Donald P. Schmidt, 52, of Garretson, SD passed away, after a long battle with cancer, at his home in Garretson on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
A come and go visitation will be held from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Friday, July 21, 2023 at the Minnehaha Funeral Home of Garretson, SD.
Donald Schmidt was born December 26, 1970, in Mitchell, SD to Theodore Schmidt and Donna Burger. He was raised in the Delmont, SD area and later moved to Sioux Falls where he received his education.
Donny loved to tinker with things and had a talent for fixing. That skill served him well over the years with his employment. His latest job was working at Palisades Oil and Propane in Garretson where he worked for the past three years. He was well thought of and appreciated there for both his skills and friendly demeanor. Due to health problems, he hasn’t been able to work for the last few months. Earlier he worked building maintenance for six years at FEY Industries in Edgerton, MN.
Donny loved his community, and he enjoyed talking to anyone he came across. His friendly personality and smile will be missed around Garretson. He could often be seen sitting outside his apartment watching cars go by.
Some of the things Donny enjoyed doing were fishing, tinkering with his cars, helping others as he could, old movies and gardening. In his earlier years he loved to raise a garden and then can his goods. Don also loved volunteering for the Salvation Army and looked forward to the holidays every year.
Donny’s health struggles continued to worsen and on the morning of July 18th he passed away at the age of 52.
Don is survived by his brothers, Michael Chambers of Centerville, SD, Mark Schmidt of Garretson, SD, and Steve (Charity) Schmidt of Chester, SD; nephews, Bryon (Randi) Schmidt of Sioux Falls, SD, and Rowan CSchmidt of Chester, SD; nieces, Ella Schmidt of Sioux Falls, and Amelia Schmidt of Chester, SD; and special friend of the family Jessica Horkey of Glencoe, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ted Schmidt and Donna Burger (Kirkpatrick).
Pack the Park was held this past Saturday, and the park was truly packed. The goal of the event was to raise funds for the Benton Howe Memorial Scholarship, and it was successful, with over $13,000 raised.
All teeball through 12U players were invited to walk in a "Player's Parade," where they received recognition for their participation in Garretson Area Youth Baseball & Softball.
Benton, an outgoing 11-year-old popular in the community, died in an accident in April of 2022. Baseball was one of his favorite sports.
The first recipient of the scholarship fund was Drew Pedersen, a 2023 graduate from Garretson High School.
Betsy Howe, Benton's mother, noted that her child has left quite a legacy, as the VFW Baseball Sportsmanship Award and the Games, Fish, and Parks' Youth Trap Giveaway were both named after Benton.
Pack the Park included scrimmages for both the 12U girls’ softball and 12U boys’ baseball teams, where the points were kept but didn't matter. The event was graced by the Henry G. Fix Post #23 Color Guard and an airplane flyover. Between games, all youth baseball and softball players for the summer of 2023 were invited to parade through the park as their accomplishments were given, and throughout, concessions, giveaways, raffles, and auctions were held.
Both games were interrupted by dance parties, and the girls’ team had fun playing against their dads, who had to hit off the tee ball stand.
Organizer Cory Buchholz pointed out the sheer number of people it took to help pull off this event, thanking them profusely. He also thanked the local businesses, whose sponsorships provided an amazing amount of support. He intends to continue helping to organize Pack the Park for 2024.
While she misses him daily, Betsy stated that she is proud to be Benton's mom, and is grateful to the community for the support they have shown to the family. See more photos below.
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Pictured L to R: Ron Williamson, Tad Heitkamp, Dorothy Williamson, Kevin Steckler, and Todd Fink
Last Thursday, the Garretson Blue Jays amateur baseball team took on the Tea Steam at Tandberg Field. At the beginning of the game, four men were inducted into the Hall of Fame: Ron Williamson, Tad Heitkamp, Kevin Steckler and Todd Fink. Also pictured is Dorothy Williamson.
Work nearly complete on Athletic Complex, Electric Busses in Oct., W. Compton takes K. Flanagan’s seat
by Garrick Moritz, Gazette
The Garretson School Board met for their July Meeting on the 17th. This was the final meeting for Kari Flanagan, who has served on the board for nine years.
Wanting to formally recognize Flanagan for her service on the Garretson School Board, Superintendent Guy Johnson presented Flanagan with a commemorative plaque, and celebratory cupcakes were distributed to everyone in attendance.
“We want to thank you for your long-term commitment in service to the district,” said board president Shannon Nordstrom.
Kari Flanagan received a commemorative plaque for 9 years of service.
