News at SDState

Reflecting on his childhood, fourth-generation Valley Springs farmer, Kevin Scott said for him and his cousins, farm life was idyllic.

"Think like a cow.” It’s a simple concept Mary Duvall learned growing up on her family’s Hermosa ranch that has had a powerful impact on her career as a communicator, lobbyist and legislator.

A banquet speaker Jerry Schmitz listened to during a 1980 co-op annual meeting changed the trajectory of his farming career and soybean production across South Dakota.

Edgar McFadden, breeder of the aptly named wheat variety “Hope,” will be honored at a public ceremony and reception on Saturday, Aug. 29. The ceremony will celebrate the dedication of a new art sculpture, H.O.P.E. a Helix of Resilience: The Life, Journey & Legacy of Edgar S. McFadden.

Sheep have been a part of nearly every chapter of Patty DeZeeuw’s life — first as a Custer County 4-H member, then as a South Dakota State University wool judge. And since 1979, she and her husband, Rufus, have raised purebred Suffolk sheep.

South Dakota State University colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and Education and Human Sciences honor Patty DeZeeuw, Elkton; Mary Duvall, Pierre; Jerry Schmitz, Vermillion; and Kevin Scott, Valley Springs; with the 2026 Eminent Leaders in Agriculture, Family and Community Award.

Crystal Levesque, professor of monogastric nutrition at South Dakota State University, has been named the inaugural Rick Wahlstrom Endowed Chair in Swine Production. The appointment recognizes her strong research program and commitment to student success.

A new study from South Dakota State University's Ness School of Management and Economics found that about a quarter of surveyed farmers in Eastern South Dakota have adopted drone technology, despite high upfront costs.

The South Dakota State University Dairy Quiz Bowl Team claimed the top spot at the American Dairy Science Association's Annual Meeting in Milwaukee June 21-24.

Key investments paved the way for the university's long-term research growth and ascent toward R1 classification.