With drought worsening, ranchers turn to God.
Rancher Tim Amdahl knows it’s going to rain.
The event comes in response to ongoing drought conditions across Pennington County and other regions of the state.
Event sponsors are asking everyone to pause at 7 p.m. and pray for rain.
The idea came when Amdahl, whose ranch is located 12 miles north of Rapid City, shared his desperation over the drought with BigHorn Canyon Community Church Pastor Scott Craig.
The two contacted friends, organizations and Amy Wagner, the state coordinator for the National Day of Prayer, for support.
Forty-six of those fires occurred in June and 54 happened within the first 11 days of July.
“The agricultural producers in Pennington County are taking a really huge hit in their industry,” said Pennington County Emergency Management Director Dustin Willet.
Pennington County has sought a declaration of a local emergency related to drought conditions at least three times in the last five years, according to Willet.
The USDA authorized counties within a 150-mile radius of drought-affected areas for additional grazing at the beginning of July.