Soil Management
All Soil Management Content

Five Range Management Principles: #3 Ecosystem Biodiversity
Milkweed can help make rangelands a better environment for both cattle and neighboring plants and animals by having a shielding effect on companion plants, preventing erosion and accelerating the decomposition process, whole also providing nectar, habitat and organic material for ecosystem services.

38th Annual Rangeland and 17th Annual Soils Days Held in Murdo
August 15, 2022
SDSU Extension, along with the Jones County Conservation District and the South Dakota Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), hosted the 38th Annual Rangeland and 17th Annual Soils Days June 14-15, 2022, in Murdo, South Dakota.

Understanding Western South Dakota Prairie Streams
This document provides information and guidance for landowners and land managers in western South Dakota who are managing small intermittent streams.

South Dakota Teams Perform Well at National Land, Range & Homesite Judging Contest
June 08, 2022
After two years of cancellations, a record attendance of more than 1,000 FFA and 4-H members competed in the National Land, Range, and Homesite Judging contest according to the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the contest’s main sponsor.

The Power of Living Roots
Learn how living roots improve soil structure and can be used as a tool to fix marginal lands with salty soil conditions.

The Costs of Erosion: Topsoil’s Role in Food Security
The thin layer of topsoil covering our earth sustains almost all of the life we know. Learn some answers to common questions about protecting it from erosion.

Herbicide Considerations for Cover Crop Planting in 2019
Long residual pre-emergent or early post-emergent herbicides may cause stand reduction or complete failure of cover crops. Depending on efficacy of the herbicide, each situation can both affect in-season and/or post-harvest cover crop establishment.

Herbicide Interactions With Cover Crops After Oats
After oats have been harvested, options exist to keep a living root in the soil. This can be done through growing cover crops. In 2018 an on-farm trial was preformed near Salem, South Dakota to observe how cover crops grown after oats would germinate after common herbicides had been applied.

Herbicide Rotation Restrictions
This is a quick reference guide to common herbicides and their rotation restrictions for selected crops.

Perennial Solutions for Alkali Areas
Reclaiming marginal lands, especially those considered saline or sodic can be very challenging and may take many years to accomplish. The key to turning around salt or alkali areas in your fields, begins with getting a living root established in the affected area.