South Dakota Farm & Ranch October 2023

increasing your awareness of farming hazards and making a conscious effort to prepare for emergency situations including fires, vehicle accidents, electrical shocks from equipment and wires, and chemical exposures. Be especially alert to hazards that may affect children and the elderly. Minimize hazards by carefully selecting the products you buy to ensure that you provide good tools and equipment. Always use seat belts when operating tractors, and establish and maintain good housekeeping practices.

1 2 3 4 2 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH OCTOBER 2023

Read and follow instructions in equipment operator’s manuals and on product labels.

Inspect equipment routinely for problems that may cause accidents.

Discuss safety hazards and emergency procedures with your workers.

Install approved rollover protective structures, protective enclosures, or protective frames on tractors.

5 6

Make sure that guards on farm equipment are replaced after maintenance.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

On the cover

58th Annual Bu alo Roundup ....................... 4

Park.

SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2023 WEEK

Everyone knows that accidents can be costly, not only in terms of time and money but in terms of health. One simple act of carelessness can lead to a debilitating injury or even worse, death. Don’t let it happen at your farm or ranch. Take the steps necessary on and off the field to keep your workplace safe

Features

Rain slows quick harvest ............................................10

Dairy proposed on governor’s brothers land...........14

Coop Ser vice

831 Main Ave • Alpena, SD

605-849-3341

We offer propane, gas & diesel products

• Create a list of safety rules for every aspect of your business and take the time to enforce them.

• Use quality equipment, inspect it regularly and make all necessary repairs in a timely fashion.

Publisher JONI HARMS

• Post appropriate caution signs on machinery and equipment.

Safety is essential on and off the field ALPENA

• Insist that children stay out of the workplace and off equipment.

• Keep an eye on workers and allow any that are too tired, stressed or ill to work to go home.

Editor

• Look for quality products and use them as recommended by the manufacturers.

LUKE HAGEN

• Purchase the appropriate safety gear and require your employees to use it.

Advertising Director LORIE HANSEN

• Have emergency plans in place, practice them often with your employees and stay informed!

South Dakota Farm & Ranch is an agricultural publication dedicated to informing SD and Midwest area farmers & ranchers about current topics and news.

This publication fits the niche of our unique farmers and ranchers of the Midwest, and the diverseness we have in our area. Although the Missouri River divides our state, we are all South Dakotans and thank the land for supporting us each and every day.

Our readers may be livestock ranchers or row crop farmers, and everywhere in between, however, we all have a common goal in mind. We feed and support the growing population, and want the next generation to find that same love and support that agriculture can offer.

We’re all SD Farmers and Ranchers’ and when you advertise in South Dakota Farm & Ranch, you are immersing your company, product, and service into a growing community of dedicated farmers and ranchers. Welcome to South Dakota Farm & Ranch!

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Courtesy / South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Bison being rounded up at Custer State

Ariana Schumacher / Agweek

Riders returning from the u alo Roundup.

20,000 GATHER IN AWE OVER ANNUAL BUFFALO ROUNDUP

By Ariana Schumacher Agweek

CUSTER, S.D. — Over 20,000 people gathered Friday, Sept. 29, to watch 60 cowboys and cowgirls roundup the herd of over 1,500 bison during the 58th annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park.

Colby Brown from New Underwood, South Dakota, grew up with horses all his life and now it’s his first-time riding in the buffalo roundup. He was one of 15 people chosen from a draw to join the other riders in this year’s event.

“I was excited,” Brown said. “You kind of got nervous because you’re like, what is it about, what do I need to do, and what all do they need? Is my horse going to be good to go?”

He has been preparing his horse Blue for the ride by completing trail rides through the Black Hills.

“(I’m most excited for) the intimidation and to see how my horse reacts being that close to something she’s not used to,” Brown said.

For some riders, like Jim Straight, the roundup is a yearly tradition.

“It’s a lot of fun. We get to see a lot of the same people every year and get out and see the beautiful country and get to see the buffalo — and get to chase the buffalo,” Straight said.

This is Straight’s 15th time riding in the buffalo roundup. He feels there’s not a better place in the world to ride a horse.

