Food security took center stage in the #GovernmentShutdown debate as hundreds of thousands of furloughed government workers faced another missed paycheck and 42 million recipients of federal food assistance were told they will stop receiving benefits. Via @statesnewsroom.com

We truly run the risk of having families without food. SD is not taking any steps to cover any part of #SNAP benefits, so our food pantries are on their own. They can't fill the gap. #hunger #shutdown

Well said! "Farmers and ranchers need a resolution to the shutdown and a Farm Bill that strengthens voluntary conservation, maintains local input on conservation decisions and rewards stewardship. They also need reinstated contract payments to prevent further economic damage." #farmbill #shutdown

“And in Pennington County, where Rapid City is located, roughly 9,990 people, including American Indian and Alaska Native people, use SNAP.” We’re meeting this eve at COUP Council office to talk through strategy. See link for details.

Communities are in peril: “It is a real crisis on the ground, on the front line,” Stites Means said. “This is a manufactured crisis. … We have a lot of hunger in this community.” #hunger #southdakota #SNAP

South Dakota is one of the states who is not stepping in to fund #SNAP benefits once they run out on Nov 1. 75,000 South Dakotans, many of them children & elderly on fixed incomes, will lose their food assistance southdakotasearchlight.com/2025/10/27/n... #hunger #foodinsecurity #shutdown

On increasing imports of Argentine beef: This is not in the best interest for South Dakota farmers and ranchers. We raise safe, high-quality beef that should not be undercut by a faulty trade scheme. - Roger Svec, DRA member & cattle producer www.dakotarural.org/dra-statemen... #usabeef #cattle

On increasing imports of Argentine beef: This is not in the best interest for South Dakota farmers and ranchers. We raise safe, high-quality beef that should not be undercut by a faulty trade scheme. - Roger Svec, DRA member & cattle producer www.dakotarural.org/dra-statemen... #usabeef #cattle

This hits our most vulnerable populations - children & elderly folks on fixed incomes. #southdakota #hunger #SNAP

This is an example of why local control is important. County zoning ordinances give the public an opportunity to weigh in on projects like this, especially when the state regs are lax. #mining #localcontrol

These folks have been fighting the corporate influence of Summit for years now. Because they have been open about their struggles with the company, it has helped other landowners stand up too. They show what's possible when you stand up to bullies. #carbonpipeline

To say that #ranchers don't under the economics of their own industry is insulting. If you want to help ranchers and address grocery prices, break up the packers. #usabeef #argentina #meatpackers

Good news from southwestern #SouthDakota this week! Oglala Lakota & Fall River Counties are now joined by the City of Hot Springs in requesting a venue change to Hot Springs for the Craven Canyon #uranium project bit.ly/4qlmn3i #publicparticipation #transparency

"We have one billion bushels of soybeans that don't have a home. So many [U.S.] farmers are hurting now," John Bartman, a fifth-generation farmer in Marengo, said. "This is a man-made disaster caused by Donald Trump and his administration."

SD's ag economy is being toppled by the #tradewar & the feds keep bailing out Argentina ($40 billion!). Let's not wipe out cattle markets too or #SouthDakota will be in a world of hurt quickly southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/senat... #usabeef

South Dakota has good resources to create more #renewableenergy jobs. We have room to improve & grow. www.sdpb.org/business-eco...

Good news! 🗞️ Louisiana is standing up to the #carboncapture industry by putting a moratorium on new applications for injection wells www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/... #carbongrifters

If AI could be a bubble, communities need to think long & hard before allowing #datacenters to be built. A lot of public dollars could be spent on this infrastructure that never gets utilized www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/o... #taxdollars #rural

Great piece from @canarymedia.com on farming with #solarenergy panels on the land. Agriculture & #solarpower can exist together, create energy, diversify income for the farmer & keep land in production www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...

Good point for #SouthDakota economic development leaders to remember: "Since it doesn't take many people to operate a data center, once they're built, the facilities don't usually support many permanent jobs." www.npr.org/2025/10/14/n... #jobs #datacenters #economicdevelopment

Hmmm, sure looks like Summit is bailing now that they can't use #eminentdomain to seize land to build their #CO2pipeline despite what they said for years www.kxnet.com/news/summit-...

A 19% hike on #electricity bills would be felt by everyone & would be a flat-out hardship for many who are already struggling to buy groceries or pay rent #ratepayers #utilityrates #energysky

South Dakota has plenty of sunshine ☀️ We could get in on this trend and contribute to our state economy! #solarenergy #sodaksolar #renewableenergy

Two of the biggest players in the highly concentrated beef sector settle price-fixing charges, after consumers accused Tyson and Cargill of conspiring to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply. www.producer.com/daily/tyson-...

#Uranium mining threatens water, people's health, wildlife & the tourism industry. It has no place here.

