Starting September 8, the South Dakota Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environment will be merged into one state agency, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Current DENR Director Hunter Roberts will take over as Interim Director of that merged department. He says some states already have those departments put together.

He says South Dakota’s producers are very environmentally responsible as a whole and that just makes sense as they need to be sustainable.

Roberts says his primary goal is to support the state’s ag industry and be able to deliver the services both agencies can provide to benefit everyone in South Dakota.

While Roberts has been serving as DENR director, Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden has been serving as interim State Agriculture Director.