South Dakota

Drought and habitat losses drive big drop in South Dakota honey production

Published

3 years ago

May 23, 2022

Drought and habitat losses drive big drop in South Dakota honey production

Clovers and pure prairie make South Dakota a really perfect place for honeybees to thrive, however dry situations and habitat loss are making it troublesome to supply honey. Manufacturing decreased 18% final yr.

Doug Deffenbaugh and his spouse, Brenda, personal Deep Creek Honey.

Deep Creek Honey employs a system the place clients take honey from the container and pay for it on their honor.

Deffenbaugh mentioned they plan to have round 200 hives close to Wall Lake this summer time when the bees arrive from Texas. The Deffenbaughs promote honey to companies together with the native espresso chain Coffea in Sioux Falls, however most of their honey revenue comes from an honor system. A honey stand is located on the finish of their driveway, full of honey and a espresso can for patrons to pay.

“We maintain honey in our honor system 24/7 and 12 months,” Doug Deffenbaugh mentioned. “There’s all the time honey in there. It lifts up and there’s a espresso can in there and individuals are trustworthy.”

Over almost 5 many years, Deffenbaugh has watched the quantity of honey produced from his hives lower. He mentioned only a few many years in the past, beekeepers would lose 1-2% of their hives over the summer time. Now, they’ll lose as a lot as 20%.

“It makes it very troublesome to boost a honey crop understanding that there’s all these various things that fight elevating a honey crop,” Deffenbaugh mentioned. “Like parasites, mites and chemical utilized in area, and climate situations and simply attempting to maintain a colony alive.”

Deffenbaugh mitigates these points by searching for the very best places to boost his hives. South Dakota beekeepers need to register the placement of their hives with the state, which requires them to search out the very best places early within the season.

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US Division of Agriculture reported the quantity beekeepers acquired for every pound of honey in South Dakota since 2012.

Laura Johnson

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The US Division of Agriculture reported an 18% decline of honey produced within the South Dakota.

Laura Johnson

State apiary program specialist Bob Reiners mentioned the extreme drought situations throughout the state are responsible for dwindling honey manufacturing.

“When the crops don’t get moisture to develop or blossom and supply nectar and pollen, it’s fairly troublesome to make a honey crop,” he mentioned.

The worth of honey elevated from $1.77 per pound in 2020 to $2.28 in 2021. However Reiners mentioned beekeepers usually are not reaping the rewards.

“Every time there’s a brief crop it all the time retains the value up stronger, which sadly many of the guys don’t get to profit from once they get a very good value as a result of they don’t have a crop,” Reiners mentioned. “It’s sort of like a variety of issues in agriculture proper now. Commodity costs are up, but when they weren’t fortunate sufficient to make a crop, they actually can’t profit from it.”

Kelvin Adee’s honey farm close to Bruce has been described because the nation’s largest, and habitat loss is his primary concern. Land within the Conservation Reserve Program is a big contributor to bee pollination. The federal program pays farmers to dedicate marginal land to habitat as an alternative of crop manufacturing.

“These contracts have expired, and so they haven’t been renewed so there’s much less forage on the market accessible to honeybees and different pollinators as properly, and it additionally results our pheasant inhabitants,” Adee mentioned.

The American Honey Producers Affiliation and the Sioux Honey Affiliation filed antidumping petitions and a lawsuit final yr. Adee mentioned it’s to forestall international nations from promoting adulterated honey within the U.S. priced under the manufacturing value. The businesses can accomplish that by mixing in cheaper merchandise like corn syrup with honey to scale back prices.

The lawsuit may assist smaller producers like Deffenbaugh keep in enterprise. He mentioned it may additionally assist the patron.

“Your native honey is your finest supply of honey to your pure immune system,” Deffenbaugh mentioned. “It really works finest.”

Consuming native honey builds immunity to allergens and different pollens that plague South Dakotans.

The way forward for beekeeping within the state is unsure, however Deffenbaugh will maintain scraping honeycombs.

“It’s in my blood,” Deffenbaugh mentioned. “They’re simply fascinating to work with.”

South Dakota produced about 12 million kilos of honey final yr, trailing solely North Dakota, which produced about 28 million kilos.

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South Dakota

South Dakota snow now devastating the southern Midwest

Published

58 minutes ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

South Dakota snow now devastating the southern Midwest

RAPID CITY, S.D. – All eyes are on the southern Midwest, as the system that brought several inches of snow to the Black Hills area continues to move southward, strengthening along the way. A mix of heavy snow, ice, and blizzard conditions has caused widespread disruptions to utilities and infrastructure, leaving nearly 100,000 people without power.

Blizzard warnings were issued for eastern Kansas and are still in effect for northwest Missouri. Winter storm warnings still extended from Missouri all the way to Washington D.C. and areas of southeast Missouri through western Kentucky are currently in an ice storm warning until Monday morning. Ice accumulations are expected to range between ¼” and ¾”. Official reports of snowfall in the region are as high as 13 inches with more expected.

1/2: Weather warnings for the southern Midwest as of 9pm Sunday

2/2: Weather warnings for the southern Midwest as of 9pm Sunday

NewsCenter1 spoke with Jared Maples, a forecaster from the National Weather Service office in St. Louis, MO, to get a first-hand look into the conditions there.

“What we are dealing with is a system that tracked generally west to east from the Central Plains as it crossed the Rockies,” said Maples, “Sleet has been compacted to the roadway. Just that really chunky, crusty stuff that is freezing there. When you get above 2 inches of sleet, it almost becomes undrivable at that point.”

Jared Maples, forecaster for the National Weather Service office in St. Louis, MO

The heavy snow and ice caused treacherous driving conditions, leading to numerous accidents and road closures. Interstate 435 in Kansas City was particularly affected,

with a tractor-trailer captured on video sliding off the icy roadway

. Missouri Department of Transportation snowplows were also impacted, with at least one overturned due to the slick conditions. Kansas City International Airport temporarily shut down airfield operations Saturday afternoon due to rapid ice accumulation.

Ice has been accumulating to trees with official reports showing fallen limbs 8 inches in diameter, giving South Dakotans a stark reminder of the ice storm that hit Sioux Falls in 2013. Nicknamed “Icepololypse,” that storm resulted in an estimated 900 fallen trees and 25,000 fallen branches.

“When they’re in those wooded areas, you do start to hear that cracking sound,” Maples continued, “That is the sound of tree limbs coming down. If your house is near a tree that is susceptible to that, be wary that that could be one of those risks that are posed with this ice or amount of weight that is on trees.”

This storm will continue to move east, bringing snow to areas of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, mixed precipitation and freezing rain to Kentucky, Virginia, and Washington D.C., and severe thunderstorms with tornado potential from Mississippi to Georgia.

For updates on local weather, be sure to download the

NC1 weather app

Per grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from South Dakota Mines. He found his passion for weather reporting by the impact it has on the community, both in how people work and how it brings people together through severe weather preparation. He also has a passion for preventing health issues with Air Quality Index awareness. Per can be found enjoying outdoor activities in the Black Hills when the weather allows.

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South Dakota

South Dakota Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Jan. 4, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

South Dakota Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Jan. 4, 2025

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 4, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

26-32-43-54-56, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

03-09-27-29-33, Lucky Ball: 06

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

01-03-17-21-34, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

20-26-29-31-35

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

Nature: Bald Eagles in South Dakota

Published

16 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Nature: Bald Eagles in South Dakota – CBS News

Watch CBS News

We leave you this Sunday with bald eagles flying high above the Missouri River in South Dakota. As of January 1st, the bald eagle is, finally, our official national bird. Videographer: Kevin Kjergaard.