South Dakota Agriculture Department Reorganizes

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota's Agriculture Department is reorganizing some of its resources to better meet the needs of the diverse industry in the state, from timber production in the southwest to corn in the southeast.

The department is splitting up its Division of Agricultural Development into four regions, each overseen by a supervisor.

Agriculture Secretary Lucas Lentsch tells the Associated Press that the department in the past has focused on having specialists for various agricultural fields, such as dairy and livestock. He says that resulted in a revolving list of state employees whom farmers dealt with.

Lentsch says maintaining a level of consistency and providing a single voice a community can turn to with agricultural needs was the driving force behind the new regional structure.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.