Livestock

South Dakota producers face new challenges each day. SDSU Extension is your partner, providing resources and expertise to help meet production goals.

Featured Resources

A South Dakota Mesonet station in a snow-covered field.

Livestock Stress Tool

Weather conditions in the Northern Plains can present more than a few challenges for livestock producers. From below zero or blizzard conditions during winter or even spring, to heat waves in the summer months, farmers and ranchers need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions to provide the best care for their livestock and minimize their risks of losses.

A vast, open rangeland with a few patches of weeds.

Noxious Weed Control in Pasture and Range

Noxious weed control in pastures is becoming more of a challenge. Most ground commercial spray businesses are no longer spraying pastures. If they are, there may be restrictions on the time they will spray, what products they will spray, or they may only spray if they also have all of the rest of your spraying business.

Upcoming Events

Group of weanling pigs inside a wean-to-finish facility.
Nov 02

2021 SDSU Swine Day

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will host the 2021 Swine Day on Nov. 2 at 9 AM CDT at McCrory Gardens (631 22nd Ave., Brookings, SD 57006).

Nov 06

Goat Butchering Class

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will be holding a goat butchery course on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the SDSU Meat Lab, in Brookings, South Dakota from 8:30 -11:30 a.m. CDT.

calf with mother cow in pasture
Nov 09

BeefUP - Calving Strategies for Market Advantages

A two-day, in person meeting discussing the impacts of calving distribution on management strategies and how management can drive calving and future returns on calves.

Related Topics

Dairy Cattle, Goats, Horse, Poultry, Rabbit, Sheep, Swine, Animal Welfare, Quality Assurance, Animal Health, Pasture, Range, Barns, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Beef Feedlot and Backgrounding, Beef Herd Health and Quality Assurance, Beef Industry and General Management, Beef Marketing and Economics, Beef Nutrition, Beef Reproduction and Genetics

Related Content

Nov 06

Goat Butchering Class

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension will be holding a goat butchery course on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the SDSU Meat Lab, in Brookings, South Dakota from 8:30 -11:30 a.m. CDT.

Clements Ranch staff accepting their Master Lamb Producer award from SDSU Extension's Kelly Froehlich.

South Dakota Sheep Growers Honor Two Master Lamb Producers

October 12, 2021

The 2021 Master Lamb Producer recognized in the Purebred Division was Shady Lane Farms from Redfield, and the Feeder Lamb Producer Division recognized Pam and Steve Clements and family from Philip.

Two men walking near a drainage water recycling pond

Online Eastern South Dakota Water Conference set for Oct. 20

October 08, 2021

The theme for this year’s conference is “Ground Truth – Water Resource Management and Remote Sensing.”