Unveiling a design that will walk visitors from “pasture to plate,” the Stockyards Ag Experience has kicked off its next phase of development.

The outdoor experience plaza is the latest fundraising drive for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Community Appeal, with a goal of raising $1.2 million. It runs until March 31, 2018.

The funds will support construction of the plaza on 3.6 acres of the southwest corner of what once was the Sioux Falls Stockyards.

The plaza plan calls for a design feature for experiential areas: cultivate, raise, tend and celebrate. It will highlight farming past and present, provide education for all ages and include a restroom and picnic shelter with farmyard thematic elements. The primary design and interpretative consultant is Confluence.

The chamber campaign is co-chaired by Dana Dykhouse, CEO of First Premier Bank, and Mike Begeman of Sanford Health as well as honorary co-chair Jim Woster, whose vision inspired the project in 2012.

“The Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza will have a transformative effect on Falls Park and the entire Sioux Falls area,” Dykhouse said. “The destination is a quality-of-life enhancement and will provide educational opportunities for all ages that honor our community’s agricultural history while serving as an important gateway into one of Sioux Falls’ more cherished areas – Falls Park.”

The first phase of the project, the Stockyards Ag Experience Barn, opened to the public in March. In its first season, the museum, which bridges the history of agriculture beginning with the Sioux Falls Stockyards to contemporary agriculture, has welcomed guests from 46 states and eight foreign countries.

The total project budget for both phases of the Stockyards Ag Experience is $4.1 million. So far, $1.2 million has been raised.

The outdoor plaza is expected to open in late summer of 2019.

“It’ll bring learning and education for residents and visitors of all ages as we highlight South Dakota’s No. 1 industry:  agriculture,” said Jennifer Hoesing, executive director of Stockyards Ag Experience. “There’s a synergy there, created by the partnerships we’ll put in place to program the plaza upon completion, and that we’ll share with other destinations nearby: Falls Park, the farmers market, the forthcoming Levitt Pavilion and downtown Sioux Falls not far.”