South Dakota
Farm revenues fall as war and market concerns rise
LYONS, S.D. (South Dakota News Watch) – Farmer Jeff Thompson had waited months for soybean prices to rebound, and he was getting a little antsy.
Like many of the roughly 18,000 other crop farmers in South Dakota, Thompson is storing corn and soybeans in giant grain bins on his farm because he can’t sell at a profitable price due to a variety of unfavorable market conditions.
After several months of waiting – and suddenly seeking an infusion of cash – Thompson made the decision in mid-March to sell off about 15,000 bushels of beans he had been storing since the fall 2025 harvest.
But the day he hoped to sell, a single social media post by President Donald Trump caused the soybean price to fall by 70 cents a bushel, a decline that would have caused Thompson to lose more than $10,000 on the sale.
Trump’s post indicated he would delay scheduled trade talks with President Xi Jinping of China, the world’s largest importer of soybeans and a country in which the U.S. is embroiled in a trade standoff that has hurt American soybean producers.
Thompson held onto his soybeans, and the wait for better prices began anew.
“The whole geopolitical thing keeps you awake at night and you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Thompson, 64, said on a recent day at his farm in Lyons, an unincorporated hamlet located about 25 miles northwest of Sioux Falls. “Farming is risky enough on its own, fighting Mother Nature and all that, so I’m hoping things will settle down.”
A trifecta of terrible economic headwinds
The Trump tariffs and resulting trade wars that have devastated foreign export markets over the past year are not the only unsettling reality for South Dakota grain producers, who grew 1.1 billion bushels of corn and 238 million bushels of soybeans with a combined value of $6.4 billion in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new U.S. war with Iran has led to the closure of a key global shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, dramatically driving up prices for fuel and fertilizers. Farmers were already reeling from ongoing inflation that has raised prices for “inputs” required to grow crops, including seeds, water and electricity, rent or loan payments for land, and machinery and parts.
The trade war with China has led the Asian nation to forgo most orders for American soybeans and turn instead to South American producers. Prior to the trade war, about 30% of the soybeans grown annually in South Dakota were exported to China.
All that financial pain has been piled on top of stagnant low prices that have hurt revenues even as South Dakota grain farmers have produced record crops of corn and soybeans over the past couple years.
“The most difficult thing of all is that we’ve had three to four years of depressed prices,” Thompson said. “You can handle one low price year decently. But when they begin to piggy back on each other, it gets tough.”
Seeking new markets and uses
Since Trump took office and imposed tariffs on goods from other countries, cattle ranchers and other livestock producers have benefited from high sale prices and strong markets for their goods, as previously reported by News Watch.
But almost all other farmers in South Dakota and across the country are feeling the financial pain and emotional stress of an unfavorable global market for agricultural goods, said Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau Federation who also serves as vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
“By nature, farmers are pretty optimistic, but economically it’s pretty tough right now,” said VanderWal, a grain farmer from Volga. “The market right now is at a loss position and we’re about to plant the most expensive crop in history.”
National agricultural leaders are urging President Trump to find new international and domestic markets for agricultural products, VanderWal said. An ongoing hope is that Congress will approve year-round use of E-15, the gasoline that contains more ethanol and could boost corn prices and markets.
Jerry Schmitz, executive director of the South Dakota Soybean Association, was one of a dozen South Dakota officials and agricultural leaders who spent eight days in March on a trade mission to expand export opportunities in Japan and South Korea.
Schmitz said those two Asian countries — relatively small buyers of South Dakota corn and soybeans compared to China — were welcoming and eager to maintain or expand imports of American grains and goods.
The majority of South Dakota grains sold as exports are used as hog and poultry feed while a smaller percentage is used for human consumption, he said.
But even the most optimistic agricultural experts and producers are concerned the worst is not over yet for American farmers, Schmitz said.
“Things have been difficult, and possibly this could continue for another year or two,” he said. “Farmers are pretty flexible, but when bad news happens three to five years in a row, and with all the things happening in the world, it gets concerning.”
Fewer profitable farms possible this year
While it may be hard for South Dakota farmers to believe, the Rushmore State has fared better than most of the nation during the recent agricultural economic downturn, said Nate Franzen, president of agricultural lending at First Dakota National Bank in Yankton.
In 2025, the state had only one farm bankruptcy that Franzen was aware of, and about 80% of grain producers made a profit, a higher rate of performance than the 65% he predicted.
Franzen, who has worked in farm lending for three decades, said the best year for farm profitability in South Dakota over the past 20 years was in 2012, when the ethanol market was raging and about 93% of state farmers made money.
In 2025, record yields by producers and a high level of diversification on individual farms put South Dakota in a good position. But 2026 may be more challenging, he said.
