South Dakota Stockgrowers Association

06/17/2026

🚨Attention Farmers and Ranchers!

🔹Join the South Dakota State University Extension for the Drought Meeting on June 17, 2026!

🌱Worried about how drought is affecting your crops, forage, and livestock? Join an SDSU Extension meeting in your area for an informative and practical Drought discussion designed specifically for agricultural professionals.

🗓️ Date: June 17, 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00 a.m. CDT / 9:00 a.m. MT

📍Locations:
Hot Springs (Mueller Civic Center)
Winner (Regional Center)
Yankton (Yankton County 4-H Building)

🗓️What’s on the agenda?
🔸 Crop & forage management strategies
🔸 Up-to-date climate & drought info
🔸 Livestock & marketing tips during drought
🔸 USDA Livestock Disaster Programs
🔸 And much more!

💦Bring water and forage samples for on-site testing. This is a great chance to get expert insights.
🥪Plus, enjoy a complimentary lunch and connect with fellow farmers and ranchers.

🌟Registration is free!

🔗Visit extension.sdstate.edu/events or scan the QR code to sign up and see the full agenda.

❓Have questions? Contact Heather Gessner at [email protected] or call 605-782-3290.

06/17/2026

Today Secretary Rollins announced a comprehensive directive to all U.S. Forest Service employees, advancing the USDA-U.S. Department of the Interior Grazing Action Plan to strengthen American ranching, restore multiple-use management on federal lands, and combat regulatory lawfare against producers. 🇺🇸

Details: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/06/12/usda-issues-directive-restore-grazing-national-forest-lands-and-strengthen-support-americas-ranchers

06/17/2026

𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐅 𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘

A Colorado rancher cut through the climate jargon to name 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 (Ingraham Angle).

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 — 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭”, he said. “𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴?”

Sullivan, who chairs R-CALF USA’s private-property committee, argues the war on beef — methane rules, land pressure, 𝐥𝐚𝐛-𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬, and the squeeze on small ranchers — is at bottom a fight over 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲, and with it the citizen. Centralize the plate and you centralize the person.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

06/17/2026

While public discussions about artificial intelligence often focus on energy consumption, semiconductor manufacturing, or economic development, water is emerging as one of the industry's most consequential and least understood resource demands. In many rural communities, particularly across the American West, ranchers, farmers, water managers, and local residents are increasingly concerned that the expansion of large-scale data centers could intensify already significant water challenges.

Those concerns are no longer theoretical.

Read more here: https://www.agdaily.com/.../ranchers-are-watching-the.../

06/17/2026

It's almost time!

The 2026 R-CALF USA National Convention & Trade Show kicks off tomorrow. Check out this year's agenda. Who are you most looking forward to hearing from?

Committee meetings begin Tuesday at 3 p.m., affiliate meetings begin at 5 p.m., and the Welcome Reception begins at 6 p.m. with early attendee check-in available throughout the evening.

Safe travels to everyone making their way to Rapid City. We'll see you soon!

06/09/2026

In the next two decades, 300 million acres of agricultural land will change hands as the current owners retire or die. This land is essential for food production, wildlife habitat, and rural economies, but its future is uncertain.

LANDED, a new podcast developed by the American Farmland Trust with support from the USDA NRCS, explores the challenges facing farmers and ranchers who, through succession planning and generational transitions, are turning toward the future.

Episode 1 features Dustin Watson's fight to keep a promise, secure his farming dream and keep his family’s land as a farm, forever. Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

https://farmland.org/landed-podcast -1

06/09/2026

Please join us in Winner SD tomorrow June 9!

06/04/2026

Attached is a fact sheet for the New World Screwworm.

As things progress, there will be publications coming out from official sources. Please utilize these and not rage bait media posts or posts from politicians. This is a serious issue, and needs to be handled efficiently.

Like we’ve said before, this is not a barn fire. There will be clear processes to treat livestock, transport livestock, and sell livestock. It will take an extra step or two, but nothing we can’t handle.

Remember, there are pre-treatments medicines that were not here in the previous outbreak. And many treatment options if you get an infected animal. If you have any questions, always consult with your local vet.

For the general public- there will be 0 animals infected ever make it into the supply chain. There are protocols from the ranch to the processing plant. American Beef is safe and will continue to be, which is more than we can say for foreign beef!

Support American Ranchers, Eat American Beef!

06/02/2026

Scholarships Available! Pass the Word! This one is for college students.

06/02/2026