South Dakota

South Dakota youth participate in rangeland and soils education

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

South Dakota youth participate in rangeland and soils education

WATERTOWN, S.D. — With a history of giving students hands-on experiences on rangeland and soils education, the 40th annual rangelands and 19th annual soils days for youth was held June 12-13 in Watertown, South Dakota.

SDSU Extension, Codington Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of South Dakota cohosted the event, which provided youth ages 8 to 18 with hands-on education in rangeland and soils. To participate, youth were given the options to create educational displays on range-related topics, give speeches and compete in rangeland and soil judging.

Krista Ehlert, assistant professor and range specialist for SDSU Extension, believes that providing these kinds of educational experiences is an investment for the future.

Krista Ehlert, assistant professor and range specialist for SDSU Extension.

Contributed / SDSU Extension

“I actually had one of the producers that I work with tell me, ‘If you want to invest in the future, invest in a youth; invest in a child,’ and I think that’s really true,” she said. “That’s something that we achieve through rangeland and soils days, is investing in our future.”

There were around 110 students participating this year, up from around 75 the previous year. Ehlert said that the event changes locations every two years to accommodate for travel between both East River and West River students.

“We increased our student numbers this year, so we’re really happy about that and we’ll see what we get next year,” Ehlert said. “We hope that we put it on in such a way that people don’t mind traveling, and feel like it’s worth it, no matter where it is.”

Students spend time in the field learning about rangelands and soils to prepare for the contest on the first day and then student displays and speeches are presented in the evening. The rangeland and soil judging contests start the morning of the second day.

Rangeland has four age divisions including new rangers for ages 8 to 10, wranglers for ages 8 to 11, scouts for ages 14 to18 and go-getters which are also for ages 14 to18. Each division judges habitat suitability for beef cattle and prairie grouse, in addition to learning plant identification and morphology.

Youth ages 14 to 18 are also given the option to compete in the land and homesite contest which provides an opportunity to learn more in-depth about soil texture and type, factors that limit soil health, and how to determine land capability with management recommendations. The homesite evaluation contest teaches how to determine the suitability of sites for building foundations, lawns and landscaping, septic systems and sewage lagoons.

Lance Howe, soil scientist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service based out of Redfield, South Dakota, coordinates the land and homesite contest and has a long history of helping with the rangeland and soils days, having assisted with the event since 1999.

Howe feels rangelands and soils days help students learn about different career paths and the environment.

“This is all about giving students an opportunity to see career opportunities and what’s involved with them,” he said. “It’s really about teaching the students why the environment is important and resources of the soils and range of plants, but it’s also about them learning the different career opportunities out there to help our positions down the road.”

Landon Wolter, a rangeland management specialist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service Soil and Plant Division based out of the South Dakota Soil Survey Office in Redfield, South Dakota, got a taste for his future career by attending the rangeland and soils days each year while he was a student.

Growing up in Wessington Springs, South Dakota, Wolter was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. After attending his first rangeland and soils days as a freshman in high school, Wolter earned spots on the state teams and saw success competing at the national level. He then went on to attend South Dakota State University, earning a degree in ecology and environmental science with a specialization in rangeland management.

Wolter is now continuing his involvement with the rangeland and soils days by setting up sites for both contests and practices this year and credits opportunities like this for providing with him practical skills needed for his future.

“You’re getting kids to think about managing those natural resources, thinking about what impacts we have on the system, how we can alter the system both negatively and positively and the impact of our management decisions,” he said. “I think that’s something that’s extremely relevant for students to see even if they’re not from an agricultural background, it has implications for them.”

Kennedy is a reporter for Agweek based out of South Dakota. She grew up on an organic crop farm where her family also raises cattle in eastern South Dakota. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 2023 with a major in agricultural communication and minor in agricultural business. She enjoys connecting with producers and agribusinesses across the region while reporting on all things agriculture.

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South Dakota

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Nine school districts have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Perkins Reserve Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education.

The grant provides major equipment upgrades for Career and Technical Education programs, helping to equip students with the skills and experiences needed for post-secondary education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are constantly evolving to match the pace of workforce needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves.

“The South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant aids schools in equipping students with current technologies, resources, and tools, offering students a realistic, hands-on learning experience that will strengthen their marketability to colleges or employers once they leave the K-12 education system.”