“Looking forward, it is troubling,” Franzen said. “We’ve been experiencing inflation on the expense side for the last few years. And this Iran war is not helping because fertilizer is spiking and fuel is spiking.”
Financial and emotional stress the norm
Meanwhile, many farm families are enduring stressful kitchen-table meetings about money and the future of their operations, VanderWal said.
The challenging economic conditions are hardest on young farmers without strong equity or savings, those who recently took over from retiring parents or those who are heavily leveraged with loans for land or equipment.
“We are hearing more stories of bankruptcies increasing, and we’re hearing more incidents of farmer suicides again,” he said. “Farmers and ranchers are very proud people and it’s hard for them to ask for help, so we’re encouraging people to pay attention to family members and neighbors and get help for them if they need it.”
Schmitz said most South Dakota grain farmers are sticking to their planting plans for 2026 even amid great market uncertainty.
He said some farmers may plant more cover crops instead of corn and soybeans to build soil health, and a few may diversify their operations with cattle, hogs or poultry to create new revenue streams and generate manure as a source of low-cost fertilizer. Others may take on new jobs off the farm or expand the hours they spend working outside of agriculture.
Impacts felt beyond South Dakota farms
From a broader perspective, the weakening farm economy is hurting not only farmers but also the communities where they live, VanderWal said.
“Agriculture is what drives the economy of this state and very much so in the small communities,” he said. “These issues could really come home to bite the small communities of South Dakota.”
Ultimately, continued income challenges for American producers could lead to farm consolidation and greater corporate ownership, which could threaten not only American family farms but also the nation’s ability to feed itself, VanderWal said.
“Food security is national security, and if we have to rely on other countries for our food supply, that’s a real problem,” he said.
Thompson, the Minnehaha County grain farmer, said he is hopeful that new trade deals brokered by President Trump will hold up and remain favorable over the long term. He has applied for some of a recent $12 billion farm bailout approved by the president, though he considers that stop-gap program only a “small Band-Aid.”
Thompson hopes that when he retires in a few years, the agricultural economy will be strong enough for someone local to buy his roughly 800 acres and continue to use it for farming.
But he’s no longer sure that will happen.
“We love what we do and look forward to passing things down that we’ve built up over the years,” he said. “There’s a lot of younger guys who love to farm, but it just doesn’t pay.”
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact content director Bart Pfankuch: 605-937-9398/bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Here’s how much South Dakotans could save on property taxes after accounting for higher sales taxes
(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Estimates of homeowner savings abounded recently as South Dakota lawmakers and Gov. Larry Rhoden approved property tax reduction legislation.
It’s been difficult, however, to find two other estimates: 1) the extra money consumers will spend to fund reduced property taxes with higher sales taxes, and 2) the net savings for homeowners after their extra sales tax spending is subtracted from their property tax savings.
South Dakota Searchlight’s effort to answer those questions led to these estimates: The average South Dakota homeowner’s total savings if they receive both forms of property tax relief could be $1,080 annually. Meanwhile, the average South Dakota household could spend $360 more per year if subjected to both sales tax increases. When it’s all said and done, that’s a net yearly savings of about $720 for homeowners.
To learn how Searchlight arrived at those rough estimates, keep reading. But first, a bit about the new laws.
The new laws
One of the new laws allows the statewide sales tax rate to return to 4.5% next year, after a temporary reduction to 4.2% since 2023. The revenue from the increase will be allocated to the school funding formula to reduce the amount of property taxes schools need from local homeowners.
The other new law allows counties to impose their first-ever sales tax at a rate of up to 0.5%. That revenue will go toward credits to reduce the county’s portion of homeowner property taxes.
Estimating property tax savings
To estimate average property tax savings for homeowners, Searchlight asked the state Department of Revenue for the average assessed value of owner-occupied homes in the state. The department did not provide that figure.
But it did provide the total taxable value of all owner-occupied properties for taxes payable this year: $62,211,360,002.
The department also provided the total number of owner-occupied properties in the state: 253,263.
Dividing the total taxable value by the number of owner-occupied properties yields an average value of $245,639.
“However,” the department said, “this number may include both houses and additional structures such as unattached garages.” The department added that the impact of those additional structures on the average valuation is minimal.
The owner-occupied classification, which lowers the levy applied to an owner’s primary residence, can be applied to a single-family dwelling, an attached or unattached garage, and the parcel of land where a home stands. The new property tax reduction law applies specifically to single-family dwellings.
To account for the minimal impact from additional structures, Searchlight rounded up to $250,000 as the average taxable value of homes in the state.
