“Portraits of Conservation” art display on the Corn Palace
Mitchell, SD, August 22, 2025 – This week, South Dakota farmers and ranchers were celebrated in a striking and expansive art installation at the Corn Palace unveiled by Invest in Our Land, an organization that elevates the voices of farmers in policy discussions that impact their futures.
The art installation debuted Thursday at a public unveiling at the iconic Corn Palace, and is part of the internationally renowned Inside Out Project. Titled “Portraits of Conservation”, the project showcased over a hundred portraits of South Dakota producers who have benefited from federal conservation programs, as well as members of the communities they call home who support these farmers and ranchers. The public unveiling featured participation by Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hansen, Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Executive Director of Invest in Our Land Rebecca Bartels, and local producers who utilize these conservation programs. The display will next travel to Washington, D.C., where it will be exhibited at an event with policymakers to highlight the importance of continued investment, and support for agricultural conservation practices and these programs that allow farmers to implement them.
The unveiling was preceded by a convening at Dakotafest on Wednesday, where local producers highlighted the critical role federal agricultural conservation programs play in supporting the success and resilience of producers in South Dakota and across the nation.
“Invest in Our Land is thrilled to have had the opportunity to be on the ground at this year’s Dakotafest and Corn Palace Festival and honor hardworking South Dakota farmers and ranchers who know firsthand how conservation practices help them to produce the food, fuel, and fiber that powers our great nation and the world,” said Rebecca Bartels, Executive Director of Invest in Our Land. “Farmers are on the front lines of extreme weather, rising costs, and global competition — and conservation programs give them tools to respond. Through this powerful art installation, we are sending a clear message — these programs work, producers need access to them, and protecting conservation funding must remain a national priority.”
“South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers know the land better than anyone, and they’ve always led the way on stewardship,” said Congressman Dusty Johnson. “This project at the Corn Palace is a reminder that conservation isn’t about red tape in Washington – it’s about giving producers the tools they need to keep our land productive for generations to come.”
“Each photo of a farmer or rancher on the Corn Palace tells a story — a story of a farmer or a rancher digging deep, figuring it out and making use of the resources out there to help them and their operation thrive and stay alive,” said Mike Blaalid, a farmer from Mitchell, SD. “Thanks to NRCS conservation programs and a whole lot of people helping me along the way, I’ve gotten the chance to start and build something for my family. With all the challenges facing farmers, these conservation practices have been transformational tools that keep our land producing and our operation running. It helps us build healthier soils, be more prepared for floods and droughts, cut down on input costs, and raise better yields. That’s good for the land, good for business and good for our families.”
As highlighted by an Invest in Our Land fact sheet, federal conservation programs are critical to the success, resilience, and vitality of South Dakota agriculture, allowing producers across the state to implement transformative practices that cut costs, increase production, bolster the resiliency of their operation to extreme weather and more. The recently enacted budget reconciliation legislation (P.L. 119-21) included a provision that significantly boosted federal funding long-term for conservation programs for American producers. However, federal workforce reductions and potential cuts to conservation technical assistance could jeopardize the ability of farmers to access this funding.
According to a new policy brief from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that projects the additional investments in conservation funding each state will receive from the budget reconciliation bill, South Dakota’s overall potential conservation investment over the next ten years is expected to be over $2 billion.
About Invest in Our Land
Invest in Our Land is an organization that elevates the voices of farmers across the country to educate their fellow Americans about the importance of safeguarding the future of U.S. farms. The organization is sharing the success stories of farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. to raise awareness about the need to protect and strengthen federal conservation funding. Learn more: Investinourland.org
About The Inside Out Project
The Inside Out Project,is an international public art project founded in 2011 by artist and photographer JR, creating murals of large-scale black and white portraits of community members in public spaces. More than 580,000 people spanning across 154 countries and territories have participated in the Inside Out Project. Thanks to participants’ donations, the project has reached all the continents, with over 2,900 actions created. The Inside Out Project is a program of JR’s Can Art Change the World? Foundation. Learn more: www.insideoutproject.net /www.canartchangetheworld.net
Socials: @insideoutproject/@
