Livestock

All Livestock 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.

Two black beef cows and one black-and-white beef cow in the foreground.

Forage-Based Heifer Development Systems

Forage-based heifer development systems offer producers a practical opportunity to reduce input costs while maintaining acceptable reproductive performance. By effectively utilizing available forage resources, heifers can be developed efficiently with reduced reliance on harvested feeds.

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.

SDSU Extension experts to attend 2026 Dakotafest

July 22, 2026

South Dakota State University Extension experts will attend the 2026 Dakotafest trade show in Mitchell, providing educational resources and hands-on activities for a variety of topics.

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.

A close-up shot of big round bales of hay

Drought Emergency Order Provides Flexibility for Forage Transportation

The recent extension of the State of South Dakota’s Drought Emergency Executive Order will provide livestock producers with flexibility to transport harvested forage. The order allows qualifying producers and commercial haulers to continue transporting oversized loads of baled livestock feed under emergency permitting provisions.