Changes to coaching staff and extra-curricular assignments were reported by Superintendent Johnson, who also noted that with the hiring of 2nd grade teacher Denae Bass, all the certified teaching positions open for the district had been filled. New hire Reece Moehlenbrink will be moving from junior high football to assistant varsity coach. Jill Whalen will move from assistant track coach to head girls track coach. Kevin Steckler will be adding junior high football coach to his roster. Jacob Schweitzer will be a new assistant track coach. New hire Tracy Stallman will be managing the middle school science fair instead of Amber Williamson. Stallman will take on duties as the oral-interp coach as well.
Board member Jodi Gloe asked if Flanagan wanted to make the motion to adjourn the first meeting, and Flanagan responded that she never actually had made the motion to adjourn and wasn’t going to break that precedent, and she did not. The board then briefly adjourned, and as everyone enjoyed treats, the business of the 2022-23 school board ended.
The 2023-24 board then reconvened. Supt. Johnson and business manager Schweitzer opened the new meeting by administering the oath of office to board member Andy Hulscher and new board member Wyatt Compton.
After they were instated, Supt. Johnson asked for nominations for new board chairperson/president. Shannon Nordstrom was nominated by Andy Hulscher and the board voted to again make Nordstrom the school board chair/president. Nordstrom, taking over the meeting, asked for nominations for vice-chair. Jodi Gloe nominated Hulscher and the board voted him in as vice-chair.
Moving right along, the board began to examine annual resolutions that the board must adopt to function as a district; agreeing to pay the bills for the year, who the school’s purchasing agent should be, the official bank, the schools attorney, designation of the school’s official newspaper, and to hold elections jointly with the City of Garretson, should the need arise. No office or official assignments in this block of resolutions changed, save that for those once held by Flanagan, would now be held by Hulscher, such as the power of being a signatory for payment of bills.
New board member Wyatt Compton asked about the Associated School Boards of South Dakota mutual assistance pact, and Supt. Johnson explained that it was a pact that schools join in case of bus failures. Other schools provide busses or drivers should a breakdown or other emergency happen to ensure our students arrive home safely. Compton wanted to know if it had come in handy, and Supt. Johnson said that our district had both helped other districts and had needed to be helped, and that it was a great program.
Board President Nordstrom asked a similar question about joining the ASBSD and SDUSA. The Associated School Boards of South Dakota he understood well, but he wasn’t sure about what SDUSA was. Supt. Johnson explained that once there were three lobbying groups who lobbied the legislature on behalf of SD schools, each specializing in district sizes small, medium and large. They had since joined to become one group known as the South Dakota United Schools Association (SDUSA).
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July 13, 2023 – The SDN Communications Board of Managers elected Alliance Communications general manager/CEO Ross Petrick to serve a one-year term as Vice President during its recent annual meeting.
Petrick previously served as secretary/treasurer on the Board of Managers. He has been the general manager and CEO of Alliance Communications since 2015.
The nine members on the Board of Managers oversee SDN Communications, which is owned by 17 rural broadband companies serving more than 80% of South Dakota’s geography.
Other board members include:
President Denny Law, Golden West Telecommunications (Wall, S.D.)
Secretary/Treasurer Tracy Bandemer, Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative (Clear Lake, S.D.)
Chad Mutziger, Midstate Communications (Kimball, S.D.)
Jeff Symens, Valley Telecommunications (Herreid, S.D.)
Ryan Thompson, Santel Communications (Woonsocket, S.D.)
SDN Communications interconnects all 17 companies, creating a statewide fiber optic network of more than 50,000 miles that spans eight states: South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Together SDN and its member companies serve businesses needing managed services along with broadband connectivity among office locations.
SDN specializes in serving banks, health care, agricultural businesses, government and education.
Schools are lagging the state’s target pay for teachers, and the gap is growing, according to data shared with a state board in Pierre.
That’s despite the 2016 Legislature’s efforts to address the problem by increasing the state’s sales tax by half a percentage point. This year, the Legislature reduced the state sales tax by three-tenths of a percentage point; meanwhile, the state’s average teacher pay stands at 49th in the nation.
The state’s Teacher Compensation Review Board conducted its first meeting of 2023 on Monday in Pierre.
“South Dakota was so far behind everyone else,” said state Sen. and Board Chair Jim Bolin, R-Canton, a former teacher. “We didn’t move up significantly in the number of states we passed, but we did close the gap.”
According to a report shared by the state Department of Education, South Dakota teachers were making an average of $42,025 during the 2015/2016 school year. During the 2016/2017 school year, the number jumped to $46,979.
The average teacher salary among the state’s approximately 10,000 teachers is now an estimated $51,363. The state Department of Education showed slides with a target of $55,756 for this year. And the state may veer further off track from that goal without a significant increase in compensation. The state’s goal for 2024 is $59,659.