The following school districts have been named as the 2026 recipients:

Aberdeen School District:
- Awarded $30,233 for new precision machine equipment for the manufacturing program.
De Smet School District:
- Awarded $15,898 for modernizing metal fabrication within agriculture programs.
Lake Preston School District:
- Awarded $43,160 for expansion of program offers in multiple career clusters to strengthen industrial alignment.
McLaughlin School District:
- Awarded $11,997 to purchase equipment to offer a new culinary arts program.
Menno School District:
- Awarded $32,844 to purchase small engines and attend professional development opportunities to enhance the agricultural mechanics program.
Mitchell School District:
- Awarded $38,663 for the modernization of the automotive technology lab.
Timber Lake School District:
- Awarded $42,400 for the expansion of agriculture course offerings to strengthen industry alignment.
Wakpala School District:
- Awarded $40,145 to purchase a skid steer simulator to enhance the agriculture and construction program.
Wolsey-Wessington School District:
- Awarded $26,201 to purchase industry-aligned equipment to enhance the agriculture and construction program.

You can learn more about the South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant at doe.sd.gov.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 4, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

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

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

02-18-22-30-32

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

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

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

John Hult
| South Dakota Searchlight

PIERRE — A bill from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to criminalize the creation or sharing of deepfakes was amended this week to more clearly define what constitutes nudity before it reaches Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk.

The amendment, added on the floor of the House of Representatives, came in response to concerns about unintended consequences.

Senate Bill 41 creates a class of felony crime for the creation or distribution of images digitally altered to depict a person in a state of nudity or involved in a sexually explicit act, commonly referred to as deepfakes.

In testimony in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday in Pierre, Jackley pointed to the case of Mark Rathbun, a former Division of Motor Vehicles employee who is accused of taking images of women and girls from state databases and creating sexual images.“This is real, and it’s something that we unfortunately are seeing happen in our state,” Jackley said.

The judiciary committee voted 8-3 to send the bill to the House floor but not before a discussion on its potential to criminalize political memes.

The bill’s definition of nudity originally encompassed a partial state of nudity. Fort Pierre Republican Rep. Will Mortenson asked Jackley if that would include a fabricated topless photo. Jackley said yes. Then Mortenson asked if a fabricated image of Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker without a shirt, if shared by President Donald Trump on social media, would put the president in line for felony charges.

Jackley said a Pritzker image wouldn’t qualify because Pritzker is male, but Mortenson pushed back.

He noted that partially nude fabrications would be a felony if done with the intent to “self-gratify or alarm, annoy, embarrass, harass, invade the privacy of, threaten, or cause emotional, financial, physical, psychological, or reputational harm to that individual.”

Nothing in the bill specified that a person in a digitally fabricated topless image must be female.

“We just said that half-nude is a state of nudity, and so now he’s shirtless, and the point of this is to embarrass this guy,” Mortenson said of his topless Pritzker meme scenario.

Mortenson voted against the bill in committee but brought an amendment Tuesday to define nudity as inclusive of male or female genitalia, buttocks or the female nipple.

The amendment passed, but it did not address every concern about the bill.

Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman of Sioux Falls asked Jackley during the bill’s committee hearing why he didn’t use it to enhance penalties for people who film others in states of undress or participating in sexual activity against their will.

That behavior is a felony if it involves the recording of a minor, or if it happens repeatedly. The new penalties for deepfakes would be added to the same chapter of South Dakota law.

“Why is the first time hidden recording a misdemeanor generally, but a digitally fabricated image would automatically be a classified felony,” said Wittman.

Jackley said he feels that the creation of digitally manipulated sexual images, even if they aren’t shared, signals “significant criminal intent.” He told South Dakota Searchlight after the committee meeting that he’s open to addressing that issue, but that SB 41’s primary purpose was to target deepfakes.

On the House floor, Wittman was one of two representatives to say the bill’s felony penalties could be unnecessarily harsh in instances where young people make “a stupid decision” and create a deepfake.

“I feel like, in a lot of situations, this bill covers behavior that could be covered by a lower level of offense,” Wittman said.

Supporters countered that the creation of fake nudes can do real psychological damage to real people, and that the state needs to clearly signal that doing so is a serious crime.

“It’s only fun and games until it happens to you,” said Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-St. Onge.

The bill passed the House 60-6. It now moves to the state Senate, which passed the bill 32-0 on Jan. 16. The Senate would need to approve the amended version of the bill before it could be delivered to Gov. Larry Rhoden to sign or veto.

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