South Dakota

SD attorney general lends support to fight against animal confinement law • South Dakota Searchlight

Published

1 year ago

October 3, 2024

SD attorney general lends support to fight against animal confinement law • South Dakota Searchlight

Iowa and 21 other pork-production states, including South Dakota, are pushing for an appeal of a federal district court ruling that upheld a 2016 ballot measure in Massachusetts to prohibit the sale of pork, poultry and veal from livestock that were “confined in a cruel manner.”

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird headed an amici curiae, or an informational brief in support of one side of a case, with 21 additional states to voice opposition to laws that impose “unworkable restrictions” on hog producers.

The 2016 measure, known as Question 3, has been challenged multiple times by hog farmers and pork coalitions, most recently by Missouri-based Triumph Foods, with support of a coalition of pork producers, including Iowa, in 2023.

The law is similar to California’s Proposition 12 in that both restrict the sale of meat from pigs, calves raised for veal or egg-laying hens that were raised in a confining manner, “that prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely.”

Delayed farm bill punted until after election with Congress stuck on how to pay for it

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected challenges made by pork producers of the California law in May 2023. U.S. District Judge William Young in the District of Massachusetts dismissed most of the most of the claims against the Massachusetts law, leaving only one in question, which he rejected in July 2024.

This final claim argued that the Massachusetts law, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, was preempted by the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Young upheld the law and ruled it banned the sale of noncompliant meat and did not directly impact slaughterhouse rules.

The brief filed by Bird and the other states, is in support of Triumph Foods’ appeal to the latest district court decision.

“The Massachusetts pork ban is absolute hogwash,” Bird said in a press release about the brief. “Massachusetts does not get to tell Iowans how to raise their pork.”

The brief opens with a hypothetical of Iowa imposing a trade restriction on shellfish based on the way it was harvested, even though the land-locked state has little knowledge of these processes.

“That is what Massachusetts is doing here—imposing a detrimental and overly burdensome regulatory scheme on the almost entirely out-of-Massachusetts pig farmers and pork processors,” the brief reads.

The brief goes on to say that Q3 will, “deny market access to out-of-state pork farmers and processors,” “harm agricultural states,” and “increase the price of pork for all Americans.”

The opposing states argue that the law violates several inter-state commerce clauses of the Constitution.

The recent brief argues that allowing states to set their own confinement rules creates a patchwork of regulation, which would be costly for pork producers to adhere.

“Farmers in Iowa could invest millions of dollars to remodel their hog farms to comply with Massachusetts’s requirements only to find New York enacting a law imposing larger housing requirements per pig,” the brief said.

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Federal lawmakers have pushed for several years to pass versions of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression, or EATS, act to prohibit individual states and local governments from enacting laws that would impose “a standard or condition on the preharvest production of any agricultural products,” sold across state lines.

The bill was introduced in 2023 by Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, with co-sponsors including Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

The House Agriculture Committee’s website on the 2024 Farm Bill lists a similar “legislative solution” to Proposition 12 and similar state laws.

Congress failed to pass a new Farm Bill before its Sept. 30 expiration, due to disagreements on funding. Lawmakers could pass a new Farm Bill when they return Nov. 12.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, are listed on the recent brief led by Bird.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: [email protected]. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and X.

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Related Topics:Agriculture courts farming Featured Hogs pigs pork

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 8, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 8 drawing

01-31-32-45-52, 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.

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South Dakota

Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’

Published

21 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Kristi Noem’s term as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’

Kristi Noem’s stint as governor of South Dakota has come under fresh scrutiny by a former local mayor, who said she “did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” just days after she was fired from her role as Homeland Security secretary.

Noem, who served as governor from 2019 to 2025, became the first cabinet member to be fired by Trump during his second term.

The embarrassing dismissal came amid growing scrutiny of her aggressive immigration operations across the country, DHS’s purchase of multiple luxury jets for staff, major reductions in FEMA staff, and rumors of an affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Mike Levsen, the former mayor of Aberdeen in Noem’s home state of South Dakota, says her dismissal came as no surprise given her “lack of any significant accomplishment” during her time as governor of the state.

“The Noem governorship covered six years — then did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” Levsen wrote in a blog post, comparing Noem to the former Alaska Gov. who resigned midway through her first term, citing mounting legal fees being brought by various ethics investigations being brought against her. Palin was Senator John McCain’s running mate during the 2008 presidential election.

Kristi Noem’s tenure as governor has come under criticism following her firing as DHS secretary (AFP/Getty)

“Her legacy was minimal involvement with the Legislature, frequent absences, no transparency, repeated operational screwups, soaring turnover and instances of self-dealing for herself and her family,” Levsen wrote.

Levsen criticized Noem’s Covid-era ad campaign, “Freedom Works Here,” as a “Trump-based ploy that likely contributed to South Dakota’s listing high on some periodical per capita death lists.”

The campaign, which attempted to draw new residents to the state, cost $6.5 million, and South Dakota News Watch reported at the time that there were “hurdles” with the campaign.

Levsen also noted Noem’s “difficult relationship” with tribal governments, as all nine of South Dakota’s indigenous tribes voted in 2024 to ban Noem from their lands, according to CNN.

“Is there a single thing in South Dakota now better as a result of her time in office?” Levsen questioned in the post.

Noem was fired by Trump amidst mounting scrutiny over fallout in Minnesota, following DHS’s disastrous Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which saw two U.S. citizens shot dead in confrontations with federal agents.

Noem described the two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as domestic terrorists. She has refused to apologize for the comments.

She also drew fierce criticism with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with Lewandowski.

Noem was axed by President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday (Getty)

The final nail in the coffin appears to have been Noem’s congressional testimony this past week, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized her management and judgment.

A day after her second hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Noem was out at DHS — and that he was nominating Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

An administration official told NBC News that the president axed Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.

Before she was fired, Noem defended her performance during her hearings on Capitol Hill.

She also drew fire for insisting that the $220 million DHS ad campaign had been launched with the president’s approval, which Trump has denied.

Days after her humiliating firing, Trump named Noem as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that Trump says will focus on the Western Hemisphere.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 7 drawing

17-18-30-50-68, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 7 drawing

06-08-17-18-45, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 7 drawing

01-02-06-22-26

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 7 drawing

10-32-45-53-54, Bonus: 02

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.

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