SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 19, 2017
Media Contact: Jody Heemstra, 605.773.4073

2017 Arbor Day Essay Contest Winners Selected

PIERRE, S.D. – Kalissa Mayclin of Mt. Vernon, Lariss Stahl of Tabor and Maxwell Quinn of Faulkton are the winning essayists selected from the 1,423 entries in the 2017 Arbor Day Essay Contest.

Sponsored by South Dakota’s conservation districts, McDonald’s Restaurants of South Dakota and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA), the contest provides fifth and sixth grade students the opportunity to write about the importance of Arbor Day and tree planting in South Dakota.

For their efforts, the students win awards and cash prizes in addition to learning more about trees. As first place winner, Mayclin receives a plaque, $100 in cash and a McDonald’s lined jacket. Her school, Plankinton Elementary, will receive $150 for the purchase of supplies or equipment. Stahl, the second place winner, receives a plaque and $75 cash while Quinn receives a plaque and $50 for his third place essay.

Mayclin, Stahl and Quinn will read their essays and receive their prizes during special Arbor Day celebrations in their hometown areas. All students who entered the contest will receive a McDonald’s dessert certificate and a packet of tree seeds, courtesy of the Keep South Dakota Green Association and SDDA’s Division of Resource Conservation and Forestry.

South Dakota celebrates Arbor Day on the last Friday in April; in 2017, this is April 28.

Nebraska newspaper publisher J. Sterling Morton proposed the very first Arbor Day in 1872. On that first Arbor Day, over one million trees were planted in Nebraska. The essay contest has been held in South Dakota for 40 years. Winning essays can be found on the SD Conservation Districts website, www.sdconservation.org.

Agriculture is a major contributor to South Dakota’s economy, generating $25.6 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 115,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect and preserve this industry for today and tomorrow. Visit SDDA online at http://sdda.sd.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter. SD Ag Chat podcasts can be found in the Ag News section at http://sdda.sd.gov/news. You may subscribe, free of charge, through Google Play Music, iTunes or from https://sdagchat.podbean.com/.

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