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SD Beef Industry Council does BEEF in May

PIERRE, SD – The South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC) is moving into May with a month packed full of events across the state! Gov. Kristi Noem kicked off the month by signing a proclamation officially declaring May as Beef Month in South Dakota April 23, 2019. The SDBIC worked alongside the South Dakota Department of Agriculture in organizing the proclamation.

“We appreciate Gov. Noem taking the time to recognize our beef producers and the incredible contributions they make to our state,” states Suzy Geppert, Executive Director for the SDBIC. “Not only do they make a significant contribution to the state’s economy, but they do so with extreme passion for their work.”

Beef Month is a time-honored tradition recognizing beef farmers and ranchers for their hard work, dedication, and passion in providing millions of consumers with a delicious beef product. Beef Month in South Dakota offers a fantastic way to tell the beef story from pasture to plate while honoring South Dakota’s nearly 14,000 beef producers. South Dakota is also home to nearly 4,050,000 head of cattle, outnumbering state residents 5 to 1.



Beef Month also kicks off a grilling season that shows beef is the king of the grill, with ground beef being the top cut. Summer continues to be the peak season for beef sales with an average of approximately 30 percent of yearly beef dollars captured between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

“We appreciate Gov. Noem taking the time to recognize our beef producers and the incredible contributions they make to our state. Not only do they make a significant contribution to the state’s economy, but they do so with extreme passion for their work.Suzy Geppert, Executive Director for the SDBIC

The SDBIC began Beef Month activities the first week of May with multiple ranch tours. This “Families Feeding Families” campaign offered South Dakota the opportunity to share the pasture-to-plate story through videographer Brenna Ramsden. The tour began in Springfield, S.D. at Nagel’s Cattle Company and Feedlot. On Tuesday, April 30, the SDBIC traveled to Stockman’s Livestock in Yankton, S.D. and continued to Dante, S.D. to Scattered Star Ranch. The rest of the week consisted of tours on the Mason-Knox Ranch in Frankfort, S.D. and completed at Odden Charolais in Colome, S.D.



On Wednesday May 1, the SDBIC presented to youth of all ages at Haakon School District in Philip, S.D. They talked about the beef industry’s impact on small communities and participated in many Ag Day activities. Videographer Brenna Ramsden was also on hand and visited with many community members.

Events continued on Monday, May 6 in Rapid City, S.D. with the annual Rapid City Beef Crawl, held in partnership with Ag United of South Dakota. The Beef Crawl is a progressive dinner featuring a different beef item at each stop. The event is designed to give consumers the chance to sit down with producers and learn more about modern beef production. Likewise, cattle producers had the opportunity to learn more from attendees about what they really look for when making beef their protein of choice. SDBIC Board of Directors members Les Shaw, Gary Deering, and Justin Tupper were among those producers advocating for beef and answering consumer questions.

The SDBIC has other events planned throughout the month and a wide variety of social media promotions and media opportunities prepared throughout May. Be sure to follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even visit its webpage at sdbeef.org for fun, interactive ways to see all things BEEF!

–South Dakota Beef Industry Council