless, and the Pure Sources Conservation Service. These enhancements helped the Biens transition from season-long grazing to rotational grazing for the advantage of the land, livestock, and wildlife.
Interspersed all through the ranch are wildlife meals plots, 100 acres of tree plantings, and different wooded areas that give protection to wildlife and livestock. Their cautious placement doesn’t impression species that depend on open native prairies. Consequently, waterfowl and native upland birds just like the Sharp-tailed grouse are present in abundance.
“A part of being on the land is having fun with it; we’re not simply right here to work,” Neil stated. “Fishing, searching, and organising fowl homes and feeders, is essential.”
Like Aldo Leopold earlier than him, Neil is a superb observer of nature and pure processes.
Neil served on the State Wildlife Fee for eight years. He and Muriel taught at the highschool degree in Sioux Falls, the place he was acknowledged because the South Dakota Biology Trainer of the Yr. As a real instructor and conservationist, Neil discovered it unimaginable to take away himself from both of his core vocations.
He required his college students to learn Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac as a result of it taught endurance with the setting and land.
“It’s important to be affected person with wetlands and native grass” he stated of his personal ranch, which he considers a piece in progress.
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South Dakota
Videos: Gundy, Players Recap Win against South Dakota State
![Videos: Gundy, Players Recap Win against South Dakota State Videos: Gundy, Players Recap Win against South Dakota State](https://pistolsfiringblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/53962121679_afc402ad55_k-1000x600.jpg)
STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State football team beat South Dakota State 44-20 on Saturday to start the season 1-0. After the game, Mike Gundy, Ollie Gordon, Alan Bowman, De’Zhaun Stribling, Collin Oliver, Korie Black and Trey Rucker met with reporters to recap the game.
South Dakota
South Dakota State vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State live stream (8/31/24): Watch college football, Week 1 online
![South Dakota State vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State live stream (8/31/24): Watch college football, Week 1 online South Dakota State vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State live stream (8/31/24): Watch college football, Week 1 online](https://www.nj.com/resizer/v2/P2NH7TDAORCA3K2CFKZ3D37LHE.jpg?auth=27a73779c5e6defa1fa563e3ee42ddc0fe62687da0c8b6ecc5664751c4c0c4a2&width=1280&quality=90)
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits face the No. 17 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 (8/31/24) at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Fans can watch the game with a subscription to ESPN+.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: NCAA Football, Week 1
Who: South Dakota State vs. Oklahoma State
When: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 (8/31/24)
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: N/A
Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice,Cox,DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling.
Live stream: ESPN+
***
Here’s a college football story from the Associated Press:
Y’all ain’t played nobody!
It might as well be college football’s slogan. Debates about strength of schedule are part of the fabric of the sport, like marching bands, cheerleaders and tailgating.
With the size of the College Football Playoff tripling in size from four teams to 12 this season — including seven at-large bids — expect the arguments over the relative difficulty of teams’ schedules to increase exponentially.
The posturing and politicking has already begun.
“This is the NFL of college football in my mind,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said during Big Ten media days. At Southeastern Conference media days, the NFL was also invoked when the topic steered to schedules.
“As coaches we want to play the best. People forget that when you’ve spent time in the NFL, every week was like that,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “So when Texas and Oklahoma came into the conference, every schedule was going to get harder.”
The debates aren’t just about which conferences are the best. With super-sized conferences of 16-18 teams, the differences in strength of schedule within leagues can be significant.
The CFP selection committee uses a strength-of-schedule rating provided by SportSource Analytics that includes components such as wins and losses, scoring differential and game location.
Balancing who you played with how you played will be harder than ever.
“There’s a weight on the committee that’s new. I want to see how the committee processes that,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said during spring meetings. “And my encouragement is that this, ‘Well, we have an undefeated team so they’re in’ is not the standard. It never was the standard. Obviously, that stirred up controversy last year.”
Toughest schedules in the Power Four
There are dozens of data-based rating systems to measure the relative strength of college football teams, and all have some type of schedule-rating component.
