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September 2020 Climate & Drought Outlook
Summer has its last hurrah the first week of September before we see potential for our state’s first freeze of the fall season, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
Crop Diversification Potential: Improving Soil Health & Farm Profitability
Two-year corn-soybean rotation coupled with heavy chemical inputs has become the routine practice of agricultural production in the Midwestern United States. According to USDA/NASS data, corn and soybean prices received by producers in South Dakota both reached the peak levels of $7.39 and $16.00 per bushel, respectively, in August, 2012.
Managing Water with Soil Health
If we are seeing so many benefits to drainage and soil health systems, why isn’t everybody doing it? Can we see a win-win-win situation when looking at habitat, agronomy, and water quality in a system?
Precision Agriculture and Zone Management
Precision agriculture tools can address the variations in a production system to enhance plant growth and crop yield. Zone management controls the variable rate of inputs for optimal performance within a defined field zone.
Managing Soil: Maximizing Profit Conference Set for Dec. 7
November 19, 2021
South Dakota State University Extension and the SDSU Southeast Research Farm will host a seminar for growers interested in soil health, regenerative agriculture and livestock inclusion in these systems.
Creating Management Zones Using Electrical Conductivity
The first step to practicing zone management is to identify the variations that control yield. There are various methods for characterizing soil variations within a field, and among them, electrical conductivity measurement is one of the most-reliable.
Project to Study Soil Health Economics in South Dakota
Soil degradation has become one of the most pressing global issues, because of its adverse effects on world food security, environment and quality of life.
Fall Soil Sampling
With fertilizer prices on the rise, it’s more important than ever to understand your soil test levels and crop response to applied fertilizers. Fall is a great time to soil sample before freeze up.
Determining an Economically Optimal Nitrogen Rate for Corn in 2022
While we can't know what the prices of corn and nitrogen fertilizer will be next year, it is very important to understand how the level of both prices will influence corn profitability for 2022.
Application of Nitrogen Fertilizer in Soybeans
SDSU Extension conducted a study during the 2016 growing season at five Eastern South Dakota sites to evaluate the effects of added N fertilizer (as urea) on soybean yields.