South Dakota

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem joins Tudor Dixon in Michigan to talk election stakes • Michigan Advance

Published

5 months ago

August 24, 2024

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem joins Tudor Dixon in Michigan to talk election stakes • Michigan Advance

Republicans need to have better conversations in their communities if they want to see former President Donald Trump in the White House again, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and GOP former Michigan gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon said Friday evening at a town hall in Saint Clair Shores.

Following the Thursday conclusion of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the party’s presidential nomination, Noem and Dixon held an event in Macomb County. The pair, both endorsed by Trump in their bids for governor in the past, answered questions about the November election from residents and rallied support for Trump in Macomb County, where Trump secured a majority of votes in 2020, despite losing the state.

The goal of the night was to make people uncomfortable, Noem said in addressing the crowd of around 300 attendees — uncomfortable that they only have so many hours in a day to talk to people, to tell them how much they love America and bring the message of “hope” that Republicans bring.

“Our policies that we believe in, they bring that. They bring a belief in our Constitution, the opportunity that it provides to grow up in America and have every opportunity in front of you, not equal outcomes, but equal opportunities to be successful and to go on and do with your life what you feel called to do. And that’s really the conversation we need to have with people this election cycle,” Noem said. “We have decided that it’s more important to be right than to go out and win the hearts and minds of people, than to go out there and really talk to people and spend time having conversations about what it means to their family.”

Noem also is scheduled to speak at the Michigan Republican Party state convention Saturday in Flint.

During the DNC and In the next few weeks before the Nov. 5 election, a lot is going to be said about Trump and Harris. Republicans are going to have to decide to “not to be offended and to keep the relationship” if they want to change minds in their communities, Noem said.

“Your words have power,” Noem said. “Choose not to be offended by political conversations you’re having with people. Choose instead to recognize that the words that you speak will impact somebody, and try to speak different words that change their perspective, help them think about this election different than they have.”

And it can start at the grocery store, where Noem said she likes to occasionally work the checkout line like she did in college in order to learn about the needs and concerns of South Dakotans. Even the price of pickles can spark a conversation that could change someone’s perspective.

Republicans need to change their thinking when it comes to reaching out to different groups in states, Dixon said, recalling one campaign event during her race for governor in 2022 where a group of men from Dearborn, which sits in traditionally Democratic Wayne County, came to listen to Republicans.

“They said, ‘You know, we were told that if we came to this event, we would be kicked out.’ And they said, ‘Then we sat here and we heard a lot of things that mean something to our community,’” Dixon said. ”I think that it’s a shame on us, but it’s also a new world where we are realizing that it’s time for us to reach everybody. It’s time for us to go to the places that everybody told us, ‘well, you never accepted there.’”

During that election, several Michigan towns and cities had clashes over banning books. In Dearborn, some Muslims and conservative Christians joined forces to oppose books with LGBTQ+ characters and issues in public schools — which was also a major agenda item for Dixon. She lost the election to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, left, and Republican candidate Tudor Dixon shake hands before their debate on WXYZ Channel 7 at Oakland University in Rochester, Oct. 24, 2022 | Pool photo from Robin Buckson / The Detroit News

Among those who asked questions at the St. Clair Shores event, Jason Woolford, the Republican nominee for Michigan’s 50th House District in GOP-dominated Livingston County, asked for advice on how to engage voters in local and federal elections.

Michigan is the epicenter of many political battles. It’s a highly sought-after state in the presidential race, and with a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, it could impact which party is in control of the upper chamber in 2025. At the state level, the parties are battling for control of the Michigan House in November. For the last two years, Democrats in Michigan have held total control of the offices of the governor’s, secretary of state, attorney general, as well as both chambers of the Legislature.

Republicans “are so viciously attacked” Dixon said, invoking conversation about the assassination attempt on Trump last month at a rally in Pennsylvania. “You’ve seen for months they’ve called Donald Trump a threat and then, of course, when people are called a threat, someone wants to eliminate the threat. … And boy, does that discourage people from running as Republicans right now.”

The shooter at the Trump rally has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was a registered Republican, and was shot and killed by police.

So many of the problems Republicans are worried about like growing taxes, rising inflation and insecure borders can be solved when Michigan mobilizes to elect Trump and flip the state House, Noem said, adding that Whitmer is “a wreck” and “somebody should run against her.”

Dixon lost to Whitmer in 2022 by well over 400,000 votes. Whitmer is term-limited in 2026.

Running for office is not easy and it’s hard to know who to trust, Dixon said. But Republican governors across the country offered their support to her back in 2022 including Noem, who would talk to her and have lunch with her.

Facing an uphill battle in November, Barry Altman, the GOP nominee for the 7th House District in highly Democratic Detroit, asked for financial help and guidance from Noem and Dixon.

In the August primary, Altman won the Republican slot with under 200 votes, while his Democratic opponent in November, Tonya Myers Phillips, won with nearly 5,000 votes.

