In The News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday April 19, 2021
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources officially begin serving South Dakota as the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR).

Governor Noem announced her plan to merge the two departments in August 2020 and, in January 2021, issued Executive Reorganization Order 2021-03 combining the two departments into DANR. The executive order takes effect today.

“With this merger, we are fostering sustainable agriculture and conservation of our natural resources that we can pass on to our kids and grandkids,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “DANR will be more effective, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of farmers.”

Hunter Roberts will serve as DANR’s first cabinet secretary.

“Governor Noem has a tremendous vision for the next generation of agriculture and is passionate about South Dakota’s natural resources,” said Secretary Hunter Roberts. “Agriculture and natural resource protection go hand-in-hand. Working together as DANR will help us achieve the best outcomes for South Dakota.”

DANR’s mission is to protect and preserve South Dakota’s agriculture, environment, and natural resources through effective regulatory services, natural resource conservation, and financial and technical assistance.

For more information about DANR visit danr.sd.gov or find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Commercial Applicator Recertification Will be Available Online ONLY

The 2021 South Dakota Commercial Applicator Recertification & Renewal season is upon us. Instead of attending in-person classes, applicators and dealers will update each of their expiring S.D. commercial CERTIFICATION categories (G-General, etc.) thru online training modules that can be completed anytime from January 4th, 2021 until February 28th, 2021. More information about how to register for these online training modules, as well as how to renew any applicator (AP) and dealer (DL) LICENSES expiring on 02/28/2021, will be provided in another e-mail (and a postcard) that will be sent out later this December.

In the meantime, please log in to your record thru the Commercial Pesticide Applicator and Dealer Registration Page https://apps.sd.gov/doa/ecat3/index.htm (or have your company log in) to MAKE SURE there is a current, useable e-mail in your record. Also, the e-mail in your record MUST be unique to you, so that you receive credit for completing the online training modules!

Reminders:

To log in to your record thru Individual Registration enter your Barcode ID number (the 7-digit number on your card, that starts with a 1) and your Password which will either be the default (your last name + your 5-digit zip code: i.e. Smith57501) or it will be the password you created when you took your initial certification exams at an Extension Office.
If your company will be logging in to check your record thru Company Registration they will enter their Company ID number and the Password which will either be the default (City + 5-digit zip code: i.e. SiouxFalls57101) or it will be a password created by the company.

Contact SDDA if you have questions, but more information will be coming soon! 605.773.4432 [email protected]

New Dicamba Labels

We've posted the new dicamba information for Engenia, Xtendimax and Tavium on our Dicamba page. We continue to communicate with the SD Department of Agriculture regarding any potential additional restrictions to the use of dicamba in 2021. If such changes take place we will notify you immediately.

Here is a nice chart provided by USEPA that shows the major differences between the previous label and the new labels.

Dicamba training will again be required for certified applicators who wish to apply dicamba in 2021.

Regulatory Alerts

Rules Hearing to Require Private Applicators to Keep Records

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture intends to amend rules to require private applicators to maintain application records and remove the requirement of aerial applicators to submit an aerial application form that is no longer utilized. In addition to some red tape clean up, the SDDA is looking to add rules to require private applicators to maintain application records that are required for commercial applicators as well. This will hold all applicators to the same standard for recordkeeping requirements which is beneficial to applicators when it comes to drift investigations, drift insurance claims, and potential civil court.

A public hearing will be held in the DENR Conference Room, Foss Building, 523 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota, on October 13, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. CT. Copies of the proposed rules may be obtained without charge from and written comments sent to the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Services Division, 523 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota 57501. The comment period will close on October 23, 2020. This hearing is being held in a physically accessible location. Persons with special needs for which the department can make arrangements may call (605) 773-4432 at least 48 hours before the public hearing. A copy of the proposed rule can be found online at https://rules.sd.gov/Uploads/618_OrginalDraftRules.pdf

Worker Protection Standard (WPS)

On November 2015 USEPA revised the worker protection standards to implement more protection for agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. Most of the revised WPS standards became effective on January 2018. The WPS requires commercial pesticide handler employers to provide specific information and protections to workers, handlers when WPS-labeled pesticide products are used on agricultural establishments in the production of agricultural plants. Additional resources on Worker ...more

Items of Interest

Governor Noem Announces Merging of Agriculture and Environment and Natural Resources Departments Governor Kristi Noem announced the South Dakota Departments of Agriculture and Environment & Natural Resources will merge to form the streamlined South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Hunter Roberts, the current Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, will be tapped to oversee the new department. Beginning September 8, and until the merger is complete, Roberts will serve as interim Secretary of Agriculture while continuing to also lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

South Dakota Nutrient and Education Council (NREC)

The South Dakota Legislature passed a bill in 2016 creating and funding the Nutrient Research and Education Council. The purpose of the Council is to request, evaluate, fund and share the findings of nutrient research projects. NREC is funded with 50 cents per ton of fertilizer as part of the fertilizer tonnage fee collected each year by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture.

The Council is made up of representatives from organizations of the fertilizer industry, growers, commodities, specialty fertilizer, environmental, and certified agronomy as well as the Ag Experiment Station, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Agriculture, and meets at least twice each year.

Current research projects and reports can be found at www.sdnrec.org

ResponsibleAg - Committed. Compliant. Safe.

Over 2,560 facilities have registered with the ResponsibleAg Certification Program. 1,395 are currently certified, many of which are in their second cycle becoming re-certified. We encourage you to visit responsibleag.org to learn more and see the list of participating members. Click here to read why your peers are in the program. If you aren't registered, don't delay - register today!

ResponsibleAg is an industry-led initiative committed to helping agribusinesses properly store and handle farm input supplies. The program helps members ensure they are compliant with environmental, health, safety and security regulations to keep employees, customers and our communities safe.

SDABA Partner Sponsorships

ONE Ask. ONE Investment. 365 Promotion. Become a 2021 Partner Sponsor!

Through the 2021 SDABA Partner Program, SDABA members receive promotional opportunities through the rest of 2020 and all of 2021. Don't wait, commit to a sponsorship by January 8th to guarantee promotion in the virtual Annual Meeting. Sponsor benefits are outlined here.

Fill out a form with your commitment!

Click here for a pdf form
Click here for our online form
Contact Kathy Zander at [email protected] if you have any questions!!

Diamond - $5,000