Opinion

Sunday, March 20, marks the first day of spring at 10:33 a.m. CT/9:33 a.m. MT precisely, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. Spring is a crucial season for both of our state’s two largest industries: agriculture and tourism.

Whenever you hear someone mention the “1902 Roundup,” you automatically think about the rounding up of all cattle west of the Missouri River which had strayed from their home range. Most had traveled to the southeast during the winter months because of the blizzards, deep snow covering the grass, and bitter winds. Some were even moved along by their owners to save the forage on their own range and also save their cattle from starvation.

Representative Caleb Finck District 21 Gregory/Tripp Charles Mix/ Bon Homme Counties Committees: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Legislative Procedure, Chair of Transportation Capitol Address: 500 E. Capitol Ave.

American Legion and Auxiliary to hold meeting American Legion monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. American Legion Auxiliary will also be holding a meeting at 8:00 p.m.

DEATHS Sylvia Warnkvist, 88, February 20, 2022, Gregory, SD. Samuel Hoffart, 63, February 05, 2022, Dallas, SD.

But that is not the big news. During my first State of the State address, I announced that I wanted South Dakota to lead the nation, raising the bar in everything we did.

With the construction of Fort Randall in Dakota Territory on the west bank of the Missouri River just above the current Nebraska-South Dakota state line in 1856, the military occupation of the upper Missouri had begun. By 1860, two military posts had been established in the present state of Wyoming, one in Nebraska, and one in South Dakota.

Representative Caleb Finck District 21 Gregory/Tripp Charles Mix/ Bon Homme Counties Committees: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Legislative Procedure, Chair of Transportation Capitol Address: 500 E. Capitol Ave.

Deaths Phyllis Jean Schonebaum, 90, February 24, 2022, Gregory, SD. Larry Larson Kelso, 83, February 20, 2022, Sioux Falls, SD.

They say hindsight is 20-20. Looking back at the year 2020 in hindsight, we now can say that South Dakota consistently made the right decisions during the pandemic.