• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- The state Agriculture Department says forums held around the state earlier this year have helped provide ideas for expanding livestock production in South Dakota.
• More than 1,500 farmers and ranchers attended the forums held by the Agriculture Department and the South Dakota State University Extension Service.
• State Agriculture Secretary Lucas Lentsch says the forums discussed South Dakota's challenges and advantages for increasing livestock production.
• Officials say the forums helped identify issues that include education and research, the need for more processing facilities, the increased costs of production and the competition between using land for crops or haying and grazing.
• Officials are writing a report dealing with those issues.
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakotans are invited to attend a series of comment sessions next week on the management of deer, elk, antelope and mountain lions in the state.
• The Wildlife Management will conduct the meetings to information for its review of the Department of Game, Fish and Parks' big-game management. The review will provide recommendations to improve the management systems.
• Meetings will be held this week at South Dakota State University, in Pierre and in Rapid City.
• Citizens can submit comments at the meetings. They are can also submit written comments by email to SDcomments(at)wildlifemgt.org or sent by mail to: Wildlife Management Institute, 1440 Upper Bermudian Road, Gardners, PA 17324.
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