Farm Management

All Farm Management Content
An orange plastic hoop placed around a portion of tall grass on a range to provide a measurement.

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure: Range Record Keeping

Range record keeping helps detect and demonstrate landscape changes that have a direct impact on your ability to maintain or grow your herd.

People eat ice cream under a large tent
Aug 18

Dakotafest

Stop by the SDSU Extension booth at Dakotafest to meet specialists, ask questions, get recommendations and learn about programming and events.

Cattle HQ

SDSU Extension's beef team provides valuable insights to improve the health, productivity and profitability of your herd through the Cattle HQ podcast and monthly webinars.

Black cow with three young calves in early spring.

Shorten Your Calving Season for a More Profitable Cow Herd

Coupled with good management, a defined breeding and calving season increases the number of cows that conceive early, produces a more uniform calf crop, and allows producers to manage labor, nutrition, and herd health more efficiently.

Single red and white cow standing in harvested cornstalks.

Stretching Forage Supplies with Agriculture Byproducts and Crop Residues

For most producers across the Plains, forage supplies are looking limited because of decreased forage production from persistent drought conditions, making now a suitable time to explore alternative feed options.

Skidloader being used to turn compost pile.

Guidelines for Livestock Carcass Disposal in South Dakota

Everyone who works with or owns animals tries their best to keep all animals alive. In turn, they also know there will always be normal mortality. Thus, we need to keep in mind the regulations surrounding disposal.

Beef calf standing in a dry pasture.

Resources for Early Weaning Beef Calves

Early weaning calves is one way to decrease nutrient demands of the cow herd and extend grazing days during adverse weather conditions. Learn some important management strategies to consider before weaning younger calves.

Black beef cattle in a cattle facility.

Cattle Weights Responding to Markets

Recent values reported by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service indicate another increase in the value of cattle production at the state level for the year. The high price levels are also strong incentives to deliver pounds and calves to the market.

Producers reviewing paperwork in a farm office.

Ag Business

Modern agriculture requires savvy financial planning and strategy.

Mixed group of cattle grazing a diverse mix of forage.

Cover Crop Grazing Windows for South Dakota Crop Rotations

This guide is intended for livestock producers and crop producers interested in integrating cover crop grazing into cash crop systems. Recommendations identify opportunities for both fall grazing of rapidly establishing annuals and spring grazing of overwintering species, helping extend grazing seasons, reduce harvested feed costs, and improve nutrient cycling within crop rotations.