Plants or Crops

All Plants or Crops Content

Group of farm employees and managers gathered at a table.

Building and Retaining a Skilled Agricultural Workforce: Challenges and Strategies

Building a strong, motivated workforce is essential to the future of agriculture. A team from SDSU Extension is exploring the challenges and opportunities facing our agricultural community.

Bright-yellow sunflowers growing in a field.

Sunflower Hybrid Variety Trial Results

In 2025, sunflower trials were planted in two locations in South Dakota.

Cover Crops

The benefits of planting cover crops are numerous.

Hands holding a clump of healthy soil from a no-till field.

SDSU Extension Crop Hour 2026 webinars start in January

November 24, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension’s Crop Hour webinar series for 2026 will return in January.

Cattle grazing in a rangeland area. Three magnifying images show close-up photos of native pollinators visiting forbs growing in the same area.

Rangeland Wildflowers: Their Value to Livestock and Pollinators

Native wildflowers and shrubs are critical to providing a wide array of services that increase the resiliency of rangelands, provide pollinator habitat, and contribute to livestock nutrition.

Plastic bag containing numerous green larvae.

Learn about alfalfa weevil at Northern Plains Forage Association annual meeting

November 17, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension encourages producers to attend the Northern Plains Forage Association annual meeting and seminars, which will feature forage-related education and research.

A red sprayer in a green field with a cloudy sky in the background.

Commercial Applicator Training for Pesticides

Those who apply pesticides for hire or as a government employee that applies pesticides while performing work duties, must have a commercial applicator license.

Two side-by-side fields. The left is a no-till field with crop residue throughout and minimal erosion. The right is a tilled field with no surface cover and notable erosion throughout.

SDSU Extension to host soil health meeting in Freeman

November 12, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension will host a Managing Soil: Maximizing Profit meeting on Dec. 9, 2025.

Cattle grazing corn residue in late fall.

Why Cropland Grazing Now?

The evidence is consistent: cropland grazing delivers measurable economic returns, proven soil health benefits, and growing adoption in South Dakota.

Cream colored larva that has an accordion shape and a brown head in the stem of a sunflower.

Dectes Stem Borer in South Dakota Sunflowers

Factsheet covering Dectes stem borer in sunflowers.