SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO-AM) – At a public ceremony Wednesday on the Front Porch of the Sioux Empire Fair, Lyman County producer Reed Petersek signed the contract that put South Dakota farmers and ranchers over 7 million acres of land enrolled in USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program.
The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Services says it’s a conservation milestone for the state’s agricultural producers, who lead the country by a healthy margin—no other state has even 6 million acres enrolled in the program.
The signing was part of Ag Appreciation Day at the fair, and State and federal officials were on hand to congratulate and thank producers for their conservation accomplishments that covered 1/6 of the working Ag land acres across South Dakota.
“Our ultimate goal is to improve soil health across the state on croplands, pasturelands and rangelands, and all the positive effects that come downstream with that,” said Karl Jensen, president of the South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts. “The CSP helps with that.”
South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Mike Jaspers, who has land enrolled in the program, applauded producers for their efforts. “I learned more about how to care for the land with that program, and it incentivizes me to do more,” Jaspers said.