As a kid who was a 4-H member for many years and attended the County & State Fairs, I would hate to see this happen;
A 54-year-old fundraising partnership benefiting 4-H in South Dakota has deteriorated into a lawsuit by state government against a private charity.
The South Dakota Board of Regents, the South Dakota State University Foundation and the state of South Dakota are suing the organization formerly known as the South Dakota 4-H Foundation.
The suit was filed Dec. 21 in state court in Hughes County. The state is asking the court to dissolve the 4-H Foundation (which changed its name last year to South Dakota Youth Heritage Inc.) and transfer the foundation’s money to the SDSU Foundation, among other requests.
While it is sad, it is also bizarre. Why would the state stop helping with funding to 4-H when the state’s biggest industry is Agriculture, but the bigger question is why SDSU, a agri-business, state university would be trying to take money from the program?
The state’s suit says the fight between the state and the 4-H Foundation began after Barry Dunn had become the SDSU dean of agriculture in 2010. Dunn, who has since been promoted to president of the Brookings-based university, did not immediately respond to a phone message Friday from the Journal.
I have thought the leadership of SDSU has been F’d ever since the former president whored himself to the Monsanto board. Seems the pillagingĂ‚Â continues with the new president.