“As far as I know this is the only place in the world where you can chase buffalo on horseback,” Straight said.

The roundup is a part of the western heritage at Custer State Park. For participants, there

Ariana Schumacher / Agweek olb rown from ew nderwood outh akota rode in his first uster tate ark u alo oundu .

are not many other places they can do this sort of horse work.

“It’s an experience to have,” said Lydia Austin, visitor services supervisor at Custer State Park. “It works really well on our rangelands because there are a lot of places that UTVs and trucks can’t get to and we’ve got some canyons and stuff out here. So the horses can do it and it makes it adaptable and is still that feeling of the old west that we all kind of thrive in.”

The ride is not for inexperienced horsemen.

“You definitely need to know what you’re doing,” Straight said. “I wouldn’t recommend it for somebody that just started riding this year, probably not even recommend it for somebody that just started riding a couple years ago. It’s something that you need to have a good seat, you need to understand your animal, your horse, and you need to be able to understand the buffalo as well. Pick up on some cues when they are upset and that kind of thing.”

Riders must also rely heavily on a good horse.

“You can’t just ride any horse, it’s got to be a horse that’s comfortable around buffalo,” Straight said. “I

mean you can take the best kid broke horse in the world, and you get them around buffalo, and it changes their attitude.

“All the riders are excited, the horses are excited. It’s something different, and the horses pick up on the cues from the riders and the riders pick up on the cues from the horses, too,” Straight added.

Before the ride, the park has an orientation where they prepare new riders for the roundup and introduce their horses to the bison.

“Just give them a good idea of what’s actually going to happen and what they can expect,” Straight said. “We never know what is going to happen. They are a wild animal. They could have way different plans than we do, but it’s just the nature of the beast.”

The roundup riders are split into three teams, the red team, the blue team and the white team.

“Down here on the bottom is where the red team rides, and then the white and blue teams ride on either flank, up on the hills here on either side of us,” Straight said. “You primarily have your core riders, the ones

ROUNDUP: Page 6

Ariana Schumacher / Agweek Bison getting health checks at Custer State Park.

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ROUNDUP

From Page

that have done this over and over and over. They are the ones that are kind of leading the charge. Everybody else kind of fills in to wherever they feel comfortable. I mean you could be the most experienced horseman in the world and still have some reservations about chasing buffalo.”

But the roundup is about more than just fun and riding horses across the scenic prairie. It’s a tool for herd management in the park.

“We will bring them down to our corral system for their yearly check. At that point we are going to vaccinate them, brand the calves, pregnancy check the cows, and just see who is going to stay within the herd and who we are going to auction off so we can bring our numbers down to our winter numbers for our rangelands,” Austin said.

Dustin and Kayla Brown, husband and wife veterinary team from Fall River Vet Clinic have been working with this herd for 10 years now.

“For the calves, they are getting a respiratory vaccine,” Dustin said. “Pyramid 5 with Presponse is the one that we typically use just because it’s very nice, very smooth vaccine. It protects them against most of the upper respiratory infections that young bovine can get. And then the other one is a vaccine for clostridial infections that can cause any numerous number of diseases. And then they also get dewormed to get rid of the internal parasites that they pick up.”

Bison can be susceptible to a variety of diseases.

“One of the biggest ones that’s common, but we don’t see it luckily in the park, is a disease called mycoplasma. It’s a very devastating disease that can actually cause severe loss of animal in the herd,” Dustin said. “Some of the

LYDIA AUSTIN

fnicgroup.com

Ariana Schumacher / Agweek Bison calves being branded at Custer State Park.

“It’s an experience to have”

Bison being rounded up at Custer State Park. more common ones that you might run into is just any type of viral infection, IVR, BPD, BRSV, those are all cattle viruses, but they do affect the bison herds as well. You can just get your run-of-themill bacterial infection as well.”

The park doesn’t perform annual health checks on the other wild animals in the park, but bison are easy to provide care for as they are a similar species to cattle.

“With the bison herd, it’s more

easy to manage in the sense that we can cross over a lot of the cattle vaccines. It is off label use for pretty much everything we do in the bison world, but they are similar enough to cattle that we have the vaccines and the products available to be able to treat them,” Kayla said.

