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Wheat plants exhibiting severe symptoms of rust.

SDSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic provides fast diagnoses of plant diseases

March 07, 2025

South Dakota State University Plant Diagnostic Clinic is the only public diagnostic clinic for plant diseases in South Dakota and receives more than 1,500 samples each year.

Professional portrait of Rebecca Undem

ND author, podcast host to keynote SDSU Extension Energize conference

March 07, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension Community Vitality is pleased to announce North Dakota businesswoman and rural advocate Rebecca Undem as the 2025 Energize conference keynote speaker.

lights on a police car

SDSU Extension to host training for livestock/vehicle emergencies

March 03, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension is hosting a Bovine Emergency Response Plan training for anyone who may respond to the scene of an accident involving livestock.

Professional portrait of Graig Reicks

SDSU Extension welcomes new Weed Ecology Field Specialist

February 28, 2025

In his role, Reicks will provide guidance for weed management in specialty crops, pastures and rangelands, organic systems, lawns/gardens and public right-of-ways. He is based in Brookings.

Lush, green forage growing in a field.

SDSU Extension releases updated crop budgets tool

February 28, 2025

Producers and financial advisors can use the spreadsheets as a template to input their own costs and get an estimate on profits. The spreadsheet includes tabs for fertilizer and pesticide and commodity estimates for different regions of the state, including high- and low-production areas.

Three men smile for the camera. The man in the center holds a plaque

2024 Master Pork Producers announced

February 28, 2025

The 2024 South Dakota Master Pork Producer winners were announced Jan. 15, 2025, during the 56th annual South Dakota Pork Congress in Sioux Falls. Recipients are Brian Mehlhaf, of Madison; Cristina Rocha, Iroquois; and Ross Mencke, Onida.

A plot of land from the side, with plant roots growing down into the soil

SDSU Extension to discuss regenerative agriculture during Crop Hour

February 26, 2025

Presentations can be viewed online on the SDSU Extension website at https://extension.sdstate.edu/crop-hour.

Five youth stand in front of banners holding a sign that says "South Dakota"

SDSU Extension 4-H members compete at national FCS contest

February 20, 2025

The FCS skill-a-thon team won fifth place in the life skills assessment. The team members were Anna Johnson, Norman Johnson and Ada Sharp, of Brown County; and Mercedes Jones, of Buffalo/Jerauld counties. Their team coach is Aubrey Anderson, SDSU Extension 4-H Educator, Minnehaha County. Samantha Brenden, of Clark County, placed fourth in modeling and fifth overall for a constructed outfit in fashion revue.

Microscope analyzing a glass slide.

Midwest animal science meeting to highlight SDSU research

February 18, 2025

This year’s meeting is March 9-12, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, and will include student competitions, symposiums and presentations highlighting the research students and faculty are conducting.

Women look through potted plants on a table in a classroom

Register now to become an SDSU Extension Master Gardener

February 03, 2025

The course is open to anyone who would like to learn horticulture skills and research-based best practices and share their gardening knowledge with others. Participants will learn which plants are well-suited for South Dakota, including trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, turfgrass, vegetables and fruits. Other topics include soils, plant diseases, insect pests and weeds.

Sprawling rangeland enrolled in the conservation stewardship program.

SDSU Extension invites all to SD Coalition Grassland Management School

January 30, 2025

SDSU Extension is partnering with the South Dakota Grassland Coalition, Audubon Great Plains, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service to host the school, which is on Feb. 11-12, 2025, at Cedar Shore Resort near Oacoma.

A sow and her piglets rest in dry and clean pen. Courtesy: USDA

Registration open for 2025 SowBridge educational series

January 24, 2025

SowBridge is for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and in swine genetics and reproduction. The 2025 series begins on Feb. 5, and will generally continue on the first Wednesday of the month from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CST. The fifth session will be on May 28 to avoid conflicts with the World Pork Expo.

tar spot on a corn leaf

SDSU Extension to host tar spot webinar

January 24, 2025

Tar spot is a potentially yield-impacting corn disease that was confirmed in 46 of South Dakota’s 66 counties in 2024. The fungus can cling to crop residue over the winter and re-emerge once temperatures rise. It’s most commonly spread in South Dakota by wind-blown spores.

A large group of people stands on a stone staircase to smile for a photo

Energize conference inspires small SD communities

January 17, 2025

Hosted in a different South Dakota town of 5,000 or fewer people each year, Energize is an opportunity for community and business leaders to gather, gain new perspectives and share ideas about revitalizing rural communities.

Three people smile for the camera with bison and rolling hills in the background

Bringing happy, healthy bison back to the Great Plains

January 17, 2025

There are approximately 400,000 bison across North America, down from 30 to 60 million prior to the 1860s. South Dakota has the largest bison population in the U.S. with nearly 40,000, and Martin hopes to see it keep rising.