South Dakota’s average teacher salary ranks only above Mississippi and West Virginia (the rankings extend to No. 51 because Washington, D.C., is included). The state is last among neighboring states, and about 7% of South Dakota teachers leave the profession each year.
A presentation shared with the board said the state also faces a teacher shortage, especially in elementary, special education, language arts, fine arts and math. Aberdeen Superintendent Becky Guffin told board members about the consequences of not having adequate staffing.
“We no longer have a calculus or statistics class,” Guffin said. “And I think we used to offer four foreign languages. We’ll be struggling to have a Spanish class next year.”
South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joseph Graves followed that, saying, “And they’re not reflected in the data because you can’t have an opening for a position you don’t have.”
Graves said the state has a number of efforts in place to improve the situation. Those include advertising to recruit teachers from outside the state, a mentor program, and a pilot program that aims to help about 90 teacher aides from more than 50 school districts become fully certified teachers.
Roosevelt High School senior Dashawn Sykes works with Oscar Howe Elementary students as part of his Teacher Pathway training in Sioux Falls. Sykes has plans to become a math teacher. Photo: Courtesy of Sioux Falls School District
“Right now, we’re trying to see if the pilot works,” Graves said.
Ranking 49th in teacher pay is nothing to celebrate, said state Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls, who sits on the review board.
“Why can’t South Dakota be first in the region?” Nesiba told South Dakota Searchlight. “We should make education the priority that it deserves to be. When budgeting, we start there and build the rest of our budget around that. But we just don’t do that.”
Meanwhile, Gov. Kristi Noem announced Monday that state government closed the 2023 budget year with a surplus of $96.8 million.
Bolin said he wants to raise teacher pay.
“We’re doing reasonably well, but not well enough if we’re wanting to stay competitive,” he told South Dakota Searchlight.
A dearth of qualified counselors also emerged as a pressing concern during the board meeting. Graves said the state is likely “way under” the ideal counselor-to-student ratio.
“You can’t hire guidance counselors,” Graves said. “There just aren’t any people in that profession.”
The board, which was created in 2016 when the Legislature raised sales taxes for teacher pay, aims to draft recommendations for the next legislative session in Pierre this winter. The board’s next public meeting is scheduled for Aug. 21.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. South Dakota Searchlight maintains editorial independence.
Garretson 14U ended their season tournament on a loss last Tuesday, when they took on the Salem Cubs in the consolation round of the VFW 14U Class B Region 3 tournament. The Cubs took home the win, gathering seven runs to Garretson's five.
The Cubs went on to play Baltic, who ultimately took home the championship win 10-8. Pictured is Caiden Maack at bat.
Garretson 16U baseball had a busy week last week, playing four games in five days. They came away with a win against Elkton last Thursday, July 13, but had a more difficult time against their next three opponents, Parkston, Letcher, and West Central.
Both Parkston and Letcher were faced on Saturday in a triangular in Parkston, and the team lost both games 1-11 and 7-8. On Monday, Garretson took on West Central at home, but saw their home advantage vanish as the opponents took home 17 points to Garretson's one.
Tyler Erickson gets ready to throw to first after tagging out Elkton player
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PIERRE, SD – Healthy pastures are about more than just grass.
That’s a fact that North Dakota State University Extension Rangeland Management Specialist Kevin Sedivec wants participants in the upcoming Soil Health School, Aug. 28-30 near Garretson, SD, to understand.
Sedivec, who has been an instructor at the annual school for five years, said “the misconception is that flowering plants on rangelands, cows don't eat them and so they're viewed as a weed, and so farmers will spray them out. The fallacy on that is cows do eat flowering plants. It's part of their daily diet.”
He said research shows that herbaceous flowering plants, or forbs, make up about 25 percent of a cow’s diet. That’s why he will lead a new segment focused on the nutritional value of various native rangeland forbs at this year’s Soil Health School.
Soil Health School participants learn to conduct various field tests. (Photo courtesy SD Soil Health Coalition)
“Some of these forbs are actually higher in mineral content than the grasses are. They're also higher in nutritional value than the grasses are,” Sedivec said.
This is especially true in dry conditions.
“Grasses tend to get really low in nutritional quality as they cure out, but the forbs, and particularly the shrubs, like western snowberry, retain their quality better than grasses during dry years,” he said. “So, the resiliency is a little better, and I think it's because of the root architecture that occurs belowground. They can get deeper down in the soil profile where there's water. So, the beauty of the diversity of the mix, whether it's the cover crop or whether it's rangelands, is it creates resiliency. And in reality, you could actually reduce your mineral cost.”
