Forged in Fire

 
 By: Gov. Larry Rhoden

June 26, 2026

One of my favorite pastimes is welding. I’ve welded thousands of custom branding irons over the years. I’ve made them for hundreds of ranchers, but also as souvenirs for friends, family, and even charity auctions. As a lifelong West River Rancher, welding has always been a useful skill. When something breaks, you learn how to fix it yourself. And it’s taught me an important lesson: the strongest things are often built by bringing different pieces together and forging them in fire.

Agriculture is much the same way. I recently hosted the Governor’s Ag Summit, which brought together farmers, ranchers, producers, and ag business leaders from across the state. Just like a welder joins separate pieces of steel into something stronger, the Summit brings together different perspectives, experiences, and expertise. It gave us an opportunity to share ideas, address challenges, and seize new opportunities for the future. Agriculture is more than our number one industry – it’s our way of life. And when people who care deeply about agriculture come together with a shared purpose, our entire state benefits. And we build something stronger than any one of us could build alone. As it says in Proverbs 27:17, “iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

I am proud of the work we are doing to double down on supporting value-added ag. A wise man once told me that we should never ship one bushel of corn or one critter out of our state without adding value to it. I couldn’t agree more. This past year, I proudly supported several value-added ag opportunities, including Smithfield, CJ Schwans, Dakota BioWorx, Bel Brands, and High Plains Processing – to name a few! Those investments will benefit not only our farmers, but also our economy and state for generations to come.

Ag is king in South Dakota, but we certainly have our challenges. We’ve been blessed to receive some moisture the past few days, but drought continues to impact many areas. I activated the Drought Task Force to help exchange information among agencies and partners. Through this collaboration, the Task Force can more effectively monitor drought conditions, assess drought severity, evaluate impacts, and review available drought-response resources.

I'm encouraged by the optimism I continue to see across the state. Producers are constantly finding ways to overcome challenges, and that's the South Dakota way. We turn challenges into opportunities! We never take a good year for granted, and we don't let a difficult year define us.

In agriculture, there are seasons when everything seems to go right. And there are seasons when drought, markets, weather, or uncertainty test us. Those challenges are not easy, but they have a way of shaping people. They build resilience, they build character, and they build strength.

I've seen it time and time again in South Dakota agriculture. Our farmers, ranchers, and producers face adversity head-on. They adapt, innovate, and keep moving forward. Like steel coming out of the fire, our farmers and ranchers emerge stronger because of what they’ve been through.

I remain optimistic about the future of agriculture in South Dakota. Not because challenges don't exist, but because I know the people who are meeting those challenges every day. And there is nobody tougher, more resilient, or more determined than the farmers and ranchers of this great state. They’ve been forged in the fire, and South Dakota is stronger because of them.

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