South Dakota lawmaker killed in farming accident
Lifelong Turner County resident Rep. Richard Vasgaard dies from injuries sustained in shop
The South Dakota Legislature is mourning the unexpected death of one of its members.
State Rep. Richard Vasgaard, a Turner County legislator and farmer, died Wednesday in a farming accident on his rural Centerville farm.
Friends and colleagues, along with the office of Gov. Larry Rhoden, declined to comment publicly Wednesday evening out of respect for the family, but multiple sources confirmed to The Dakota Scout that the 75-year-old succumbed to injuries sustained while working on equipment.
Vasgaard had served two terms in the state House of Representatives. Representing District 17 in 2021 and 2022, he took a two-year hiatus from the state Capitol before returning in 2025, representing the newly reconfigured District 16.
A lifelong Turner County resident, Vasgaard was also a farmer and an agronomy graduate of South Dakota State University. According to Ballotpedia, he earned his degree in agronomy and maintained the family’s long-standing farming tradition on the land where his fatal accident occurred.
Vasgaard is survived by his wife, Joyce, and their two children.
In his legislative tenure, he served on committees tasked with recommending policy on commerce and energy, agriculture and natural resources, and transportation.
This is very sad news. May God grant him eternal rest, and may perpetual light shine upon him. We will remember his family in our prayers.
"Thoughts are with Representative Richard Vasgaard family and loved ones, and comfort and peace are wished as they mourn this profound loss"
Senator Carl & Sheryl Perry - District 3