KGFX Beyond the Mic Podcast

The 4x200m relay team made up of Emlyn Swanson, Kali Ringstmeyer, Charlee Williams-Smith and Lennix DuPris made history at the State Track & Field meet by posting the first ever sub-1:40:00 time in the event. Emlyn, Charlee and Kali come on to talk about this historic accomplishment, their seasons and more. We also dive into the US Open, Stanley Cup Finals and Oahe Zap baseball's incredible standoff on this episode of Players Perspective.

Challenges of having a diverse crop rotation, integrating livestock on your farm when you don't own livestock, turning cropland back to grass and more will be topics during Dakota Lakes Research Farm's Foxley Farm Field Tour near Winner, SD, on June 17, 2025. To RSVP or to get directions to the Foxley Farm Field Tour, call the Dakota Lakes Research Farm at 605-224-6357 or email manager@dakotalakes.com.

People interested in learning more about different structures and techniques used for gardening have the opportunity to do that June 12, 2025, from 10am-4pm CT at Cedar Creek Gardens located south of Midland, SD. Held in coordination with the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association, co-owner Peggy Martin says there will be information for people at all levels of gardening experience. Registration is not required. Find more information at https://cedarcreekgarden.com/ or at www.sdspecialtyproducers.org.

Adrik Schoon beat a 46 year old state record held by US Senate Majority Leader John Thune. He and his teammates also won the 4x400 relay at the tournament as well. We talk about his career and what's to come, also about his meeting with Thune after he broke the record. We also recap the start of the NHL & NBA finals, including covering one of the worst losses in MLB history on this episode of Players Perspective.

South Dakota's USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service produces a forage production and outlook map, available to farmers and ranchers for free. In this edition of Agriculture In-depth, DRG News and Farm Director Jody Heemstra visits with NRCS State Rangeland Management Specialist Emily Rohrer to learn more. Forage maps relate to grassland forage production and not cropland, and the maps will not predict forage quality. These reports will subside starting July 1. Find more information using this link: https://bit.ly/Range_Pasture.

The trainer of the horse that won the 2025 Kentucky Derby (May 3, 2025) is originally from Mobridge, SD. Sovereignty had 7-1 odds of winning the 1¼ mile long Kentucky Derby for four-time trainer of the year Bill Mott, but the colt did it in a time of 2:02.31. DRG Media Group News and Farm Director Jody Heemstra had the opportunity to chat with Mott about his horse training roots in South Dakota, his Derby wins, the horse racing industry and more.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hosted South Dakota ranchers Charles and Heather Maude at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2025,-- the day after the federal government dropped criminal charges it had filed against the West River couple. In this episode, hear that news conference in its entirety. Additionally, USDA launched a new web portal for potential victims of ongoing lawfare originating under the Biden Administration to submit their concerns and experiences. This site is www.usda.gov/lawfare.

The majority of the soil in South Dakota is coming into the 2025 spring planting season being very short or short of moisture. In this episode of Agriculture In-depth, SDSU Extension State Climatologist Laura Edwards says the rain expected during the last few days of April 2025 will help, but the U.S. Drought Monitor shows there's quite a bit of moisture deficit to make up for.

In this episode of DRG Media Group's Agriculture In-depth podcast features SDSU Extension State Climatologist Laura Edwards. She talks about spring weather models and what they show heading into spring planting Season in South Dakota.

Pierre Governor Head Coach, Steve Steele, joins the show to talk about the historic moment of Grey Zabel becoming the first Pierre Governor to get drafted into the NFL, what it means to the city and what his NFL career will look like. We also talk about the National Walleye Tour's first day out on Lake Sharpe, and the 3rd annual Sharpe Showdown coming up this weekend on this episode of Players Perspective.

We recap the dramatic finish to the 2025 Masters and I give you the perspective from the grounds of Augusta National. We also welcome on Pro Angler Thomas Huynh ahead of the National Walleye Tour coming to Pierre to compete on Lake Sharpe on this episode of Players Perspective. (Masters recap 2:00-32:00) (Thomas Huynh interview 32:00-1:14:00)

A new nationwide project called “Probing Our Country's Soil Health” and is looking for 80 South Dakota farmers to participate. The project leaders are working to understand the status of soil health around the country and use that information to develop a new tool called Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation-- or SHAPE. SHAPE is an online tool designed to interpret soil health measurements, monitor soil health change and offer management practice alternatives for improving soil health. The goal of the project is to collect 13,000 soil samples across the U.S. from approximately 6,000 fields, sampling different soil, climate and management conditions. The SHAPE tool will be available as a free web-based app for easy soil health scoring. For more information, go to https://extension.sdstate.edu/news/80-south-dakota-farmers-needed-nationwide-soil-health-project-enroll-today or contact Jason Clark, SDSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, at Jason.D.Clark@sdstate.edu, or Hans Klopp, SDSU Extension Soil Health Specialist, at Hans.Klopp@sdstate.edu.

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has signed a bill that will partially fund the horse races in Fort Pierre in October 2025. DRG Media Group News and Farm Directror Jody Heemstra sat down with Track Manager Shane Kramme to talk about how the dollars are used to keep the horse racing industry alive in South Dakota. The horse races will be held Oct. 4-5, 2025, at the Stanley County Fairgrounds in Fort Pierre. Fort Pierre is the last location left in South Dakota that still hosts horse racing events.

