This week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issued an executive order to merge ECOS member agency Department of Environment & Natural Resources (SDENR) with the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA). The move, proposed in August 2020, aims to streamline oversight of the state agriculture industry by giving farmers a “one-stop shop”.
ECOS member Hunter Roberts, currently serving as Secretary of the SDENR, will also serve as the interim Secretary of the SDDA to begin facilitating the merge. The new agency will be named the Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources, with a mission “to protect and preserve South Dakota’s agriculture, environment, and natural resources through effective regulatory services, natural resource conservation, and financial and technical assistance.”
