Lura Roti

Iver Heier is a third-generation Harding County rancher. Although there were times when his wife Bev’s nursing career was all that kept things afloat financially, ranching is a career he loves.Heier shares his passion for ranching and the history of his namesake - Grandpa Iver - who started the family ranching legacy more than a century ago.

National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) report forecasts farmers across South Dakota harvested more than 650 million bushels of corn. So, where does all the corn go once it leaves farmers’ fields?

In 1895, Joe Painter's great-grandpa rode into Harding County as the head horse wrangler for the CY Cattle Company. As the story goes, great-grandpa Painter loved the country so much that he lived on the land out of a tent for two years. He eventually acquired the right paperwork to take legal ownership of the land in 1910.One-hundred-twenty-seven years later, the Painter family continues to ranch in Harding County. Joe Painter shares how he got his start in ranching. And the role sheep played in helping him keep his family's ranching legacy strong.

This fall Gregory cattle producer Brett Kenzy and his wife, Jessy sent their two oldest daughters off to college.Kenzy reflects on his decision at 17 to enlist in the Army. He shares the impact serving as a mechanic in the 25th Infantry Division had on his college career and life in general.

Decades before the internet, social media existed in the form of community newspaper columns. Documenting the comings and goings of neighbors, these columns kept folks connected and in the know.Even today, thanks to dedicated volunteers, these columns continue to thrive in some rural newspapers.

Dale Swenson was born and raised in Woonsocket. When he became a father, he and his wife decided to return to the community so they could raise their family in his hometown.The community of Woonsocket matters to Swenson and throughout his adult life, he has made time to give back – volunteering his time to Meals on Wheels, putting up the holiday nativity on a small island in the middle of Lake Prior and helping organize the community’s annual Water Festival.The Woonsocket Water Festival has been a community tradition for more than 100 years. Swenson shares his childhood memories of the Water Festival and his reasons for giving back.

Patrick Wagner has loved insects his entire life. He’s made a career as an Entomology Field Specialist with SDSU Extension. In this Take A Moment Segment, Wagner shares with SDPB’s Lura Roti why he values these often under-estimated creatures.

Most of us take vacation to get a break from work. But a South Dakotan passionate about food safety, recently used up her two weeks’ vacation and volunteered to work to improve food safety in Egypt. SDPB’s Lura Roti has this story.

Beneficial insects are all around us. It’s common knowledge that honeybees create a sweet treat while working to pollinate plants. And then there’s ladybeetles that eat many garden and crop pests like aphids. In this story an entomologist and rancher highlight yet another beneficial insect – the dung beetle. Its job is not glamourous. But it is essential. SDPB’s Lura Roti has this story.

With several current board members looking to retire from Central Farmers Cooperative when their terms are up, the full-service agriculture co-op headquartered in Salem decided to try something new.It’s cooperative month in South Dakota. It is an opportunity to focus on a South Dakota cooperative taking a proactive approach to the challenge of getting young farmers to serve on the board of directors.