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SDPB Radio Coverage of the South Dakota Legislature. See all coverage and find links to audio and video streams live from the Capitol at www.sdpb.org/statehouse

Lawmakers Hear From Environmental Stewardship Award Winners

Lyle and Garnet Perman are national winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award. The Permans are 4th generation farmer/ranchers and run the Rock Hills Ranch with their son and daughter-in-law. The Permans are the first South Dakota ranchers to receive this award at the national level. They have also received the state Leopold Conservation Award. Lyle and Garnet Perman talked with lawmakers about the importance of promoting conservation practices. 

Lyle Perman says his family takes a holistic approach to running Rock Hills Ranch which is about 80 miles west of Aberdeen.

"When you take a holistic approach you look long-term at impact and you look at all living organisms within the ecosystem and you ask – alright, what’s the collateral damage if I do this? And that’s what holistic management is about," says Perman.

Of all the conservation methods they practice Perman says one of the most important is preserving native grass lands. He says native grassland promotes plant and animal diversity and helps with water infiltration. He says water infiltration is important for productivity.

"But infiltration is just the ability for water to go into the soil. So what we want to do is maximize that ability and we’ve learned through observation and testing that maximum infiltration occurs when we have a well-managed native grass stand," says Perman.

Perman's wife, Garnet, says sustainability is important for the future of South Dakota and the human race.

"If we use it up and deplete the nutrients and destroy the soil structure, eventually that land becomes unproductive," says Garnet Perman, "And if we’re going to feed a world that’s going to support a huge population we need to be concerned about the future. And we need to be engaging in practices that protect that future."

The Permans say lawmakers can help promote sustainable ranching and farming by allowing conservation easements. Lyle says lawmakers should also implement tax policies that encourage native grass preservation. He says one way to do this is institute an actual use model instead of the current productivity model for property taxes.