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Light colored moth on a yellow sunflower head.

Sunflower Moths Active in South Dakota Sunflowers

We have received reports of sunflower moths present on early planted sunflowers this week. The observed sunflower moth populations are above the recommend threshold of an average of 1 to 2 moths per five heads.

Left: A soybean plant with cotton white mycelia girdling the lower portions of the stem amidst healthy soybean plants. Right: A soybean field with some plants having yellowing leaves due to sudden death syndrome infection.

White Mold and Sudden Death Syndrome Starting to Develop

White mold and sudden death syndrome are starting to develop in a number of soybean fields. These two diseases develop starting at the soybean flowering growth stage and can occur throughout the rest of the soybean growing season.

Black, yellow, and brown wasp in a clear container

Huge Wasps on My Tree! No, Those Still Aren’t Murder Hornets.

Another insect that has been mistaken for the Asian giant hornet (also known by its media-popularized name of ‘murder hornet’) is the horntail wasp. Horntail wasps are wood-boring insects that are harmless to humans, as they do not have venom and cannot sting.

Rancher cleaning a cow's hear before applying an implant.

Getting Implant Application Correct

How would you like to make a few thousand dollars per hour? When cattle backgrounders and feeders use growth promoting implants correctly, those returns are not a pipe dream. The key is administering the implant correctly.

A soybean field with plants yellowing and dropping leaves in larger portion of the field while the rest of the field has green soybean plants.

Drought Stress or Stem Canker Killing Soybean Plants?

Several soybean fields scouted in a number of Eastern counties have plants dying or dropping leaves prematurely. While the majority of these fields have drought stress causing early senescence, a few fields have also stem canker developing

a norfolk island pine tree

Living Christmas Tree Alternatives

Living Christmas trees are not a new concept. Often this means buying a potted or balled and burlaped, normally hardy tree, from a local nursery, then bringing it into the home, right before Christmas to enjoy for a week or so before planting it out in the landscape.

Three common aphids. From left: Green peach aphid colony. Potato aphid colony. Foxglove aphid on the underside of a pepper leaf.

Are Your Pepper Plants Covered With Aphids?

During this time of the growing season, it is common to observe aphids on garden plants, including peppers. However, when dense aphid populations are present, they can reduce pepper yields and cause rapid plant health decline.

Left: Common asparagus beetle adult. Right: Twelve-spotted asparagus beetle adult.

Asparagus Beetles Active in South Dakota

Two insects that we recommend scouting for in asparagus are the common asparagus beetle and the twelve-spotted asparagus beetle. Learn how to identify and manage both before they cause serious issues in your garden.

Rancher holding a notepad beside a feed bunk.

Capitalizing on Cow Costs

Feeding cows is one area of consideration when analyzing the cost of keeping a cow through her production year. Through small management choices, we can decrease the cost of the cow while maximizing on opportunities.

a man standing in front of a cornfield

SDSU Extension Weed Evaluation Extension Demonstration Available at South Dakota State Fair

September 01, 2020

The SDSU Extension Weed Evaluation Extension Demonstration project will be available to the public at the South Dakota State Fair September 2-September 7.