Farm Management

All Farm Management Content

Aerial view of the SDSU Southeast Research Farm.
Sep 18

Ag Economic Dialogues - September

This free, 1-hour webinar was created to assist farmers and ranchers in making the best and most profitable decisions for their operations.

Aerial view of the SDSU Southeast Research Farm.
Aug 21

Ag Economic Dialogues - August

This free, 1-hour webinar was created to assist farmers and ranchers in making the best and most profitable decisions for their operations.

Calves at sunrise at the SDSU Cow-Calf Education and Research Facility.

Calves From Other Sources

A few longer-run trends continue to dominate the supply-side story of cattle in South Dakota. Beef cow numbers continue to decline. The number of feeder cattle outside of feedlots has remained stable.

Cattle grazing a high-diversity, native pasture.

Connecting Nutrition and Conservation: The Importance of CPS 592

Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) 592 is a practical feed management framework that helps producers move toward greater profitability, accountability, and sustainability without sacrificing performance.

Black beef cattle at a feedbunk at an SDSU research facility.

Feeder Cattle Basis

Feeder cattle basis levels observed during 2025 specific to South Dakota locations were higher than expected throughout 2025 and sharply higher in November and December, perhaps reflecting a tight supply of feeder cattle nationally.

A livestock producer stands beside a concrete feed bunk at sunset, holding a tablet and reviewing feeding data. Several beef cattle with ear tags are eating a mixed ration from the trough. In the background, a feedlot mixer truck with a visible mixing tank and discharge auger delivers feed into the bunk, creating light feed dust in the air. The image represents modern feed management combining animal care and digital decision-making in a commercial feedlot.

Feed Management in a High-Data Livestock Industry

Livestock feeding systems are generating more data than ever before. In modern feed management, success depends less on how much data is collected and more on how effectively that data is translated into biologically sound decisions.

Herd of bison behind a fencline in a pasture.

Getting Started With Bison Ranching

While bison ranching has some similarities with cattle ranching, there are significant differences that must be accounted for to ensure long-term sustainability and profitability.

Illustration of a rancher making a management decision that triggers a chain of dominoes representing different technologies such as wearable livestock sensors, genetics, satellites, drones, modeling, and data analytics. The falling dominos symbolize how management actions create effects that unfold over time, often with delayed and unintended consequences. Zeros and ones in the background represent the increasing amount of data modern ranchers must interpret when making decisions.

From One Decision to Many Outcomes: Why feed management decisions ripple through beef production systems

Feed management is the starting point of a system that rewards informed decisions and magnifies uninformed ones. Producers who use feed informed nutrition models are often able to reduce waste, increase gains, and decrease costs.

Color-coded map showing South Dakota Soybean Yield Average by County from 2015 to 2024. For a detailed description, please call SDSU Extension at 605-688-4792.

Statewide Soybeans Production and County-Level Yield Variation in South Dakota

South Dakota’s soybean production has experienced fluctuations in both planted acres and total production over the past decade.

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.