News

In a state where cattle outnumber residents four to one, the backbone of South Dakota’s economy, lifestyles, and heritage are our rich grasslands. The South Dakota Grasslands Initiative invites you to the South Dakota Grasslands Summit to meet other producers, share your thoughts and concerns, and expand your view on our state’s most important resource. To learn more and register, visit sdgrassinitiative.org/summit. 

 

October 28th, 2020

True Stewards Podcast: Luke Perman - Living His Values Socially, Economically & Ecologically

Luke Perman  is a thoughtful steward of his land, the cattle, and the wildlife at Rock Hills Ranch in South Dakota. A fifth-generation rancher, Luke is focused on long-term sustainability and you can tell his values are reflected in all aspects of his business. Beyond his holistic philosophy on range management, Luke actively engages with the public to help spread the word that raising high quality beef is not only compatible, it can actually enhance the quality of grasslands in the Great Plains.

June 1st, 2020

Study: Development threatens farmland: By Jonathan Knutson — Forum News Service

"America needs to be wiser in its conversion of farmland into other uses, a new study finds.Between 2001 and 2016 alone, 11 million acres of the nation’s agricultural land — 4.4 million of them “nationally significant,” or the nation’s best land for food production — went for residential, commercial and industrial uses, according to the report from American Farmland Trust."

May 8th, 2019

South Dakota organizations set up state’s first agriculture-focused land trust: By Janelle Atyeo -Tri-State Neighbor

"A newly formed agricultural land trust will help landowners secure easements on their property to ensure it’s managed how they want it to be managed in the future. “We’re seeing interest from landowners … especially in areas where there’s development pressure like the Black Hills or Minnehaha County,” said Jodie Anderson, executive director of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, the organization that led the development of the state’s first ag-focused land trust"