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is 51 percent more than the year before, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
• Richardson said that's a record harvest, and the state's average yield of 138 bushels per acre, up 37 bushels from the previous year, was the second largest in South Dakota history.
• "Mother Nature was very, very helpful this year," she said. "Farmers are doing more on those same acres of land."
• A November proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce the amount of biofuels required to be blended into gasoline in 2014 by nearly 3 billion gallons is also a major concern for South Dakota farmers.
• Richardson said the ethanol industry and those who supply the plants just want expanded market access through the offering of 15 percent blends.
• "They want to be able to compete head-on with oil," she said. "Not subsidized, they just want market access."
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University of Sioux Falls AD resigning
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- University of Sioux Falls athletic director Kevin Hesser is resigning to take a private sector job in his home state of Nebraska.
• Hesser's resignation is effective Feb. 7. University President Mark Benedetto says he will appoint a committee to conduct a national search for a successor. Associate athletic director Pam Gohl has been appointed interim AD.
• Hesser helped the Cougars transition from the NAIA to the NCAA Division II ranks. He says leaving is bittersweet.
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AP News in Brief
Obama to back modest gov't surveillance reforms, but expected to keep many programs in place
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Capping a monthslong review, President Barack Obama is expected to back modest changes to the government's surveillance network at home and abroad while largely leaving the framework of the controversial programs in place, including the bulk collection of phone records from millions of Americans.
• The approach reflects a president seeking the middle ground in the resurgent debate over Americans' privacy and the security measures needed to keep the country (Continued on page 25)
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