SDSPA Visits the Central States Fair
SDSPA provided an educational booth at the Central States Fair in Rapid City Aug. 16-17, 2025 to help bridge the gap between agriculture, rural and urban S.D. residents.
SDSPA Urban Agriculture contractor Malisa Niles spent two days manning the SDSPA educational booth in the Children’s Educational Area at the Central States Fair in Rapid City Aug. 16 and 17, 2025. She asked the children agricultural questions and handed out honey sticks as prizes for right answers or close to right answers.
Being an urban area, Niles fielded many questions about how agriculture works and how agriculture products are used. One couple asked about how hay bales are used. They believed all hay produced in western S.D. were used to feed the buffalo in Custer State Park. Niles explained how producers used hay to supplement winter feeding for livestock with hay bales. There were several questions about the difference between GMOs, hybrids and heritage varieties in plants.
The SDSPA booth was able to bridge the gap between agriculture, rural and urban S.D. residents and hopefully created understanding on how agriculture works.