Farm Management
All Farm Management Content
Farm Practices That Improve Soil Health: Cover Crops and Crop Residues
Planting cover crops and returning crop residues (stover) to the soil both adds nutrients and improves overall soil quality. These practices are common with producers across South Dakota and have been recently studied by researchers to identify how they impact the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Farm Practices That Improve Soil Health: Planting Switchgrass on Marginal Lands
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a tall, native, prairie grass that is often seeded on marginal lands in South Dakota. It has gained growing popularity over the past decade not only as a source of biofuel and feed, but also as a method to improve soil properties.
Pork Producers and the One Health Movement: Actions at the State Level
The term “One Health” has been coined to describe the concept that the health of people, animals and their environment are inextricably linked. The most commonly considered examples of One Health in practice are zoonotic diseases. For pork producers, influenza strains that originate in pigs, but pass to people are a pertinent example.
Fall Noxious Weed Control
Fall weed control can give the best weed control, but it also can be a poor time. If the noxious weeds were sprayed or clipped earlier this summer, and there is good weed growth now, this would be an excellent time to spray these weeds and get a good kill.
Scouting for Grasshoppers in Pasture and Alfalfa
For 2019, we have either received reports of very high grasshopper numbers or of very low or nearly absent populations. Most reports of high populations have originated from areas near rivers and other waterways. This suggests that the rich foliage along the banks of waterways has provided excellent habitat for grasshoppers and has boosted their populations in those areas.
Managing Flooded Alfalfa
As floodwaters rise again in parts of South Dakota, spring planting seems to feel further and further away. One crop that is often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of the approaching planting season is alfalfa.
Agritourism
When a producer has decided to sell a product directly from the farm, entertainment or tourism-based activities could be incorporated to create larger appeal. Agritourism could add value to the farm visit though education, entertainment, outdoor recreation, dining, relaxation or other avenues, potentially drawing more customers in.
Checkerspot Caterpillars in Sunflower
While scouting sunflower near Sturgis this week, we came across outbreak levels of checkerspot caterpillars that were defoliating the plants. Similar sightings have been reported throughout Western and Central South Dakota in recent weeks.
Soil Conservation Practice Adoption Status at the S.D. County Level: 2012–2017
An increasing number of farmers across the state of South Dakota have adopted different soil conservation practices such as no-till, conservation tillage and cover crops. Over time, these practices play significant roles in improving soil health and increasing soil resilience towards extreme weather conditions.
Dectes Stem Borer Adults Active in Sunflower
In South Dakota, one of the insects that is commonly observed in sunflower is the Dectes stem borer larva. At this point in the season, adults are beginning to become active with females laying eggs in sunflower plants.