Noem asked who she could make a check out to to support his campaign and Dixon said she’d take his phone calls for help.

“That falls on all of us who have run before to answer your call,” Dixon said. “And I mean it to answer your call and say, ‘We know someone. I know someone. Let me help you. Let me introduce you. Let me move you along.’ Because this is a group effort, and the Democrats do it.”

Democrats, namely Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have taken to calling Republicans “weird.” But Noem reasoned that the concerns Republicans are bringing to the forefront on border control and axing taxes get to the heart of what just about every household in America is concerned about: health, safety and a future for everyone’s kids.

“I don’t think you have to be philosophical about this election,” Noem said.

She cautioned the crowd to cut through the noise and look at the track record of candidates and share what candidates have said versus what they have done.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (left) and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon (right) speak during a town hall at Barrister Gardens Banquet Center in Salt Clair Shores, Michigan on Aug. 23, 2024. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

Former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon speaks during a town hall with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem at Barrister Gardens Banquet Center in Salt Clair Shores, Michigan on Aug. 23, 2024. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks during a town hall with Former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon at Barrister Gardens Banquet Center in Salt Clair Shores, Michigan on Aug. 23, 2024. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols

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South Dakota

South Dakota Company Recycles Plastic Into Fence Posts | Aberdeen Insider

Published

3 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

South Dakota Company Recycles Plastic Into Fence Posts | Aberdeen Insider

Many farmers are frustrated with all of the plastic that clutters their farmyards.

Tarps from silage piles, plastic containers, net wrap, totes and drums pile up. It is estimated that 12.5 million tons of agricultural plastic are used annually in the U.S.

A company near Lennox transforms the plastic generated on farms and from other sources into something that every farm needs — 4-inch and 6-inch fence posts. It’s a brilliant example of waste reimagined.

Billy Pollema, vice president of sales for ZahnTech, said the company transforms waste plastic into a product needed by the ag market.

“We sell these posts nationwide, and some have gone to Florida and the Caribbean islands. In those places, they struggle with wood posts rotting due to the salt water and humidity, so this is a good fit for them,” Pollema said.

Bags and other types of plastic are recycled into fence posts by ZahnTech in Lennox. Courtesy photo.

MORE: New agricultural business program will start next fall at Northern State

“Currently, the company processes 30,000 pounds of plastic daily,” he said. “We take it in, shred it, melt it and turn it into something useful. Our goal is to triple what we can process.”

People are thinking more about being sustainable and many want to get to zero waste. The company wants to rebrand recycling and change the way the world views garbage.

ZahnTech is eager to keep plastic out of the landfill.

“We encourage people to bring plastic to us from all over South Dakota. We are even getting some from Wyoming. Our company is partnering with farmers plus different industries. We take it all in as long as it is plastic. There are seven types of plastic in our formulation,” Pollema said.

Trucks constantly pull up to drop off their loads, he said.

“We take chemical jugs as long as they’ve been properly rinsed. We get thousands of barrels from ag companies during the summer and fall, plus plastic pallets,” Pollema said. “We’ve partnered with the city of Beresford to take their curbside pickup materials. Every two or three weeks, it comes to us in bales. They’ll dump it in our shed and we’ll take it from there. We do not accept liquids, glass, metal or hazardous chemicals.”

In addition to ag plastic, ZahnTech is getting semi loads of plastic waste from many industry partners, including Glanbia Nutritionals, which has locations all over the country. Recently, 10 semi-loads of Walmart bags were dropped off. That’s 500,000 pounds of bags waiting to be shredded.

The process uses a primary shredder and a secondary shredder, reducing the plastic to three-eighths inch. Then the material goes through the hot melt extruder and flows into molds for the 4-inch and 6-inch posts.

MORE: Latest 2024 farm income forecast shows overall decrease from 2023

There’s strong demand for the posts.

“We price them to be competitive with the wood market as farmers don’t want to pay more than they have to. ZahnTech is one of the few companies using this process. In addition to the company in New Zealand, there is one in Canada and one in Pennsylvania,” Pollema said.

He was at the recent Dakota Farm Show in Vermillion showing people the pros of using the posts and explaining what the company does. The plastic posts can replace the green-treated posts or posts treated with creosote to prevent rot. Wood posts normally need to be replaced every 10 years or sooner. ZahnTech information said testing shows their posts will last 100 years.

Business sparked by frustration from lack of plastic scrap recycling options

A fence post made from recycled plastic by ZahnTech in Lennox. Courtesy photo.

The owner, Avery Zahn, started the process, and Pollema shared Zahn’s story.

Zahn has owned a pipeline business. His frustration stemmed from the lack of plastic scrap recycling options, forcing him to take the materials to the landfill. After he sold his business, Zahn noticed the railroad ties around his horse arena were rotting and needed to be replaced. Remembering the unrecyclable plastic, he searched for a way to make something usable from it, such as fence posts. He found that in New Zealand, a company developed a process to do that.