In this episode of Agriculture In-depth, South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Secretary Hunter Roberts chats with DRG Media Group News and Farm Director Jody Heemstra about conversations had during a recent trip to Washington, D.C., the 100th South Dakota Legislative Session, National Agriculture Week, the SD State Fair and more.

On this episode, we welcome on Pierre State Championship wrestlers Kezrey Benning & Ireland Templeton to talk about the season, the State Championship and what is to come in women's wrestling. We also wrap up the Girls State Basketball Tournament and talk NCAA Tournament Basketball.

South Dakota State University Extension is offering Master Gardener training classes, starting in mid-April 2025. Master Gardener Ruth Beck says much of the training course is virtual, but there are two, mandatory in-person sessions, with the location choices of Pierre, Sturgis or Sioux Falls. Registration is required. The training course costs $250 with 40 hours of volunteer work required or $500 with no volunteer work requirement. For details or to register, visit the SDSU Extension Events website and search for “master gardener,” email the Prairie Potters Master Gardener group at Pierre at prairiepotters.36@gmail.com or call the SDSU Extension Pierre Regional Center at 605-773-8120. The registration deadline is March 10, 2025.

The CattleFax 2025 Outlook shows the  U.S. beef industry is poised for another year of strong market performance, driven by tight cattle supplies and robust consumer demand. Additionally, weather conditions will remain a critical factor influencing grazing availability, herd expansion and cattle prices.

On this episode of Players Perspective, we talk to Timber Hanson who became the first Stanley County Lady Buffalo to place at the State Wrestling Tournament, we talk playoff basketball, and I tell you the story of my first encounter with the great folks from South Dakota Law Enforcement

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. That's why the National Farm Medicine Center, and the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, focus their research and advocacy on rural populations.  

The Eagles are Super Bowl 59 Champions after dismantling the Chiefs and maybe ending the dynasty. We recap the game, look at the NFL moving forward and break down where both teams go from here as the Eagles have placed themselves at the top of the mountain. We also have more information about our giveaway coming up in April and more show announcements about upcoming shows on this episode of Players Perspective. 

People from across the country came together in San Antonio, TX, Feb. 4-6, 2025, to have discussions, participate in educational opportunities or to network with people who interest in the United States' cattle industry. Jesse Allen, host of DRG sister network shows AOA and MarketTalk, was one of them. He spoke with Gene Copenhaver, who was the vice-president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Devin Peterson plays professionally overseas for Gence BK, and he shares his insight into what it took for him to advance through the college ranks to the professional level. He also dives into the hard work it takes to achieve that level of success and how younger players can follow suit. We also preview the big game coming Sunday between the Eagles and Chiefs on this episode of Players Perspective. (3:00-17:00 Masters Raffle Info) (17:00-41:00 Eagles vs. Chiefs) (41:00-1:15:00 Devin Peterson Interview) (1:15:00 Luka, Anthony Davis trade & NFL trade talk)

The Upper Midwest Urban & Rural Agriculture Innovation Conference is being held Feb. 6-7, 2025, in Oacoma, S.D. In this episode, Brenda Dreyer with the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association share information about the schedule and the featured speakers. The two-day Upper Midwest Urban & Rural Agriculture Innovation Conference includes four dedicated tracks, including one day dedicated to Regenerative Organic Practices, and another day devoted to Business Development, Urban Agriculture and Advanced Practices for Producers. For more information or to register, go to sdspecialtyproducers.org.

Brooke Rollins is United States President Donald Trump's pick to become the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. She shared some insight about her stances on various ag-related topics during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing January 23, 2025, in Washington, DC.

This week we welcome four seniors (Brylee Kafka, Sophia Peschong, Wyatt Briggs and Keegan Kitts) from the Oahe Capitals Hockey team ahead of their Pink the Rink Night on February 1st to talk hockey and the season. We also recap the Eagles dominant win, and the Bills ripping our hearts out once again...

NFL Championship weekend is here and there was no way we could leave you without a preview of both games, so enjoy this bonus episode where we break down both the Eagles vs. Commanders and Bills vs. Chiefs as these teams look to punch their ticket to New Orleans. We also have Darren Boyle on to talk high school basketball in South Dakota on this episode of Players Perspective

The South Dakota Soybean Growers and the South Dakota Soybean Association are holding a Producer Shop Talk event Feb. 4, 2025, in Fort Pierre. Association 2nd Vice-President Tanner Hento chats with DRG News and Farm Director Jody Heemstra saying the information presented will be beneficial for farms and ranches of all types.

Stanley County Boys Basketball HC Joey Fischer joins the show after their Jones County Invitational win over the weekend, we talk about their 8-1 start and how deep this team can go. We recap all the action from NFL Divisional Round weekend and the National Championship, and the Bears hire Ben Johnson.

Bonus Episode! We look ahead to the upcoming weekend of NFL Divisional Playoff action, preview every game and make our picks on this bonus episode of Players Perspective

Justin Cowart welcomes on Toughest Monster Truck Tour driver Jared Smith for an interview ahead of his show in Sioux Falls January 17th & 18th. He also recaps the Bills dominant win over the Broncos, one of the most highly anticipated NFL playoff games in history between the Bills and Ravens, the Vikings loss to the Rams and every other game from NFL Wild Card Weekend.