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More than half of South Dakota’s landscape, around 24 million acres, is covered with the most abundant ecosystem in the world, rangeland. More than pretty scenery, the complex and varied environment is home to relationships among plants, animals and soil that were formed over millennia to mutually thrive and now play a crucial part in the South Dakota way of life.

“Rangelands are incredibly productive, working landscapes that provide essential services we all depend on,” Krista Ehlert, associate professor of rangeland ecology and management in the Department of Natural Resource Management, said. “Every glass of water, every beef product, much of our wildlife — these all depend on healthy rangelands.”

Maintaining the health of rangelands is important to the state’s economy. More than 17,000 family-owned ranches graze more than 4 million beef cattle, 255,000 sheep and nearly 40,000 bison annually. Ehlert and others at South Dakota State University work with landowners — more than 90% of South Dakota rangeland is privately owned — to manage the land that in addition to livestock grazing also provides watershed protection, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration and biodiversity to communities around the state.

“In my work with beef cattle producers, I see firsthand how rangeland management affects not just individual operations but entire communities,” Ehlert, range specialist, said. “These lands support rural economies, maintain our state's open spaces and conserve a way of life that's central to living in South Dakota.”

This year, rangeland is having its moment on the world stage. In 2022, the United Nations declared that 2026 would be the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists to honor and raise awareness of the important role these lands play in creating a sustainable environment and economic growth for communities around the world. Closer to home, South Dakota State University has been preparing students for careers in the industry for more than 80 years.

“There's always been a demand for people with a rangeland background,” Sean Di Stefano, assistant professor of rangeland ecology and management in the Department of Natural Resource Management, said. “(That’s) because when someone graduates with their range degree, they can understand the entire ecosystem, agriculture production and sustainable land use and management.”

As one of only 14 nationally accredited range programs in the country, the rangeland ecology and management specialization, within the Department of Natural Resource Management, provides students with a multifaceted approach to range and a wide variety of hands-on learning experiences, covered in-depth in a recent feature story.

Even for people who aren’t directly involved with production agriculture or actively involved in conservation, improving and maintaining the health of rangelands is a benefit for anyone who drinks municipal water, buys beef from the grocery store or hunts throughout the state. The story of rangeland is very much the story of South Dakota.

“The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists provides a unique platform to elevate conversations about rangelands,” Ehlert said. “For South Dakota, it's a chance to showcase our resources, share our ranching heritage and demonstrate how sustainable rangeland management can serve as a model for the world.”

The SDSU College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Natural Resource Management will feature the college’s range programs, research and experts on social media, in news stories and at in-person events around the state throughout 2026. A seminar focusing on “What is Range” and the importance of rangelands to South Dakota is planned for the morning of Friday, April 17. To learn more about the seminar as details become available, email sdsu.cafesmarketing@sdstate.edu.