agriculture

Supporters of the "cottage foods" industry in South Dakota say a new law will make it easier for producers of homemade food products to legally and safely sell their wares directly to consumers by eliminating costly and time-consuming food testing requirements.

Court documents provide details of how farmers who commit grain fraud orchestrated their schemes and how they spent their ill-gotten gains.

As organic farming in the U.S. has evolved into a $63 billion a year industry, some farmers have turned to fraud and others have exploited loopholes in the organic regulatory system in order to make millions. But legitimate farmers in South Dakota and beyond are working to protect their reputations and build more trust in organic labeling by pushing for more regulation, oversight and transparency within the industry.

With diesel fuel as their economic lifeblood, South Dakota truckers and farmers are being hurt by unusually high per-gallon prices at the pump. Meanwhile, as many truckers and farmers take steps to reduce fuel consumption, higher transportation costs are often passed on to consumers who are already facing high inflation.

Overly wet weather has forced many South Dakota farmers to delay or cut back on planting of their annual crop. The delayed or reduced crops will require some farmers to seek financial help from insurance or federal assistance programs to keep their operations viable.

Inadequate enforcement by federal agricultural agencies is allowing some farmers in South Dakota and across the Great Plains to illegally convert wetlands into croplands. As a result, states are seeing a continuing decline in wetlands and ponds that are crucial for breeding and hosting of wildlife, including South Dakota’s lucrative pheasant population.

South Dakota’s native freshwater mussels clean the water in state rivers and streams, but agricultural pollution and habitat destruction appear to be reducing their numbers at the same time the invasive, non-native zebra mussels spreading throughout South Dakota are a new threat to aquatic populations. Experts wonder if state and federal wildlife and environmental protection agencies are doing enough to protect native freshwater mussels.

As the dairy industry in South Dakota continues to expand, robots have become the latest high-tech tool in milk production. One dairy farmer near Lake Norden has made robotics that latest element of a wide-ranging expansion of his business.

The latest technological advancement in the dairy industry involves the use of robotics that allow cows to be milked, fed, watered, rested and washed without direct human contact. The process reduces personnel costs, improves efficiency and could be a way to attract young farmers to a growing industry in South Dakota. After visiting the Drumgoon Dairy in Lake Norden, South Dakota News Watch is providing this package of photos and videos to show how the $12 million robotics operation functions.

FIRST OF TWO PARTS: The South Dakota dairy industry is undergoing a rapid expansion both among existing farms and with new operations launching or relocating from other states to meet the increasing need for milk by the state's flourishing cheesemaking industry. The expansion that shows no signs of slowing is providing a big economic boost to farmers and farm communities across eastern South Dakota.