August 22, 1997 - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman is asking for a national strategy to save small farms. Glickman appointed a commission to take public testimony and issue recomendations. The commission was in Sioux Falls today and farmers want the government to assist in coming up with better ways to market and finance the products they grow. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports.
June 17, 1997 - Federal meat inspection requirements are coming under fire by the owners of small processing plants. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is considering changing a ban on interstate sales of beef processed at state inspected plants. Officials held two days of public testimony in Sioux Falls this week. Minnesota Public Radios Cara Hetland reports.
June 10, 1997 - The 25th Anniversary of one of the most deadly flash floods in U-S history is being remembered today as a successful recovery effort - NOT for the devastation. In Rapid City South Dakota 238 people died in June of 1972 in a matter of hours as water rose to as high as 10 feet in places. Minnesota Public Radio has more on the recovery efforts: In the wee hours of the morning of June 10th 25 years ago people were starting to realize the devastation of the flash flood from the night before. Houses that once rounded out a neighborhood were blocking major roads - cars were stacked like dominoes and dead bodies were scattered in the debris. Sonya Sykora was 14 years old at the time of the flood. She says the da
June 9, 1997 - Today is the 25th anniversary of one of the most deadly flash floods in U-S history. The Rapid City, South Dakota, flood killed 238 people and four additional bodies have never been found. In this first of two reports - Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland talks with several people who lost their homes and neighbors in the flood. ANNOUNCER OUT COPY: Tomorrow we'll hear about that clean-up - the funerals and the recovery in Rapid City and how some of the decisions made 25 years ago effect how we handle natural disasters today.
May 22, 1997 - It's been a hard winter...and for some an even harder spring. But while the media attention has focused on the drama of flooding in the Red River Valley...ranchers in the Dakotas are also counting the cost. Hundreds of thousands of head of livestock perished with the cold and blizzards and now many farmers are faced with a late start in the fields Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: It's estimated as many as 400-thousand cattle and calves died in North and South Dakota this winter. Of that - 77-thousand died during the early April blizzard. Another ten-thousand cattle, sheep and hogs died in Minnesota from winter storms. It's difficult for ranchers to put a price tag on their losses but many estimate a thousand dollars per lost adult cow and five-hundred
April 30, 1997 - The National Weather Service has removed the flood warning for the Big Sioux River around Sioux Falls and city officials are busy removing protective dikes and levees surrounding the city. A hundred thousand sandbags were distributed in preparation for spring flooding and now it's time to take them all back. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: Sandbags are piled waste high and 15 feet wide in the zoo parking lot Tuesday morning. Six people are digging through the heep of burlap to find bags that aren't broken and put in their trunks or pick-up beds. Troy Path is hoping for about 400 pounds of sand.
April 28, 1997 - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing additional funding to expand mental health counseling services in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Officials in Fargo are calling for licensed psychologists and psychatrists to volunteer services to help people deal with stress. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports on counseling services available to victims of severe weather.
April 23, 1997 - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman... who travelled to the Red River Valley with the President says flood-stricken farmers are eligible for a variety of crop loans and other assistance. Spring planting could begin this week in some parts of Minnesota, North and South Dakota. But in other areas there is still snow or standing water and it's doubtful some crops can even be planted this year. Farmers and ag officials say so-called "Freedom to Farm" legislation passed in 1996 is both a blessing and a curse to farmers facing disaster from blizzards and flooding. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: The 1996 Farm Bill aimed to encourage more independence for farmers but it
April 4, 1997 - The threat of flooding has people thirsty for information. Sioux Falls has quenched that with an Internet home paged filled with flood information. It's an inexpensive way to provide updated information and advanced warning for homeowners and businesses. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: Sioux Falls officials elevated their desire to establish a home page when the Army Corps of Engineers issued a record flood warning in February. The city went on-line March 17 and since then the home page has been accessed more than eight-thousand times. Public Works Director Lyle Johnson says the sole purpose of the flood information is to inform people. cut :15 "when it comes to flood preparation, people need to have the sa
February 17, 1997 - The U-S Department of Agricutlture will save billions of dollars as millions of acres of land return to production. The Freedom to Farm legislation passed last year requires millions of acres to be removed from the Conservation Reserve program. The program was established in the mid-80's to protect land from wind and water erosion and to help farmers through tough times. As ten year contracts begin to expire farmers are forced to decide if they're eligible to renew for another decade of guaranteed payments or if they'll farm the land and take advantage of higher prices for crops. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland talked to two Lincoln county farmers about their plans: Minnesota's Lincoln county has the most Conservation Reserve Program acres per county in the state. 50 thousand acres lie untouched by the farmers who chose to turn it into conservation land in exchan