News

South Dakota blizzard losses still being counted

The extent of losses from South Dakota’s latest storm has yet to be determined. While snow cover is receding, Governor Kristi Noem told reporters Friday that weather was especially hard on livestock.

“Calves are extremely vulnerable, then we had a cold rain previously, which obviously takes their body temperature down, puts them in a stressful situation and then they have the increase in winds and then the snow was not the situation at all that we ever wanted to see,” Governor Noem told reporters Friday. “So, I’m anticipating there will be losses.”

Noem says the federal Livestock Indemnity Program is in place to help with animal losses.

She says many of the state’s farmers are within days of when they’d normally be planting corn, soybeans and spring wheat. Every day that planting is pushed back, Noem says that effects yield and income.

“If folks were planning on corn in some areas and don’t get it planted by the middle of May they may be planting more soybeans,” said the governor, “and so it’s just another challenge that they’re going to have.”

The storm left two feet or more of snow in much of South Dakota.