Uranium mining in the Black Hills threatens water, people's health, wildlife & the tourism industry. It doesn't belong here.

An 18% increase in #healthinsurance prices regardless of the provider, is going to hit South Dakotans hard. Not good news, especially for families already struggling to make ends meet

Xcel Energy is requesting a rate increase that would cause electric bills for the company’s average South Dakota residential customer to go up by 19%, which equates to $21 per month.

ICYMI: Enormous subsidies to the fossil fuel industry are just some of the many hideous elements of the GOP spending bill. The End Polluter Welfare Act would stop this injustice. Tell your Reps to support it: https://fwwat.ch/4meKK02

DRA's Rebecca Terk: "Uranium and #nuclearenergy are not a 'clean' energy...Maybe they are coming out of the stack but the mining process is incredibly dangerous to the people who do it and to the people who live around it." app.publicnewsservice.org/story/sds-bl...? #mining #southdakota #uranium

One company's data centers will consume as power as NYC & San Diego COMBINED. This is bad for our communities in so many ways. That kind of demand will raise our rates & strain the grid. Will you have power when you need it? #datacenters #rural #ratepayers

Some key the ingredients for a successful community garden include land with water, sun, and passionate volunteers and neighborhood support. Here’s how to start your own community garden project. ⬇️

US soybean prices are down $1 from last year but #SouthDakota beans are down another 80 cents - $1.35. This is crushing for #farmers. Even if federal aid does come, will that help our state budget? Depressed crop prices hit sales tax revenue & the state budget shortfall is considerable #sdleg

Exciting news: We are over halfway to our $10,000 MATCHING GRANT goal! Your donation will help us continue our work to protect Black Hills Water from destructive mining. Every contribution made will be doubled! It's a win-win! We appreciate your support! DONATE HERE: tinyurl.com/3fyf2h5w

11,000 people is a lot of South Dakotans. This should worry all of us. #healthcare #rural

Appreciate seeing a farmer speaking directly about impacts he's seeing on his farm and honesty about what he's losing per acre everyday that tariff/trade battles continue:

The finding: The closer an area is to major data center activity, the more likely electricity prices will increase. Ratepayers need to pay attention! www.youtube.com/watch?v=byUS... @cbsnews.com #datacenters #utilities #energyprices

Farming communities see a rise in #hunger over the last decade. While still line with the national average, rates are up 11.7%. With crop prices tanking & groceries getting more expensive, could get worse barnraisingmedia.com/these-rural-... @barnraiser.bsky.social @investigatemidwest.bsky.social

It would be nice if admin would ditch the 45Q #taxcredits that pay for boondoggle projects like the proposed #CO2 #pipeline not just ban the words tax breaks, tax credits, & subsidies. Just hides the fact that that #taxpayers are paying billions to these companies www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

The SDPD will continue to produce and broadcast state championships and all-state fine arts.

Interested in teaching others how to preserve food? Then apply to attend this joint workshop from SDSU Extension & Rapid City Sustainability. Applications are due by Oct. 6 extension.sdstate.edu/master-food-... #localfoods #southdakota

The plan is focused on improving forms of public transportation, such as walking and biking.

SD News Watch: Market forces and an international trade war are putting a squeeze on South Dakota corn and soybean growers who are about to harvest a huge crop without their usual market in which to sell them.

The urban tree canopy in Denver is one of the sparsest in the country. But Denver Urban Gardens aims to increase tree coverage and community access to fresh food by growing food forests. Contributor @rileyramirez.bsky.social reports. ⬇️

The pro-pipeline crowd is trying to blur the facts. They outspent our coalition by 11 - 1 & still lost 60%-40% at the ballot box last fall. They had millions of outside dollars, slick PR firms, and still lost. #SouthDakota doesn't like bullies. #ccs #carbonpipeline #carboncapture

South Dakota's #agriculture economy is taking a hit this year with low soybean & corn prices due to the #tradewar with China. Beginning #farmers are the most vulnerable - you can't pay your bank loan if you can't sell your crop.

You’re not imagining it – energy prices have been creeping up because of extreme weather, aging infrastructure and AI data centers’ increased demand on the grid. A just transition to 100% renewable energy is more urgent than ever!

This is such an interesting idea. People could offset their household energy use or even use these panels to provide power to an outbuilding for less expense than connecting the building to the main meter. #solarpower #solarenergy

South Dakotans stand in support of landowners who say "no thanks" to the proposed #CO2 #pipeline crossing their property. Also, we don't care for corporate bullies. www.sdpb.org/politics/202... #CCS #carboncapture

"[Canceling the Miles City RMP] gives companies the green light to mine the public coal that sits underneath private property.... Property owners could literally have the earth taken out from underneath us." #mtpol billingsgazette.com/opinion/colu...