SDSU Extension hosting specialty crop tours near Sturgis, Colton to celebrate 20 years of Annie’s Project

BROOKINGS, S.D. – To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Annie’s Project, SDSU Extension will host tours of two South Dakota specialty crop growing operations.

The Fall Festival Specialty Crop Tour will include a Sept. 23 stop at Colton, and an Oct. 4 stop by Sturgis. Inspired by Annie’s Project attendees, the tours sprang from one of this year’s classes. SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist Robin Salverson said one of the participants mentioned her family’s operation, Prairie Creek Farm, uses walipini – a type of underground greenhouse – to grow produce year-round.

In addition to the six-week workshops held throughout the year, the program often inspires other new endeavors, like this year’s Fall Festival Specialty Crop Tour. The first of the tours will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. CDT on Sept. 23 at the Peterson Plantation, 46484 246th St., near Colton, South Dakota. 

Peterson Plantation is a family-owned business that specializes in squash and pumpkins. They grow five varieties of squash: delicata, spaghetti, buttercup, butternut and acorn. They also sell thousands of pumpkins from their roadside trailer or at farmers markets. Last year, they added pumpkin pies made fresh from their own pumpkins.

Pumpkin pie and SDSU ice cream will be served after the tour. Pies and produce will be available for sale, as well. 

The second tour will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. MT on Oct. 4 at Prairie Creek Farm, 21282 Tanya Lane, Sturgis. Prairie Creek Farm is a diversified farm that grows fresh produce throughout the year. The tour will include local food tastings as part of the Taste of the Black Hills event. 

“We really wanted to do something fun to highlight Annie’s Project and have something a little different than our normal cohorts,” Salverson said. 

Annie’s Project is a national program designed to empower women in agriculture through education, networking and resources. It began in 2003, and Salverson helped bring the program to South Dakota in 2006.

Both tours are free, and everyone is encouraged to attend. To register, visit extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “crop”. 

For more information on the Colton tour, contact Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head, SDSU Extension Family Resource Management Field Specialist. 

For more information on the Sturgis tour, contact Robin Salverson, SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist; or Jaelyn Whaley, SDSU Extension Sheep Field Specialist.