(DAKOTAFEST) – The Dakotafest Woman Farmer/Rancher of the Year Award honors the hard-working female farmers all across South Dakota who selflessly give their time to growing the crops and raising the livestock needed to feed the world.

The local finalists are Audra Scheel, Amanda Peterson and Tangela Uttecht.

Audra Scheel is a full-time farmer and owner of a corn, beans, cover crops, cattle, goat and sheep farm. She can do it all from running machinery to animal care, throwing bales and organizing the books. She works day and night on her third generation family farm. She is passionate about educating her children about how to take care of the earth and ensuring the growth of her crops and her garden. She is the advisor for four 4-H counties and leads by example, engaging youth in areas of animal husbandry, citizenship, community service, integrity and agriculture. Her nominator writes: “Audra is a shining example of what our Ag community needs to survive. She gives tirelessly and selflessly of her time and her knowledge to help others succeed.”

Amanda Peterson works on her corn, bean, alfalfa and hay farm in Fedora. She also helps to manage the bottle calves and horses while also running a cleaning business and women’s western wear boutique. She has committed herself to the family’s ag operations and has jumped into daily duties. When she’s not in the field she’s in the shop and loves taking care of the horses and bottle calves while also raising two children. She and her husband are active in their community and in 4-H and rodeo. Amanda’s nominator describes her as “Determined” and “does whatever it takes to get the job done on the farm.”

Tangela Uttecht is a a full-time farmer, rancher and owner in a family partnership farm growing corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, oats, silage and grass hay. She also raises Hereford cattle and Hair sheep on her Woonsocket farm. Her organization skills make doing the farm’s accounting work an integral part of her job. She has an eye for choosing cattle and does a great job making sure her animals have a great disposition and are easy to handle and care for. She donates home raised beef to events at church, school or Lifequest. Her nominator writes: “She is selfless and cares much for the animals she tends to and the crops that are grown. She has spent the majority of her life in agriculture and is so deserving of this honor.”

The Dakotafest Woman Farmer/Rancher of the Year will be named at Dakotafest for the Women in Ag event on Thursday, Aug. 19.

…See pictures of them in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!

Sanborn County’s Sheriff’s Department has gained another full-time deputy with the recent hiring of Michael “Mike” Salathe. He was raised in a military family due to his father’s service, but once his father retired from the military, they moved to Miller and then to Huron, where Deputy Salathe graduated from high school in 1999. Salathe’s father was born and raised in Jerauld County, which is what drew them to return to the area after his father’s military retirement.

After high school graduation, Deputy Salathe joined the United States Army and served for five years. Following his military service, he moved back to the area and worked for South Dakota Wheat Growers in Huron for 13 years. For 11 of those years, he lived in Iroquois, where he was a volunteer firefighter.

Three years ago, Salathe decided to get into the law enforcement field and joined the corrections department for Davison County and moved to Mitchell. He is currently living in Mitchell but looking for a home in Sanborn County. Deputy Salathe is not married, but he has two daughters, Temperance, age 12 and Chloe, age 10 living with him. He has a live-in girlfriend who has a son, Cody, age 11, who also lives with them. 

…Read on and see a picture of the new deputy in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!