Bison can be a tricky animal to work with, especially when running them through chutes. They are wild animals and the handlers need to be

BEADLE COUNTY

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aware of the animals behavior in all close encounters.

“There is some behavioral presentations that the animals will give. So for instance, if the tail is completely raised, it’s something that we pay attention to. And if that’s the situation then the animal is aggressive,” said Jason Gooder, operations supervisor at Custer State Park.

On Nov. 4, bison producers from around the country will have a

chance to purchase bison from the park.

“We have a good, diverse herd, and they are grass fed, so they are a wanted commodity. We have folks from all over the country that come out here to pick up animals from Custer State Park, and it is fascinating to see where our animals go and where they end up and the stories behind them,” Austin said.

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Ariana Schumacher / Agweek

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RAIN SLOWS WHAT HAD BEEN QUICK HARVEST PROGRESS

By Ariana Schumacher, Jenny Schlecht, Ann Bailey, Jeff Beach and Michael Johnson Agweek

Fall harvest had been off to an early start across the region, but recent widespread rains slowed down progress and took many producers out of the field.

At Craig Converse’s farm in Arlington, South Dakota, soybean harvest started on a record early date of Sept. 12 and had already wrapped up for the year, on Sept. 22.

“This has been the earliest harvest we have

ever had here at the farm, and we just finished up here before the weekend on Friday. It took about two weeks but we just kept going and harvest went pretty fast and easy,” Converse said.

As of Sept. 24, South Dakota’s soybean harvest was right on with the five-year average, with 11% completed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s weekly Crop Progress report.

In North Dakota, harvest was just slightly behind average, with 10% completed, compared to the five-year average of 14%. However, farmers

in the state had to contend with a late planting season due to spring snow and a slow warmup, making the harvest progress seem faster than usual. To compare, only 5% had been harvested at the same time in 2022, another year with late planting.

Minnesota, meanwhile, was far above average as of Sept. 24, with 19% completed, compared to the average of 13%. Only 6% of the state’s soybeans had been harvested a week prior. Iowa also is a bit ahead of pace, with 11% of soybeans harvested, compared to an average of 10%.

Michael Johnson / Agweek cho ed corn field near ennin innesota has some standin water remainin after about . inches fell e t. .

Leaf dropping — a sign of soybean maturity — was far above average in all of the states, indicating that harvest progress could continue to progress quickly if weather conditions allow.

The hot, dry summer played a role in the early harvest conditions this year.

“We had that real hot weekend here in early September and (I) was really concerned about how much yield perhaps that was going to take off of our soybeans, and once we got in the field, it was surprising pretty good and I would say probably an average crop for the most part,” Converse said.

Soybean harvest near Verndale, Minnesota, was underway during the third week of September at the farms of Chris and Craig Neal in central Minnesota. Chris said the number of growing degree days allowed them to start harvesting a couple weeks earlier than usual.

But recent rains that swirled through much of the region put the brakes on harvest progress, at least for a time. From Sept. 20-24, intermittent rains throughout the region dropped varying amounts of precipitation, with some places receiving in excess of an inch and others 3 or 4 inches.

In central and eastern Minnesota, the territory David Nicolai, University of Minnesota educator covers, harvest had been moving along.

“We’ve been able to be in the field quite a bit up until this last weekend where we got some rain — much needed rain in terms of the drought but you know, little little too late for crop development on corn and soybeans,” Nicolai said.

About 1.5 inches of rain that fell at the Neal farm from Saturday, Sept. 23, through Monday, Sept. 25, held off the harvest for the Neals at least until the area can get a couple days of sunshine to dry out the fields again. The rain was welcome, but of little help to the already mature crop.

Northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota farmers were harvesting varied yields of soybeans before rains over the weekend of Sept. 22 halted the harvest.

Northwest Minnesota yields ranged from 30s to 40s bushels per acre in areas that were dry to to 50s and 60s where rain fell, said Kayla Voeller, a Peterson Farms Seed agronomist for northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota.

