Abbey Stegenga

No neighboring state is as liberal as South Dakota when it comes to traveling with loaded guns and hunting on, along or over roads. 

A country music star renowned for giving back and a psychologist at the forefront of improving mental health access are among this year’s 10 inductees into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. 

With the number of college-aged students predicted to dwindle and as other states roll out more college affordability programs, some South Dakota colleges plan to bolster enrollment with creative recruitment tactics and another tuition freeze. 

For more than a decade, beekeepers in South Dakota and around the country have been fighting against historically high annual colony loss rates of more than 30%. It's affecting roughly 100 crops, which could raise food prices while decreasing food availability.

Nearly two-thirds of South Dakota farmers are at least 55 years old. In 2017, nearly 4,100 principal producers were over the age of 75. As the number of young farmers remains low and those nearing retirement age grows, some worry about the future of the state’s No. 1 industry.

Farmers in South Dakota and across the U.S. will likely take home less income this year because of increasing input costs and decreasing commodity prices. However, optimism remains halfway through the growing season.

Experts say prairie rattler bites are usually not fatal but warn that ongoing development into once-natural areas will increase encounters.

Under legislation that’s pending in Congress, future CRP participants could receive more than double the current payments.