69th Annual Sioux Empire Livestock Show kicks off Tuesday, with free entrance and exhibits

Sonya Swink, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
A photo of a previous year's Sioux Empire Livestock Show. It returns to W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds January 25, 2022.
A photo of a previous year's Sioux Empire Livestock Show. It returns to W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds January 25, 2022.

The 69th Annual Sioux Empire Livestock Show returns this week to Sioux Falls, highlighting the importance of agriculture.

The livestock show will be at W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds Jan. 25-30, according to a press release. It is free and open to the public.

Thousands of people from around the country will attend the show, generating more than $3 million of economic impact for Sioux Falls, according to longtime sponsor the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.

The livestock portion officially kicks off Tuesday with a ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m. in the Expo Building on the fairgrounds.

Main events will be held in the Expo Building, including shows and sales of animals as well as commercial exhibits. A trade show takes place in the north end of the Expo Building Jan. 26-29.

More: First-ever Dakota Coffee Festival offering early ticket specials for tea and coffee show

A prior year's presentation of an Angus bull at the Sioux Empire Livestock Show.
A prior year's presentation of an Angus bull at the Sioux Empire Livestock Show.

Shows and sales take place throughout the week, including purebred cattle. There will also be a prospect calf, breeding heifer, market swine, market goat as well as market lamb show each.

The signature event of the week is the Mayor’s Round-Up and Sale of Champions, which takes place Friday at 5 p.m. This event allows buyers and sellers to see the “best of the best” market livestock at an auction. Area businesses and individuals will pay premiums to producers by bidding on the top market steers, swine, lambs and goats. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken will participate in the event, along with local "ag icon" Jim Woster and auctioneer Ted Souvignier.

A silent auction will raise funds for scholarships for a Sioux Empire Livestock Show youth exhibitors. The Sioux Empire Livestock Show is organized by the Agribusiness Division of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Rene Stolsmark of Lazaderm is the Chair of the 2022 event.

A complete schedule of livestock shows and sales is available at siouxempirelivestockshow.com.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls hosts 69th Annual Sioux Empire Livestock Show this week