Natural Resources

All Natural Resources Content

Teardrop shaped tick with a dark brown body and legs and an elongate white patch behind its head.

Ticks Becoming Active in South Dakota

The arrival of spring in South Dakota means warmer weather and more outdoor activities. However, it also brings an increase in tick activity.

Two headwater prairie streams in Butte County.

Ranching and Prairie Streams: What Healthy Riparian Areas Mean for Your Ranch

Prairie streams and their associated riparian areas can provide numerous ecosystem services to a ranching operation.

Cottonwood Creek on the SDSU Cottonwood Field Station.

Ranching and Prairie Streams: Why Riparian Areas Matter

For many producers, riparian pastures are essential to their operations. However, land managers need to balance grazing and utilization needs with riparian health for the long-term benefit of their operation.

Canada thistle growing in a pasture.

Current State of Noxious Weed Management in South Dakota

Results of an online survey to determine how South Dakota stakeholders are currently managing noxious weeds.

Rain falls on a sample of conventional tilled in a rainfall simulator.

How Soil Holds Water

Water retention is an important soil property and is related to soil texture, organic matter content, and density.

A dark bodied insect with large wings and red eyes sitting on a tree twig. There are green leaves behind it and many tan insect shells.

I heard cicadas are having a big year. Are they coming to South Dakota?

Cicadas are making headlines—specifically the periodical cicadas in Brood XIII and Brood XIX. Both both broods are in the Midwest and are geographically close together. Find out where you can expect to see them this spring.

Tan grasshopper with light colored stripes on its back sitting on the soil surface.

South Dakota Grasshopper Prediction for 2024

In 2024, grasshoppers are likely to cause problems in areas of South Dakota due to large populations that were present in 2023 and the relatively late first hard freeze date observed in much of the state.

A small black bug with tan margins on its wings resting on a grass seed head.

Keep an Eye on Black Grass Bugs This Spring

In South Dakota, black grass bugs are a common spring pest of forage grasses. This native insect first appears in late April and May when grasses emerge from dormancy.

Black angus calf grazing spring pasture.

Monitoring Spring Precipitation and Range Conditions

Ideal grazing management balances the acts of grazing and recovery. Monitoring precipitation, soil moisture, and forage production can help producers make informed decisions for their herds and pastures.

Various chemical symbols for common nutrients found in garden soil over a selection of young plants emerging from garden soil.

Interpreting Soil Tests for Gardening

There are many different chemicals that make up plants. These chemicals include hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, and chlorine.