In The Moment ... August 7, 2019 Show 632 Hour 1
Agriculture provides a $32.5 billion economic engine for South Dakota. A July study from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture reports there are 29,968 farms and 48,913 total producers in the state.
With continued pain from closed international markets and depressed commodity prices, some of those producers are trying to find innovative ways to save their farms. With so much of the South Dakota landscape devoted to agricultural use, changes in the ag industry and changes in climate have massive impact on how we use and interact with our landscapes in the future.
Megan Jarchow is an Associate Professor at the University of South Dakota where she's also the Sustainability and Environment Chair. She talks about how we use our landscapes and how native ecosystems matter in an economy dedicated to feeding the world.