Team Members
Cindy Zenk
Coordinator
43968 139th St., Webster, SD, 57274
USDA-NRCS Field Office 605-345-4661 ext 122
(605) 280-4190 (Work Cell)
Cindy.soilhealth@sdconservation.net
Stan Wise
Communications Coordinator
Aberdeen USDA-NRCS Field Office
(605) 368-4091 (Work Cell)
Stan.soilhealth@sdconservation.net
Austin Carlson
Soil Health Technician
Flandreau USDA-NRCS Field Office
(605) 323-8061
Austin.soilhealth@sdconservation.net
Baylee Lukonen
Soil Health Technician
Watertown USDA-NRCS Field Office
(701) 640-8827
Baylee.soilhealth@sdconservation.net
Megan Stiefvater
Soil Health Intern
Soil Health Conference Registration Open!
The 2025 Soil Health Conference will be held Jan. 15-16 at the Ramkota Hotel and Event Center in Watertown, a spacious venue which will allow for a full day and a half of speaker sessions, awards, producer panels, and time to engage with sponsors. This event will feature many speakers including Keith Berns, Nebraska no-till farmer, ag educator, and co-owner of Green Cover Seed; Paul Jasa, noted Extension egineer at University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Dr. Jon Lundgren, Ecdysis Foundation executive director and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm; and Joe Breker, an award-winning North Dakota producer who has been using regenerative agriculture practices for over 40 years!
News & Events
Restaurateur promotes local food for community security
By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – When Sioux Falls restaurateur Tim Meagher purchases local food, he doesn’t do it because it’s trendy. For him, it’s about securing a future for his business and the community. “If somebody else has control of our food system – if you were a...
Dormant seeding makes room for wheat in crop rotations
By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – It’s the age-old struggle – farmers scramble to get their work done within the timeframe that Mother Nature affords them. Depending on the local weather patterns, it can be a challenge, and farmers who follow regenerative agriculture...
New website helps consumers connect with local producers
PIERRE, SD – It’s no secret that consumers are hungry for safe, healthy, sustainable, locally grown food. South Dakota’s small scale and urban producers are stepping up to the plate by learning how to improve their land, their environment, and their communities while...