South Dakota State University Extension’s new “pasture chat” event provided a unique experience for women involved in agriculture in the White River region.
On June 12, 2025, 18 women from White River and surrounding areas gathered for an evening of connecting over their common interest – rangelands. Kaylee Wheeler, SDSU Extension Range Field Specialist, organized this event with Mary Scott, local NRCS Tribal Liaison; and Jewell Bork, with the South Central Resource Conservation and Development Council.
This pasture chat was designed as a casual way for women to gather, learn about rangelands and connect with each other without formal presentations. To start, the group visited the Strain Ranch north of White River where they stopped on a picturesque hillside and appreciated the natural beauty of the White River prairie. Ranch owners Bret and Gina Strain welcomed the group and told their story.
The group also got hands-on experience harvesting prairie turnips, also known as timpsila or Indian breadroot scurfpea. Above ground, this extra hairy plant has small blueish-purple flowers and a palmate leaf structure. Below ground a tap root reveals a large tuber, up to the size of an egg. This tuber is what can be harvested to eat.
Scott and Wheeler said the timpsila root was a traditional staple food group of Indigenous people of the prairie. They can be peeled and eaten fresh or dried and stored for later use. It is important to note that prairie turnip populations can easily be diminished by over-harvest by humans.
Source : sdstate.edu