South Dakota

Spring sports stifled by winter weather

Published

2 years ago

April 7, 2023

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota Information Now) – For those who visited the campus of Augustana College Thursday afternoon, you’d’ve caught a uncommon sight this spring in South Dakota: highschool softball at Bowden Subject, and highschool baseball at Ronken Subject. Thursday’s softball recreation between Sioux Falls Washington and Sioux Falls Roosevelt is one in all solely a handful of softball video games which have been capable of play on this spring due to the lingering winter climate.

Based on Jo Auch, the Assistant Govt Director of the South Dakota Excessive Faculty Actions Affiliation, solely 26 softball video games have been performed statewide headed into Thursday. Of the 49 groups fielding a group this season throughout three courses, solely 20 have truly performed a recreation. That’s all on account of poor discipline situations and chilly climate.

“We’re getting there. It’s that central a part of the state, that northern a part of the state, the west aspect of the state that’s simply been hammered with snow. The climate and blizzards, we’re simply popping out of a blizzard from yesterday. Lovely day immediately, we might play softball if our fields have been prepared. Sadly, there’s a number of snow that we’re going to must do away with first.” Auch mentioned.

However regardless of the climate, Auch mentioned the season has been a profitable one thus far with loads of curiosity and pleasure from colleges, athletes and followers.

“The groups which can be taking part in, I do know that they’re excited. I used to be on the inaugural one right here in Pierre when that opened up with Speedy Metropolis Central. And I do know that there have been a pair others, there was an indoor one which went on.” Auch mentioned.

Due to the transition softball took to an official, sanctioned sport, there was no highschool softball for 2022 in South Dakota. The game has often been performed within the fall. However groups are excited to maneuver to the spring and formally be acknowledged as a part of their colleges.

“As a result of that manner, you’re simply part of the tradition of your highschool tradition much more, relatively than simply being sort of a membership group to it. You’re truly one of many sports activities now, which is superior.” Sioux Falls Roosevelt head softball coach Cassie Van Beek mentioned.

Auch mentioned the state doesn’t plan on stopping with including softball, noting that the addition of esports shall be occurring quickly and there’s been critical discussions about including baseball.

“We’re at all times seeking to present alternatives for teenagers, and I feel that’s one thing we’re very happy with is the truth that our job right here is to supply alternatives for student-athletes. In the event that they benefit from them, nice. And in the event that they don’t, that’s a alternative that they make.” Auch mentioned.

The primary SDHSAA-sanctioned softball event shall be held in Aberdeen in early June.

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South Dakota

Extreme Cold Warning Issued for Southwest Minnesota and East-Central South Dakota

Published

43 minutes ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Extreme Cold Warning Issued for Southwest Minnesota and East-Central South Dakota

MARSHALL— The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Cold Warning in effect until noon CST Tuesday for portions of southwest Minnesota and east-central South Dakota.

The affected area includes cities such as Hendricks, Ivanhoe, Madison, Pipestone, Arlington, Lake Preston, Orland, Flandreau, Brookings, De Smet, Marshall, Tyler, Slayton, Lake Benton, and Fulda.

Wind chills may plunge as low as -40°F, creating life-threatening conditions. Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 10 minutes.

Limit outdoor exposure. If you must go outside, dress in layers, including a hat, face mask, and gloves. Keep pets indoors and check on vulnerable individuals, including older adults and neighbors. Use portable heaters safely and avoid indoor use of generators or grills.

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South Dakota

South Dakota Company Recycles Plastic Into Fence Posts | Aberdeen Insider

Published

8 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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