News

The week of April 19 to 25, 2026 marks the 45th anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. NCVRW is a time-honored tradition that recognizes the plight of victims and survivors, and elevates their voices so that when they speak, America can listen and learn.

Signers call on Congress to fully staff USDA agencies — including Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) — so conservation and regenerative agriculture funding can reach producers Last week, more than 500 producers from across the country urged Congressional leaders to prioritize funding and staffing for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency that delivers federal conservation programs to America’s farmers and ranchers.

For our U.S. cattle and sheep industries, do you want free markets or competitive markets? That’s not a trick question as there’s presently significant political tension between these two goals.

First Dakota takes protecting your identity very seriously. That’s why we hold our annual Shred Day to make it easy for you to safely discard any personal identifying documents.

On Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), South Dakota District Office will host two Regulatory Roundtables for small businesses in the Agriculture and Manufacturing industries. The Office of Advocacy’s Region VIII Advocate, Trent Staggs, and National Advocate of Rural Affairs, Joseph Knilans, will lead a discussion with small business owners to understand the regulatory environment and pain points they are facing.

VERMILLION, S.D. — Discovery Saturday returns to the National Music Museum (NMM) on May 2, launching a month of programs that explore America’s musical heritage and honor Military Appreciation Month through performances, activities, and special gallery experiences.

Five years ago a simple unity dream was just a dream to talk about. It wasn’t much more than a dream to talk about until we found others who also wanted to see more unity in our community actually happen. We discovered by talking and working together we could start to see something of value, something interesting, creative and meaningful begin to turn into something we could be proud of. We started with something very simple that could bring people together and every one could feel welcoming to all who attended our event. A first step was finding ways to share our culture, music, dance, art and food and the desire to have a better community. This was something we all feel good about and helps us learn more from each other and also see what we have in common. Even if it was just a simple idea in the beginning it can still be a big deal to accomplish and help lead us to a better feeling of unity. For some it is much easier to just keep taking until we have the first obstacle land in front of us.

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota State Historical Society (SDSHS) will be honoring multiple individuals and organizations with awards Wednesday June 3, 2026, during the annual state history conference in Fort Pierre.

Srinivas Janaswamy, associate professor in South Dakota State University’s Department of Dairy and Food Science, has been named to the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List for 2025. The honor, which Janaswamy has earned for the second straight year, places him among the world’s most influential researchers and highlights the sustained impact of his scientific contributions.

Libraries are a vital part of our rural communities. That’s why I invite you to celebrate the library in your small town during National Library Week, April 19 to 25.