Mark your calendars for Aug 12^th for the DLGC summer meeting at Dakota Lakes Research Farm near Pierre, SD. After his presentation at the December annual meeting, Dr. Dwayne Beck invited co-op members to a personalized tour of the research farm. This should be a great opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture including soil health, cover crops, and grazing. We will have a board meeting Friday evening (August 11) following dinner at Red Rossa Italian Grille in Pierre. Please join us for dinner and input on the Uniform Marketing Agreement as we finalize a compromise proposal for the 1 lamb-1 share policy.

Friday, August 11:

6:30 pm             Members’ supper at Red Rossa Italian Grille (reservations under DLGC, 808 West Sioux Ave., Ste 200, Pierre, SD 57501)

8:00 pm           Board of Directors meeting at Governor’s Inn, Anderson Room  (700 W. Sioux Ave.)

Saturday, August 12:

8:30 am            Dakota Lakes Research Farms Tour (farms located 17 miles east of Pierre on Highway 34)

12:30 pm          Lamb Dinner at the Prairie Regional Extension Center (the old Kenyon Building, 412 West Missouri St.)

The Governor’s Inn (605-224-4200) is giving DLGC a rate of $86.95 + tax for August 11 (checkout 8/12). Please reserve your room directly with them and mention the rate. Please R.S.V.P. by noon Monday, August 7, if you plan on joining the Board of Directors for supper, Friday’s Board meeting, and Saturday’s dinner. Email dakotalambgrowers@gmail.com or call Mina at 605-651-9530 to R.S.V.P.

SAVE THE DATE: DLGC 2017 ANNUAL MEETING, December 1 and December 2, Fargo, ND

The DLGC Annual Meeting format will change this year, as we join the Minnesota and North Dakota Lamb and Wool Producers Associations in Fargo on Dec. 1^st and 2^nd. This should make it easier for members in these groups to also participate in the DLGC meeting. Our annual meeting will be Saturday evening. Please stay tuned for details.

DAKOTA LAKES RESEARCH FARM

Dr. Dwayne Beck manages the research facility called Dakota Lakes Research Farm. The Dakota Lakes Research Farm is a cooperative effort between South Dakota State University and the Dakota Lakes Research Farm Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation created by family farmers and local businesses in the 1980’s.  This group owns the land, buildings, and other fixed assets. They work with the manager in prioritizing research projects and planning capital improvements. Full-time operations at the present site began in the fall of 1989.  The entire facility has always been managed using true conservation agriculture techniques (continuous low-disturbance no-till and diverse rotations) since its inception.

The funds needed to operate the research program at the center come from three main sources. They are provided by SDSU in several direct and indirect forms; some come from grants funded primarily through commodity checkoff programs; and the remaining resources are generated from profits stemming from the production enterprise at the Station. The production enterprise is managed so that the research program is optimized. That is the main purpose of the farm. Within this constraint, the goal is to make as much money as possible on the production enterprise and spend all of this money on research projects, facility improvements, and equipment purchases and upgrades.

The unique cooperative arrangement between South Dakota State University and the agricultural producer members of the corporation has resulted in substantial success.  The primary impact was the development of programs that have allowed   producers to profitably adopt conservation agriculture techniques in a large portion of central South Dakota and throughout the grassland ecosystems of North America.  Identification of the extremely important role played by crop rotation in minimizing weed, disease, and insect problems while increasing potential profitability was the key contribution to this       success.  Principles developed at the Dakota Lakes Research Center have been successfully applied to many ecosystems around the world. The intellectual and fiscal contributions of the producer/owners of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm   Corporation are the key to the successes achieved at this point. What has happened so far is only the beginning, conservation agriculture research and development continues and is expanding into new areas. (From www.dakotalakes.com/)