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A black angus calf in standing in a pasture between two cows.

Calving Season Benchmarks

Reproductive performance of an operation is important to the overall success and bottom line of that operation. Benchmarking may be beneficial as it can help focus limited management time on critical areas of an individual’s beef cow business.

A group of youth and adults stand in a grassy pasture

Dedicated educators help South Dakota youth succeed nationally

August 28, 2025

In May, South Dakota sent 84 youth to the National Land and Range Judging Contest in El Reno, Oklahoma. Out of the 34 states that competed, only Texas came close to matching those numbers with 72 participants.

A man inspecting a field with salty soil.

Perennial Solutions for Alkali Areas

Reclaiming marginal lands, especially those considered saline or sodic can be very challenging and may take many years to accomplish. The key to turning around salt or alkali areas in your fields, begins with getting a living root established in the affected area.

What Are Those Little Flies That Keep Biting Me?

If you have been swarmed and bitten by small black flies this year, you’re not alone. The culprits of these bites are commonly referred to as black flies or buffalo gnats. The reason we are noticing so many in 2019 is likely due to favorable spring conditions that included a lot of moisture.

Corn earlobe being stored in a bunker for later use as cattle feed.

Valuing High-Moisture Corn and Earlage

A key advantage to using commodities that meet standard specifications and are frequently traded is that it is very easy to establish an economic value that is accepted by most users. The marketplace sets the value of corn, and other feedstuffs on a daily basis, provided those products meet some set of standard specifications.

Mineral Sources May Impact Reproductive Efficiency

It is well-known by producers and feed specialists that trace minerals play an essential role in physiological functions. Minerals like copper, iodine, manganese, selenium, and zinc are important in embryonic development.

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

How to Stop Drift

The goals of applying any crop protection products include: increasing effectiveness, mitigating drift, and maximizing profits. We will focus on mitigating drift, even though all three interact with each other.

Newborn black angus calf with mother cow.

Calf Health Following Calving

Considering calf health following calving is a number one priority for calving season and to better prepare the calf for the rest of its life.

Swine

Providing pork producers with the research-based information and resources they need to keep South Dakota swine herds healthy and profitable is a focus of our team.

A red, tractor-mounted sprayer with its tank being flushed by a hose connected to a large truck.

General Cleaning Recommendations for Sprayer Equipment

Crop damage could occur if sprayer clean-out is overlooked or not properly conducted. It is critical to always follow the procedure specified on the herbicide or commercial cleaner label to completely remove herbicide residue from the sprayer system.