Sedivec said that having beneficial forbs integrated in rangelands “would provide a positive response to the livestock diet while adding a positive response to the environment in terms of creating habitat for pollinator species.”
The diversity helps improve soil health, as well. “You have this diversity that increases the soil health component because you have a totally different microbial population belowground that feeds on that different architecture of roots that forbs provide,” Sedivec said. “If you have a nice mix with your grasses, you should actually increase the overall population of microbes.”
Soil Health School
Participants at the 2023 Soil Health School can expect to learn about many subjects in addition to the nutritional value of rangeland forbs. This educational opportunity offers a mix of classroom sessions, which will be held at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Brandon, SD, and field exercises, which will be hosted Aug. 28-30 on the farms of Anthony Bly and Bruce Carlson near Garretson, SD. The basics of soil science and important soil health concepts will be covered in classroom sessions. Various cash crop and cover crop rotations will be demonstrated in the working fields of the host farms, and cover crop grazing exercises and information will focus on both cattle and sheep.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to pose their questions to soil health experts and network closely with experienced producers and professionals who can help them improve the sustainability of their operations. Class size is limited to 30 people so that participants can have more contact with instructors and Soil Dakota Soil Health Coalition board members.
"Soil heath is a crucial factor in crop yields, plant health, and overall productivity of the farm,” SDSHC Chairman Shawn Freeland said. “The Soil Health School provides practical knowledge and tools that can improve soil health, connect producers with experts and peers, and keep farmers and ranchers up to date with the latest soil health trends and best practices.”
“I think the South Dakota Soil Health School is one of the best schools that I've seen done in the Northern Plains,” Sedivec said. He said people should register for the school “because what they provide is valuable in terms of actually creating not only healthy soil, but a healthy environment that's conservation friendly.”
The cost to attend Soil Health School is $150 for the first person from an operation and $75 for each additional person from that operation. A block of rooms has been reserved for a nightly rate of $100 at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Brandon, SD. Participants can learn more and register at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org.
This open article is sponsored by the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition.
Farmers in South Dakota and across the U.S. will likely take home less income this year because of increasing input costs and decreasing commodity prices. However, halfway through the growing season, some are optimistic the state could have a good year if the weather cooperates.
“We’re relying on rain throughout the growing season, but for right now, it’s so far, so good. If we continue to get rains, we should have a pretty good crop,” said Glenn Storm, who grows corn and soybeans east of Corsica.
Ron Neugebauer stands alongside corn growing in his field near Dimock, S.D. (Photo: Abbey Stegenga / South Dakota News Watch)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2023 Farm Income Forecast from February said it expects net farm income to drop nationwide by $30.5 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars in 2023. Net farm income reflects an operation’s income after production expenses from the year have been subtracted. However, this year’s projected net cash farm income is almost $29 billion above the 2002-2021 average.
For the Northern Great Plains, the USDA forecasts a 12% drop in net cash income for farm businesses.
The predicted decrease would follow 2022’s record high forecasted net cash farm income of $195.3 billion. Crop prices surged around the country last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, one of the world’s top agricultural producers.
“There’s always challenges that farmers and ranchers face across our state, and one of the best things that our producers do is step up to those challenges and find ways to overcome them,” said Heather Gessner, a livestock business management field specialist at South Dakota State University Extension.
With a recent decline in corn and soybean prices, stable production could help net farm income levels remain steady throughout 2023, Gessner said.
“On an individual basis, (net farm income) is probably going to vary quite a bit. But as a whole, we’ll probably be somewhere in that normal type of range,” Gessner said.
Both Gessner and Dave Schriever, vice president at First National Bank in Philip, in western South Dakota, said it’s too early in the season to know if the net farm income for South Dakota will see a decrease this year.
“If production is good and the price is lower, you can still have a pretty good gross profit. The worst thing that can happen is if prices are low and you’re in the part of the country where production is weak. It’s kind of a double whammy then,” Schriever said.
Cash receipts, which reflect the cash income farmers receive from commodity sales, for both crops and animal products are forecast to decrease this year by about 4%.
Corn and soybean cash receipts are projected to decrease nationally by 7.1% and 10.6%, respectively. However, prices will still remain relatively high in comparison to previous years.
“Unfortunately, over the last couple weeks, corn has lost about a dollar and a half a bushel, so that’s kind of a challenge,” Storm said.
The latest trends:
The price for South Dakota corn per bushel decreased by 9.6% from May 2022 to May 2023, according to USDA data.
The price received for soybeans per bushel in South Dakota this May rang in at nearly 12% lower than the price in May 2022.