Yields on the North Dakota side of the Red River generally were lower, mostly in the mid- to high 30s-bushel per acre range. Fields in northeast North Dakota generally missed the rains that fell in northwest Minnesota, Voeller said. Fields in southern Walsh County, North Dakota, near the Forest River and Minto, were especially dry.

Overall, the soybeans were yielding better than farmers had expected, given the dry 2023 growing conditions, Voeller said.

Near Madison, South Dakota, Justin Minnaert had only gotten about 100 acres of soybeans out of the field before being delayed by rain.

“It was very slow going, the stems are very green but the beans are dry so it

HARVEST: Page 12

Michael Johnson / Agweek he round was saturated on the ed e of this corn field near Parkers Prairie, Minnesota, on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023.

was much slower than typical and we are just kind of patiently waiting to actually get going again,” Minnaert said. “So far, we have had only about two-tenths of rain, but it has kept us out of the field for the last four or five days.”

But, Minnaert is still two weeks ahead of his normal harvest schedule.

“I would say a lot of it is just the way the heat has been and then the lack of moisture too, but surprisingly, we have had much better yields than in the past couple years, I think we can contribute that to we had about 2 inches of rain in the middle of August and that really helped set us up for a good bean harvest so far,” Minnaert said.

Soybean conditions as of Sept. 24 showed the

variability throughout the region, ranging from 42% good to excellent in North Dakota to 47% in Iowa.

Chris Neal said they started on dryland beans with poor yields of about 15 bushels an acre, so far.

“We knew dryland was going to be poor,” he said. If a shower could miss their farms, it seems it did this season.

He adds that they started on irrigated soybeans, which are showing average yields, though they didn’t make it far into the harvest before rains halted the work. Both dry and irrigated had dried down to about 12% moisture prior to the rain. Chris said that he believes what really hurt beans was an August heatwave that stressed the plants too far.

“That week where we hit 100, that did not help,” Neal said.

Early corn harvest

Nicolai said variability in maturity within fields has had some farmers moving to combine corn in parts of Minnesota before their beans, or switching back and forth.

Minnaert’s corn is also nearly ready to be harvested, and he and other producers hope to get started soon.

“Possibly before beans with the way the weather is going. Anytime now we will probably be starting corn, just depending on if the weather clears up and if the soybean moistures cooperate,” Minnaert said.

South Dakota’s corn harvest was at 9% completed as of Sept. 24, ahead of the five-year average of 6%. North Dakota’s was right on the average of 3%. As in soybeans, Minnesota had jumped ahead of normal, with 11% harvested compared to the 3% average. Iowa also was ahead, at 9% compared to a 5% average.

Craig Dodds

Kari Fagerhaug

The Neals wrapped up corn silage harvest for their beef cattle in midSeptember. That too was pushed ahead in order to capture some amount of moisture in their dryland corn. The Neal acreage between

Verndale and Staples, Minnesota, is largely on sandy soils.

Like in soybeans, corn maturity is far above average in all four states. While the Dakotas each were slightly ahead of average in corn maturity

Farmers.

by Sept. 24, Minnesota and Iowa each were more than 20% ahead of average.

Corn conditions vary greatly across the region and even from field to field. Across the region, conditions range from 40% good to excellent in Minnesota to 61% in North Dakota, with Iowa and South Dakota falling between those.

But even in parts of Minnesota, crops are better where the rains fell.

“Most of the corn actually is coming in a little bit better than people expected in south central Minnesota. I’ve heard of reports, one 190 bushel an acre,” he said.

The yields tail off north of the Twin Cities, where some corn yields

have been less than 100 bushels per acre and soybean yields have been “really low,” Nicolai said.

Converse, in Arlington, South Dakota, expects an average “to maybe slightly above-average” corn crop.

“It’s just hard to tell until you are really out there. It’s really uneven, and I think that is part of the factor. We just really don’t know because there’s some good areas, but then there’s some drought areas that, you know, may have to probably bring that average down a little bit. But for what it looks like right now, I think it will be pretty good considering the year that we’ve had,” he said.

Michael Johnson / Agweek Clouds parted and winds picked up on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, near Parkers Prairie, Minnesota. weekend rain slowed the harvest progress, but drier weather should have farmers back in the fields soon.

