Farm Management

All Farm Management Content

mixture of cover crops planted next to a corn field

Cover Crop Usage in South Dakota is on the Rise

The number of South Dakota producers who use cover crops has been increasing at an accelerating rate over the past ten years.

Cover Crop Adoption: Farmers’ perceived benefits & barriers

Cover crops are generally defined as crops planted between cash crops to cover and protect the soil. Some demonstrated benefits of cover crops include: reduced soil erosion, increased soil organic matter, increased biological variety, increased nitrogen supply, and weed control. Depending on the farmers’ objectives, different species of cover crops can be planted. For example, if a farmer’s main objective is to increase nitrogen supply, then legume cover crops best suited to the farm area should be selected.

A family farm with the sun setting in the background.

USDA-ARMS Survey Data: Benefits for university agriculture research & outreach

Conducted since the mid-1990s, the USDA Agricultural Management Resource Survey (ARMS) is a multi-phase, multi-level nationwide survey of agricultural producers that collects information on a large sample of farms and their characteristics.

A series of red barns and grain silos on rolling hills in a farmyard.

Farm Structure Trends

Farm decisions are often undertaken with a very long outlook. The purchase of land or a change in a cropping system are not choices done with short-run gains in mind. As a result, structural changes in agriculture are often slow to occur and to observe.

Soybean field with volunteer corn stalks growing throughout.

Stalk Grazing to Combat Volunteer Corn

Fall aftermath grazing by livestock, particularly cows, can dramatically reduce the amount of volunteer corn in the field. Learn some key benefits that stalk grazing can bring to your operation.

Veterinarian and pork producer with clipboard inspecting a hog pen.

Can Pork Producers Rely on Antibiotic-Use-Based Product Differentiation To Be Competitive?

Do consumers prefer meat produced with the minimal use of antibiotics compared to meat produced with standard antibiotic use? The following study investigates this question in-depth for South Dakota pork producers.

A small herd of cattle grazing in snow-covered, spring pasture.

Bunch the Cow Herd

Reproduction is one of the biggest drivers of economic success. Cows stressed by cold, wind, snow, and mud will put energy resources into body condition maintenance and lactation prior to recycling.

Producer analyzing data on a series of screens inside a tractor equipped for precision agriculture.

Where could cyberattacks occur in a precision agriculture system? An outlook on the system breakup.

Precision agriculture relies on cyber-physical systems that bring together sensors, computers, the internet, and farm equipment. Despite its numerous benefits, it also brings some risks to farming practices.

Female producer viewing a ransomware warning on a computer screen in a farm office.

Ag Cybersecurity and Social Engineering 101

Social engineering is manipulating individuals to share confidential information and compromise security. By understanding the basics of social engineering, stakeholders can take proactive steps to ensure the resilience of agricultural systems against cyber threats.

Supplementing Cows on Pasture to Stretch Forage Supplies

With dry conditions spreading quickly across the Dakota’s, producers are forced to make challenging decisions on how many cow/calf pairs to turn out to pasture, and then determine how long the pastures will even last if moisture doesn’t come soon. During the spring/summer months, supplementing grass with energy and protein can decrease forage dry matter consumption.