Revenue from the increase in the statewide sales tax rate is expected to reduce property taxes by $1.683 for each $1,000 of a home’s taxable value, according to the state Bureau of Finance and Management. For the average home with a taxable value of $250,000, that’s about $420 of savings.
Homeowners’ savings if their county enacts a 0.5% sales tax to fund property tax credits will vary across the state, because counties have different property tax rates and varying levels of potential sales tax revenue. But the Governor’s Office has estimated that the average savings will be $660. The office arrived at that number by taking the total, estimated new revenue generated if every county implemented the plan, and dividing it by the number of owner-occupied properties, which should approximate the average savings per homeowner.
Thus, the total annual property tax savings for the average homeowner receiving both forms of relief would be $420 plus $660, which adds up to $1,080.
Estimating extra sales tax spending
To arrive at an estimated extra amount of spending for the average South Dakota household (meaning a house or apartment) on higher sales taxes, Searchlight first needed an estimate of the average household’s annual sales-taxable spending.
Searchlight spoke with the Dakota Institute, a nonprofit economic research and analysis organization in Sioux Falls. The institute suggested dividing the total of certain categories of taxable sales (excluding categories that are likely purchases by businesses) by the state’s 382,302 occupied housing units (including apartments), resulting in an estimate of about $82,000 in annual taxable spending per household. However, institute CEO Jared McEntaffer noted many of those purchases were still probably made by businesses and tourists, so the true average is lower.
Gov. Larry Rhoden’s finance commissioner pointed Searchlight to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report stating that the average U.S. household spent $77,280 in 2023. Sales tax does not apply to some expenses, such as prescription drugs or mortgage payments. After subtracting such categories of spending that are unlikely to be taxed and adjusting for inflation since 2023, Searchlight settled on $45,000 as the estimated average annual sales-taxable spending per South Dakota household.
If that average household is subjected to both of the new sales tax increases, it would be the equivalent of an additional 0.8% tax. On $45,000 of spending, that would be $360 of extra sales taxes annually.
In a household subjected to only the 0.3-percentage-point statewide sales tax increase (without a county sales tax), that would be $135 of extra sales taxes annually.
Estimating net savings, and complications
If the average homeowner saves $1,080 annually on property taxes from both forms of relief and spends $360 annually in extra sales taxes, that homeowner’s annual net savings would be $720.
Homeowners in counties that do not enact a sales tax for property tax relief would receive, on average, the $420 in property tax relief from the statewide sales increase and spend $135 on higher sales taxes, for a net savings of $285.
Those are rough estimates. Actual situations will vary widely across the state. Household spending varies by income. Homes in rural areas are typically valued lower than in urban areas. Counties have different property tax rates, called levies. Some counties may choose to enact a sales tax for property tax relief, and others may not. In counties that do adopt a sales tax, the amount of revenue available for property tax relief will vary. And people who live in counties that do not adopt a sales tax will likely travel and spend money in counties that do.
And, for households that rent rather than own their home, it’s all just a sales tax increase.
South Dakota Searchlight is part ofStates Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 28 drawing
14-36-41-47-66, Mega Ball: 15
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 28 drawing
11-21-34-39-45, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life 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.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
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.
South Dakota
South Dakota man loses appeal after being convicted of terroristic threats against President Trump
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has announced the South Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction and sentence of a South Dakota man after an attempted threat of felony terrorism.
“Threats against the President of the United States and public officials are taken seriously,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We will continue to prosecute individuals who seek to harm or intimidate public officials and their families.”
According to court docs, Lucian Celestine first contacted the FBI in September 2019, claiming he was hearing voices instructing him to kill President Trump.
In June 2020, Celestine attempted to purchase a sniper-style rifle through an online marketplace and requested a scope capable of shooting up to 600 yards.
The rifle’s seller was a Brookings Police Officer acting as a private citizen and became concerned about Celestine’s behavior. The officer reported the interaction to the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
Police later contacted Celestine as President Trump was due to visit Mount Rushmore for the 2020 Independence Day fireworks celebration. During the encounter, Celestine said he had contacted the FBI and admitted he had recently obtained a rifle.
Officers located a rifle, ammunition, and targets in the truck of his vehicle.
After being taken into custody in Rapid City, Celestine told investigators that the voices in his head instructed him to kill the President. He told police of a plan to go to Mount Rushmore and position himself above the monument.
He was then arrested and indicted for threat of felony terrorism.
Celestine entered a guilty plea in November 2024 for Attempted Threat of Felony Terrorism. In March 2024, the Pennington County Circuit Court sentenced him to two and a half years in the South Dakota Penitentiary with credit for time served.
Celestine later appealed his conviction and sentence, but the South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court’s sentence.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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