South Dakota among least innovative states again

You can say one thing about the SDGOP. You don't have to have to raise money if you fail to accomplish anything whatsoever.

Now you hear that the Freedom Caucus is the "enemy" and that Pat Powers, AFP, Jen Beving, Scott Odenbach, and company are the "good folks," fighting the conservative fight. Ok, then. Whether you fall for that brand of bullshit, or not, is up to you. South Dakota ranks 3rd in the nation for political corruption, not because people here are stupid, but because the majority are so nice, so well meaning and altruistic that they can't possibly believe that their neighbors and elected leaders have been convinced to betray them. [Shad Olson]

Because of talent flight and brain drain in 2023 South Dakota was among the least innovative states, ranked 50th in venture capital spending per capita, 47th in R&D spending and 51st in share of tech companies. 

In 2024 South Dakota dropped to 49th in financial literacy and 50th in financial knowledge and education despite the Republican former governor's pathological Pollyannaism. The state was the 43rd best economy in the US, 51st in percentage of businesses owned by women and 50th in innovation potential. 

In 2025 WalletHub's surveys revealed South Dakota was 40th in innovation but 50th in its share of technology companies and 48th in R&D spending per capita.

Today, the horrible red state is 41st in innovation, 45th in human capital rank, 47th in innovation environment and 50th in share of technology companies.

South Dakota Earth hater Will Mortenson outlines how red state failure is a feature in Pierre.

Not Enough Focus on the Future. From our budget to our regulations to our tax policy, we are increasingly focused on preservation of the present rather than building for the future. There is a lot of talk about kids in the Capitol, but there is no real vision or overarching plan for how South Dakota will be better for them than it was for us. There has been a decline in decorum, and no real consequences, since leadership turns over every term. This is a problem that seems to be getting worse, not better. If you’re trying to change the way things have always been done, you’ve got to have a well-considered, well-supported plan, because the status quo is hard to break. You get to witness some truly bizarre behavior.

Learn more at Stateline News.

BHNF orders closure as Qury Fire flares up in county named for a war criminal, revised

AFBF: more red state farmers headed to the shitter

Ag producers have destroyed shelter belts to plant industrial crops that deplete aquifers and now drought is blowing toxin-laden topsoil into downwind states. Spring wildfire seasons have begun in Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, the panhandles of Oklahoma, Texas and other Republican-held areas where moral hazard and poor ranching practices routinely decimate the high plains. 

And, as the Trump Organization wars against its own constituency, ends environmental protection and ag bankers enslave landowners more farmers are headed for bankruptcy. The number of farms filing for bankruptcy increased in 2025 after the relative prosperity during the Biden years according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Economists say the increase in filings is due to a combination of rising operational costs on the farm, such as fertilizer and machinery, and low crop prices that are putting pressure on farmers. Farm bankruptcy filings are typically a lagging indicator that farmers are facing financial distress. [More American farmers are filing for bankruptcy. Here’s why]

Learn more at Brownfield News.