Search

child and an older man planting flowers in a raised garden bed

Conversations that Matter: Advance Care Planning for Rural Families

Advance care planning is an important topic and is often discussed in small group settings. We have provided the tools to help you successfully lead a small group event to help teach others about advance care planning.

Two young girls in winter clothing riding on a sled.

Let Them Play During Christmas Break

As we are quickly approaching Christmas break and kids will have time off and will be acquiring new toys and activities during this Christmas season, I want to encourage parents and providers to let children play.

Left: Soil from long-term no-till field, exhibiting good soil aggregation through clumping and smaller pieces of soil. Right: Soil from conventionally managed field that included tillage and crop residue removal. Notice the soil is lighter brown, indicating lower organic matter, and the pieces of soil are in larger chunks with no visible indication of clumping or structure.

Organic Agronomy Starting to Impact

For decades scientists have known that a handful of soil contained more micro-biological organisms than the number of humans on earth. Science is just beginning to discover these organisms and learn about their functions and contribution to their soil ecosystem.

A snowy farmyard with sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Preparing for Calving Season

Whether the calving season will start soon or is a few months away, it’s never a bad time to start preparing for the arrival of fresh calves on the ground. Here are some things to consider prior to the beginning of calving.

Holstein Dairy Calves lying in fresh straw, wearing calf blankets to help keep warm.

Managing Un-Weaned Dairy Calves During Cold Weather

Winter can present extra challenges for dairy producers and heifer growers as they try to keep calves alive and growing adequately in frigid temperatures.

A close up view of the stem of palmer amaranth which is hairless.

Identification and Management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

Guide for the identification and management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

two black beetles rolling a ball of dung

An identification guide to common Dung Beetles of South Dakota

A guide of common dung beetles of South Dakota.

A herd of cattle gather around a stock pond on a vast, lush grassland. Courtesy: USDA [CC BY 2.0]

Weed Control: Pasture and Range

There are 24 million acres of native and tame pasture and range as well as 1.4 million acres of grass hayland in South Dakota.

A young girl playing with colored wooden blocks.

Playing With Blocks

Who remembers building glorious structures and towers with wooden blocks? And then having a sibling knock them down and having to rebuild it over again? There are so many learning experiences with building and making mistakes in block play.

A red angus cow with two unweaned calves attempting to suckle from it.

Alternative Calving Considerations

Structuring a calving program that best suites farm and ranch operations can be challenging. Of primary concern are: weather, labor, market timing, and animal health considerations, with weather possibly being the most volatile factor, as it ranges from challenging to catastrophic in some years.