News

For the week ending May 18, 2025, there were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 10% very short, 35% short, 50% adequate, and 5% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 19% very short, 38% short, 42% adequate, and 1% surplus.

Ever since soil moisture was fluid (unfrozen), healthy soil bugs have been busy reproducing and preparing soil mineral nitrogen to be completely available to healthy native grass plants. Likely the most unrecognized source of income to a rancher is the nitrogen made available through functioning soil. The average ranch might have 80 pounds available, when the potential is 100 – 140 pounds of plant available nitrogen without any inputs. Grazing management through biologically - effective grazing strategy can do this, making for more nutrient dense feed for a livestock business.

On February 20, 2025, the Cattle Plaintiffs in the Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation against JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef received preliminary approval of an $83.5 million settlement with JBS. The settlement was reached in the class action antitrust lawsuit filed in 2019 by R-CALF USA, four individual ranchers, and the National Farmers Union. The litigation against Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef continues.

Commentary by Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USA Recently, a colleague from the sheep industry, Carson Jorgensen, and I met with White House officials to discuss our plan for rebuilding and expanding our shrunken cattle and sheep industries. Our mission was not only to keep our message simple but also to provide compelling evidence showing that the policies we’ve been subjected to for the past few decades have been a complete failure.

The original Carlock Hotel, a historic structure dating back to 1904, was burned down on Saturday, May 24, 2025. Built by Milton Bektoe, the hotel saw several ownership changes, passing to Milo Carrey in 1906 and then to James Cornell in 1907.

A piece of local history turned to ash on Sunday, May 25, 2025, as the dilapidated Jeppeson School District 50, a one-room schoolhouse, was burned. The blaze marked the end of an era for the educational institution, which had stood for over a century, enriching the lives of countless children.

Rachelle Bloom, representing Gregory Economic Development (GED), was in attendance at the regular meeting of the Gregory City Council, Monday, May 19, 2025, to ask the council to reconsider the idea of converting the empty lot at 509 Main Street (between Southern Plains Behavioral Health Services and Hipp Theater) into a green space. The city has made extraordinary efforts to make the space available to a new business, basically offering the lot for free if certain conditions were met, but no one has expressed any interest.

The Waddington Brothers are coming to the Prairie View Gospel Barn on Sunday, May 25, 2025. The Waddington Brothers are a true band of brothers with a musical style that transcends time, bringing listeners back to a place where music was more than just entertainment, but rather a way of life.

Gregory High School seniors were awarded scholarships during the commencement exercises held on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the Gregory Memorial Auditorium. Following scholarships were awarded to the 2025 seniors: Adeline & Fred Gassen Scholarship Luke Stukel

A new study reveals that South Dakota has the third most devastating financial impact from cybercrime in the United States. The research by personal injury law firm Simmrin Law Group analyzed cybercrime financial loss data from 2021 to 2023 for U.S.