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White River to host Ranchers Workshop on Jan. 15 at the events center

2019 marks the 40th Anniversary for the Ranchers Workshop. This year the workshop will be held on January 15, 2019 at the Community Events Center in White River, SD. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the speakers will start at 9:15 a.m. (CST) which is earlier than in years past. Vendor and informational booths will be available to visit from 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Healthy soil will be the focus of two of this years’ speakers.

Jay Fuhrer, Soil Health Specialist with NRCS in Bismarck, North Dakota, will deliver a presentation titled “Regenerative Agriculture with Plants, Animals and Soils”. For the last 38 years Mr. Fuhrer has been working with cropping systems, grazing systems, cover crops and gardens. Recently he has spent time at the Menoken Farm minimizing soil disturbance, adding soil armor, maximizing plant diversity, maintaining living roots in the soil and integrating livestock.



“Managed Grazing for Modern Range Cattle” is the title of Dr. Lee Manske’s presentation. Llewellyn (Lee) Manske, Ph.D, a Research Professor with North Dakota State University, started his research career 45 years ago. He has been employed for 37 years by the North Dakota State University as a Range Scientist at Dickinson Research Extension Center. Dr. Manske is an advocate for using the twice-over grazing system as one that will bring the most profit to producers.

Dr. Mendel Miller, South Dakota Assistant State Veterinarian, will be updating producers on the latest animal health issues. Mr. Miller has been the Assistant State Veterinarian of the South Dakota Animal Industry Board since 2009.



“Rural Mental Health: Understanding & Managing Farm/Ranch Stress”, will be presented by Andrea Bjornestad, Ph.D. Dr. Bjornestad is the assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Mental Health Specialist. Her research and outreach in Extension has pertained to the mental health of farmers and ranchers. She has conducted two pilot studies in South Dakota where she is leading a multi-state team of Extension professionals in the North Central region to examine the impact of stress on the mental health of producers. This past year she was the speaker in two national webinars and has traveled around the state educating various agricultural groups on how to identify and manage farm stress.

An added bonus to the Ranchers Workshop will be a brief history of the Ranchers Workshop during the lunch break.

The Ranchers Workshop is coordinated by SDSU Extension, Mellette and Todd County Conservation Districts, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Mellette-Todd County Farm Service Agency and South Central Resource Conservation and Development Council. If you have any questions call 605-259-3252 extension 3.

–Ranchers Workshop