The AP took three systems — ESPN’s SP+, FEI and KFord Ratings — and averaged their strength of schedule rankings for all 134 Bowl Subdivision teams to determine where each Power Four team’s schedule ranks nationally (all games, not just conference games, are factored in).
Using those projections, SEC teams on average will be facing the toughest schedules this season.
The average strength-of-schedule ranking among the 16 SEC teams is 11.2, from Florida (a unanimous No. 1 among all three systems) to Missouri at 36.7.
Half the teams in the SEC have schedules with an average national ranking of 10 or better, including No. 1 Georgia at 3.7. No. 11 Missouri is the only SEC team with an average schedule-strength ranking below 25.3.
Rating the rest
The Big Ten, now including Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, is next with an average strength-of-schedule ranking of 26.9 among its 18 teams.
Purdue’s 7.7 average ranking is the highest followed by No. 23 USC at 9. Big Ten favorite No. 2 Ohio State’s average is 34. No. 3 Oregon’s is 26.7.
The ACC and Big 12 are about the same. The 17-team ACC has an average strength of schedule ranking of 49.9. The 16-team Big 12′s average ranking is 47.3.
Assessing strength of schedule
Straight up rankings can be deceiving. How to quantify the difference between facing the sixth-ranked schedule and 26th?
Brian Fremeau, the creator of FEI, does it three ways, asking three questions: How many games would an elite team lose facing a particular schedule? How many would a good team lose? How many would an average team lose?
AP used FEI’s strength of schedule ratings based on good teams in its composite rankings, since good teams are going to be the ones in the CFP race.
Based on FEI projections, the difference between playing Georgia’s schedule (rated 3.4 among the hardest in the nation) and Ohio State (34) is about one more loss for a good team against the Bulldogs’ slate. The difference between Alabama’s schedule and Big 12 favorite Utah’s is about two losses for a good team against the Tide’s.
If these schedule strength projections held — they will change throughout the season — it would then be reasonable to compare an 11-1 Utah to a 9-3 Alabama.
Reasonable to compare doesn’t necessarily mean the one with the tougher schedule should automatically be ranked higher.
“I don’t judge a team on its schedule. I judge a team on how it performs against a schedule, or my system does. And that is a little more of a nuanced take then, ‘Well, we played a tougher set of opponents than you did, therefore, we’re better,’” Fremeau said. “There’s a bit of a balancing act between the two.”
Intraconference debates
The SEC and Big Ten are both bigger and division-less for the first time. That necessitated new tiebreaker procedures to determine which teams qualify for conference title games featuring the top two teams in the standings.
Within the guidelines is an acknowledgment that the rigor of conference schedules will vary when teams are playing barely half the league. After head-to-head and record vs. common opponents are used to break ties, both leagues go to results that favor the team that fared better against the better conference opponents they play.
The ACC, a year ahead of the the SEC and Big Ten in abandoning divisions, has a similar nod within its tiebreakers to strength of schedule.
ACC Associate Commissioner Michael Strickland said the conference used 10 years of data that measures the success of its football teams to help create a new schedule rotation that would be competitively balanced. But the ACC also to had weigh travel now that Stanford, California and SMU are members, as well as protecting some traditional annual rivalries.
The ACC’s fourth two-team tiebreaker is combined winning percentage of conference opponents.
“Our head football coaches suggested that we insert that during our review process,” Strickland said.
The CFP choices
The CFP field announced Dec. 8 will be comprised of the five highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of league, and seven at-large selections. There is no limit to the number of at-large bids a conference can receive.
The most interesting comparisons for the CFP selection committee might end up being between the many conference rivals that do not play each other in the regular season.
What to do with a 10-2 Missouri and a 9-3 Alabama (composite strength-of-schedule ranking, 9.3)? Or Iowa (37) at 10-2 and Michigan (16) at 9-3? Over in the ACC, what would happen while assessing a 10-2 Virginia Tech (68) and a 9-3 Florida State (30.3)?
“Especially when we’re picking (seven) teams now, we’re looking at the loss column with a bit more scrutiny,” Fremeau said. “They’re going to be debating teams like that with a one or possibly two-game difference in record, but a comparable difference in expected schedule rating and they’re going to have that debate about which one they value more.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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South Dakota
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