Dakota Farmer

The state Department of Agriculture will merge with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

September 8, 2020

1 Min Read
South Dakota State Capitol building peeking through the tops of a tree landscape and a mountain in the distance
AGENCY CHANGES: Hunter Roberts, the current Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, will lead the new Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Tourism

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced that the Department of Agriculture and Department of Environment and Natural Resources will merge to form the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Hunter Roberts, the current secretary of environment and natural resources, will lead the new department. Beginning Sept. 8, and until the merger is complete, Roberts will serve as interim secretary of agriculture while continuing to also lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“Lieutenant Gov. Rhoden has stepped up to guide the Department of Agriculture through this important transitional time period, and I really appreciate his hard work and leadership,” according to a statement from Noem. “Agriculture is our number one industry, and under Secretary Roberts’ leadership, this department will serve our producers better than ever before.”

Roberts is an owner and operator of the Roberts Ranch in Stanley and Lyman counties. He has worked in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development as state energy director and as a policy advisor for Governor Daugaard working on agricultural policy and overseeing the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. It is worth noting that Roberts’ grandfather, Clint Roberts, served as South Dakota secretary of agriculture from 1979-80 during the first Janklow administration.

 “I’ve worked in agriculture my entire life, and I am excited to lead this department,” Roberts said in a statement released by the governor’s office. “South Dakotans know that farmers and ranchers are the best conservationists, and this department will promote our number one industry while we simultaneously protect our natural resources.”

Sources: South Dakota Office of the Governor, which are solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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