“He bought his first extrusion machine from New York, brought it to South Dakota and started figuring out a way to melt the plastic and turn it into fence posts,” Pollema said “Avery tried different formulations and produced a composite to get the posts to the needed strength. After a year and a half of research and development, the company started making and selling products. That was a year and a half ago. It all started with Avery looking at the posts and deciding, ‘I’m going to come up with a better way.’”

The biggest cost for ZahnTech is electricity, with 3,000 amps of service coming into the production facility.

“It’s our major cost and it would be great if we could reduce that, maybe by using some solar power,” Pollema said.

MORE: Invenergy plans 250 megawatt wind farm in Frederick area

While the electricity is expensive, the plastic is free.

“People are looking for places to get rid of their plastic,” he said. “We are diverting as much from the landfill as possible. It’s a great selling point for our posts as people can see we are doing something good for the environment. For years, people buried plastic, and it will take years to degrade. Many people get behind what we are doing.”

ZahnTech produces 300 plastic fence posts per day

The company produces 300 posts a day with six people in the production line who do the shredding, bundling, receiving material and fabrication. In all, there are 11 employees.

Avery Zahn founded and owns ZahnTech, a Lennox business that recycles plastic of all sorts into fence posts. Courtesy photo.

The goal is to handle 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of plastic a day with the two main lines. When ZahnTech adds another line, it will be able to handle 60,000 to 70,000 pounds a day.

Currently, ZahnTech is transforming 98% of waste into sustainable products,” Zahn said.

“We’re not far from achieving our goal — 100% waste conversion. The company wants to build a greener, cleaner world, one fence post at a time,” he said.

On its website, ZahnTech claims its posts are 10 times stronger and 20 times more durable than wood. They are flexible and can be post-driven, cut, drilled, nailed, screwed, bolted or stapled. The posts are fire-resistant, non-conductive, won’t split or rot and are impenetrable by water, frost and pests, per the website. They can also be pulled up and repositioned.

Connie Sieh Groop of Frederick is a veteran journalist and writer who has focused on all aspects of the agriculture industry during her career.

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South Dakota

Mizzou wins double header against South Dakota, Northern Illinois

Published

10 hours ago

January 20, 2025

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Mizzou wins double header against South Dakota, Northern Illinois

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South Dakota

Sunday Forecast: Western South Dakota in for a Frigid MLK day

Published

18 hours ago

January 19, 2025

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Sunday Forecast: Western South Dakota in for a Frigid MLK day

BLACK HILLS REGION, S.D. – Many folks have a three day weekend in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day! And it will be a good day to stay inside and stay warm. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning for portions of western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming. Wind chills are expected to be as low as -45° especially in the Northen Hills. Other offices have followed suit with Extreme cold Warnings covering most of the Northern Plains.

This extreme cold is unusual and potentially dangerous, with the National Weather Service forecasting “the coldest wind chill readings of this outbreak”. The Extreme Cold Warning for our region is in effect from 7pm this evening to 11am tomorrow, with a Cold Weather Advisory until 8am Tuesday.

Expect a high around 9°F in Rapid City with an overnight low of -14°F. Wind chills will bottom out around -30°F just after sunrise. The Deadwood area will see similar conditions, with an overnight low around -19°F and wind chills potentially plummeting to -45°F or even lower! Winds will be relatively calm tonight at 5 to 10 mph but will pick up to 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph by tomorrow morning. This is why the wind chill will be coldest around sunrise rather than in the midnight hours.

Monday Morning Wind Chill

Per Lundquist

There is still some slight flurries falling over northeastern Wyoming, which could lead to icy and partially snow-covered roads, but things will be clear by this evening. Clear skies at night typically help cool temperatures even further, because the surface of the Earth radiates off infrared radiation into space, which is a loss of energy and causes temperature to fall. With no sunshine to replenish that energy and no cloud cover to keep it from escaping, we’re going to cool off quite a bit.

It’s important to remember that frostbite can occur quickly in extreme cold, and with wind chills, it can happen even faster. According to University of Colorado Health, when the temperature is 5°F and the wind speed is 30 mph, frostbite can develop in just 30 minutes. At -5°F with the same wind speed, it may set in within 10 minutes. With wind chills expected to reach -45°F in some areas, frostbite can occur on exposed skin even sooner. Symptoms of frostbite usually begin with the affected parts feeling cold and painful. If exposure to the cold continues, you may feel pins and needles before the area becomes numb as the tissues freeze. If you think you or someone else may have frostbite, seek immediate medical attention.

We should see some relief on Tuesday with temperatures warming back up to the low 30s under partly to mostly cloudy skies. The next clipper type system will bring low chances for light snow Tuesday night through Wednesday night along with breezy to windy northwest winds.

Rapid City 7 Day

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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