The longer I live, the more I realize how everyday life in South Dakota is directly affected by the weather. The most used apps on my phone have become the weather apps. As a farmer my hourly, daily, and weekly plans are made based on the forecast, and even though the forecast isn’t always accurate, we’d be really lost without it. I can’t imagine what life without modern weather forecasting would be like.

It’s really a luxury for us today and we probably don’t appreciate it, but it’s something the early farmers and ranchers of Edmunds County never had. If the pioneers in eastern Edmunds County...