Sunflowers in South Dakota received roughly 39.7% fewer dollars per hundred pounds this May than in May 2022.
Schriever said the lower crop prices result from a global supply and demand pattern. When agricultural regions throughout the world experience quality moisture levels, production tends to go up and prices go down, he said.
“This year, prices are lower. They’re still higher than what we’ve seen sometimes in the past. But they need to be at this level or better in order to show a profit with these extra costs and the inflation that’s with us right now,” Schriever said.
Lower cash receipts throughout the nation won’t be the only challenge for the state’s farmers this season.
Total production costs, the expenses required for items like fuel and feed, are expected to see a slight increase of 1.3% in inflation-adjusted terms. However, the USDA forecasts these expenses to have increased by 11% from 2021 to 2022.
Expenses for fertilizer, feed and fuel are expected to decrease this year from 2022’s heights but remain high, according to the USDA.
“Everything, even parts, any kind of repair parts or machinery, is really high-priced and sometimes it takes a while to get it,” Storm said.
Among the costs for Plains farmers, according to USDA:
Producers spent about $3.25 billion dollars on fuel in 2021, which is up from the $2.69 billion from 2020 and $2.78 billion spent in 2019.
Fertilizer totals reached $7 billion in 2021, which is up from the nearly $5.6 billion spent in 2020 and the $5.4 billion spent in 2019.
Plains farmers spent over $14 billion on feed in 2021, which is up from the nearly $11 billion spent in 2020 and the $12.25 billion spent in 2019.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers saw higher fuel costs and slow supply chains. Gessner said expensive fuel prices caused suppliers to increase their prices to account for rising shipping costs.
“There are certain things you can do without, for some time at least, but most of the stuff a farmer or rancher needs, they have to buy. So they pay the extra cost and hopefully they can make it up in the end when they sell their products,” Schriever said.
Farmers throughout the state are having to adjust to the normal that is higher production costs.
“You have to try and make the best of it. You have to try and keep a positive outlook. I mean, that’s the only thing that keeps a farmer going. If you had a bad outlook, you wouldn’t be putting seed in the ground,” said Ron Neugebauer, who grows corn and soybeans near Dimock.
While production costs remain high across the nation, many say the cattle market is flourishing in South Dakota.
Cattle look on in a paddock a few miles from Ron Neugebauer’s land near Dimock, S.D. (Photo: Abbey Stegenga / South Dakota News Watch)
“The cattle markets are as strong as they’ve been in nearly 10 years, and it looks to stay that way through the fall,” Schriever said.
Cattle receipts are expected to remain relatively stable in 2023, according to the Farm Income Forecast.
According to data gathered by South Dakota State University Extension, cash prices for feeder cattle in South Dakota increased by an average of 15.6% from 2021 to 2022.
However, the number of cattle in the state has fallen from 4 million in 2021 to 3.55 million in 2023, according to USDA data. Gessner said several years of drought, which led to more expensive hay prices, encouraged some farmers to reduce their herd sizes.
The decrease in cattle numbers has supported the higher cash receipts for cattle, she said, as the demand for beef remains high.
Despite the various forecasts for agriculture in 2023, much of the success for South Dakota’s No. 1 industry hinges on the weather.
While the state did see plenty of snowfall this winter, Gessner and Storm said it wasn’t enough to provide moisture throughout the dry spring.
“We did have some snow, but it was probably only a third of what we needed to catch up and to break even from last year’s drought. So while it was snowy and it was a pain, it wasn’t enough snow to compensate for the amount of moisture that we were missing,” Gessner said.
Neugebauer said the rainfall has varied this year at his farm.
Early in the spring, he said he got a 3-inch rain. When Dimock, which is about 10 miles from Neugebauer’s property, got up to 5 inches of rain, his area only got 1.
“You can have all the modern technology and all the modern things, and we still have to rely on the good Lord for the moisture from above to make things work,” Neugebauer said.
As of July 4, roughly 51% of the state was experiencing abnormally dry conditions to an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. This dryness prevails throughout the eastern half of South Dakota.
Most of the west, however, has seen its fair share of rainy weather.
“Especially in late May and in June, (the west) just was in a pattern where they got consistent thunderstorm activity day in and day out,” said Phil Schumacher, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
The state and its farmers will need widespread rainfall to ease dry conditions, he said.
South Dakota could expect a chance for more consistent rainfall in August and September across the eastern side of the state, Schumacher said.
“It’s not a guarantee. But there may be a little bit of hope for some improvement as we head into the latter half of summer here,” he said.
— This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at sdnewswatch.org.
