South Dakota Rancher Relief Fund Receives $175,000 Donation

The Farm Credit System, a national network of cooperatives that provides financing and related services to agricultural producers, agribusinesses, and rural infrastructure providers, today announced a $175,000 donation to the South Dakota Rancher Relief Fund. Five Farm Credit entities have partnered to assist the relief efforts including AgriBank (St. Paul, Minn.), CoBank (Denver, Colo.), Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica; Omaha, Neb.), Frontier Farm Credit (Manhattan, Kan.), and Northwest Farm Credit Services (Spokane, Wash.).

Established by the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and South Dakota Sheep Growers Association, the South Dakota Rancher Relief Fund will assist livestock producers impacted by Winter Storm Atlas. Heavy rain, followed by up to 55 inches of snow in the state’s western region, killed tens of thousands of farm animals over two and a half days in early October. Experts predict that it will be several months before the full economic impact of the storm is determined.