$86M DAIRY PROPOSED ON LAND OWNED BY GOVERNOR’S BROTHERS

By Joshua Haiar South Dakota Searchlight

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story can be found on  South Dakota Searchlight’s website. South Dakota Searchlight provides free news and commentary on critical issues facing the state.

HAZEL — An $86 million, 12,500-cow dairy project is proposed on 250 acres currently owned by Gov. Kristi Noem’s brothers in northeastern South Dakota, and it faces opposition from some local residents. The brothers plan to sell the land to the company proposing the dairy. One of Noem’s two brothers, Rock Arnold, spoke at a public information meeting Tuesday evening at the Hazel firehouse. He said the dairy’s demand for cattle feed would increase local grain prices, which would be good for farmers.

“They are a rural, farm-family owned and operated business,” Arnold said of the project’s backers. “They have small-town values. They want to be a member and partner in our community.”

He added that small communities like Hazel — which has about 100 residents — have seen their populations decline and businesses close in recent decades, and the dairy would bring new jobs and more tax revenue.

But the project has critics. A petition is circulating against the project in Hazel. It has about 30 signatures so far, one opponent said.

One concern is about the higher grain prices that Rock Arnold touted. An attendee asked how his small cattle operation would benefit from higher feed costs and greater competition for feed. That comment garnered applause.

AGRICULTUREIS ATOUGH BUSINESS.YOURLENDER SHOULDBE, TO O.

Concerns from the community also include new traffic and its impact on roads, the company’s request to waive the county’s mandatory 3-mile setback from the town, and the 160 million gallons of water required for the project, which would come from a new well or the local rural water supplier.

“How is this going to impact our environment?” asked Vanessa Namken. “And will there be an environmental impact study?”

Project details

The company behind the Brantford Dairy project, Riverview LLP, already operates five dairies in the state and one feedlot. The new project is proposed at a location two miles south of town.

Riverview’s Cassidy Watzke spoke at the meeting. She said the state is not requiring

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ROCK ARNOLD

an environmental impact study. She added that the company prioritizes being a good neighbor and takes environmental concerns seriously.

Watzke said the project would need the equivalent of over 10,000 acres’ worth of local hay and grain for feed, and manure from the dairy would be available for fertilizer on local fields, making the project a win-win.

Watzke said the company will mitigate odor by covering the stored manure – rather than leaving it in an uncovered pit – and having fans moving air through the facility.

“It is a livestock facility, and odors are tied into livestock facilities,” Watzke said. While pointing to a model of the odor the project would emit, she said, “As you can see, the odor is pretty much over the dairy itself.”

Once operational, Watzke said the project would provide 45 jobs each making between $50,000 and $90,000 per year.

“We do actively recruit in the United States and Mexico,” she said.

Win Noem, the mayor of Bryant and the uncle of First Gentleman Bryon Noem, also spoke in favor of the project. He said Bryant’s tax revenue has doubled since the Riverview Dairy near Bryant was constructed.

‘Never sell the land’

Gov. Noem has said publicly, “My dad always told me, ‘Never sell the land, Kristi. God’s not making any more of it.’” She was referencing her late father, Ron Arnold, who died in a 1994 farm accident.

Rock Arnold told South Dakota Searchlight that Ron Arnold also cared about ensuring local communities thrive and farmers receive a good price for their grain.

“She made that comment way before she knew about this proposed dairy,” Arnold said. “If my dad were alive today — and a lot of people in this room knew him and knew that he was a forward thinker, knew that he wanted to do what’s best for the community — I think he’d be 100% on board with this.”

Gov. Noem’s mother, Corrine Arnold, agreed. She told South Dakota Searchlight that she gave her blessing after “the boys talked to me first.”

Rock Arnold said Gov. Noem does not have any ownership in the land targeted for the dairy.

The dairy will need permits from the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Hamlin County Board of Adjustment. The project is applying for a Governor’s Office of Economic Development program that would refund up to $4.5 million of the sales and use taxes spent to build the project.

Joshua Haiar / SD Searchlight

ttendees fill the firehouse in a el on ct. durin a ublic information meetin about a ro osed cow dair .

“They have small-town values. They want to be a member and partner in our community”