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• "Obviously, some people out there got hit really hard. They're going to struggle for the next several years trying to get their operations to work, trying to get the cash flow to work," Schriever said, talking over the staccato voice of an auctioneer during a visit to the Philip Livestock Auction on a sale day.
• The snow has since melted in South Dakota's ranching country and autumn-browned grass covers the hills as yellow leaves of cottonwood trees light up valleys. But less than a month ago, the area looked more like tundra. Some cattle and horses left corrals and barns, only to die in the blizzard. Many drifted with the wind before dying against fences or in draws they could easily have left. Others crossed fences, drifted as much as 20 miles from home and mixed with neighbors' herds.
• Chuck O'Connor, 76, of Philip, said 45 of his cows and 50 calves died out of a herd of about 600 cows and 600 calves. One bunch walked into a shallow draw, stayed there and died. Some cattle seemed to drift with the wind. Others walked into it. O'Connor said he lost more than $100,000 worth of cattle, but he had 560 calves left to sell.
• "There's just a lot of things about this storm I don't understand. It was different," said O'Connor, a board member of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.
• Mark Buchholz, 51, who owns a ranch and an implement dealership in Philip, said he and his hired hand lost a total of 375 cattle. He plans to recover from the losses.
• "I've been doing it for 30 years, so you go in and meet with your local banker. You hope like heck they can work you through it," Buchholz said.
• The storm killed some cattle in parts of Nebraska, Wyoming and North Dakota, but the losses were generally far smaller than in South Dakota. Ranchers in southwestern North Dakota suffered losses in the single or double digits and will still need some financial help to recover, said Julie Ellingson, executive vice president of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association.
• "Our community is pulling together. We live in one of the greatest places in the nation. Neighbors pull together," Carley said. "I wasn't left alone after the storm for probably four days. That was great. I needed the help."
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• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota's secretary of tribal relations will serve as the president of the Governor's Interstate Indian Council.
• JR LaPlante says he's humbled to have been elected and looks forward to serving with his fellow delegates.

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