SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE 

For Immediate Release: April 23, 2014

Media Contact: Jamie Crew, 605.773.4073

Soil and Water Stewardship Week Proclaimed April 27 – May 4

PIERRE, S.D.-South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proclaimed April 27-May 4 Soil and Water Stewardship Week in South Dakota.

“Conservation touches your daily life in many profound ways,” said Bill Smith, South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Conservation program administrator, Pierre. “Soil and water provide us with the food that we eat, much of the clothing that we wear, building materials for our homes, and clean water for us to drink, bathe and use for many purposes.”

This year’s theme is “DIG DEEPER: Mysteries in the Soil.” Soil makes up the outer layer of our planet’s surface and provides a complex food web for fungi, protozoa, earthworms, bacteria and other microorganisms to recycle water and nutrients. “In short, soil provides us with the basis of life on Earth,” says Smith.

He says, “Much like soil, water is a substance many of us take for granted. While Earth is blessed with an abundance of lakes, rivers and oceans, less than one percent of the water on Earth is useable for our daily needs.

To view the proclamation, visit https://executive.sdsos.gov/images/pdfs/20140415-SoilandWaterStewardshipWeek.pdf.

To find out more about the soil types in your community, visit http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov. You can also download an app for your smart devices called “soilweb” developed by the California Soil Resource lab in collaboration with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

For more information about Stewardship Week and conservation, visit your local conservation district or NRCS office or contact Colette Kessler at 605.224.2476 Ext 5. Additional information about the “DIG DEEPER Mysteries in the soil” program and other natural resource education materials is available on the National Association of Conservation Districts website at www.nacdnet.org/education.

Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating over $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing more than 122,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow. Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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