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A person holds a sheep to their chest and uses shears to shear the sheep's wool off it's stomach
Oct 25

Sheep Shearing School

SDSU Extension will host a sheep shearing school for students from October 25-27 at the SDSU Sheep Research and Teaching Unit (3729 Medary Ave., Brookings, SD 57007).

Four fall-hardy bulbs blooming in early spring: Daffodil, Glory of the Snow, Crocus and Tulip.

Prepare for Early Spring Blooms by Planting Hardy Bulbs in the Fall

Don’t put away your gardening tools quite yet! Fall is the perfect time to plant hardy, spring-flowering bulbs.

Photo showing a wildfire recovery on native rangelands.

Range Roundup: Dormant Season Wildfire Project in Northwestern South Dakota

Two of the main environmental conditions that drive post-wildfire rangeland recovery include health of the rangeland ecosystem prior to the wildfire and climatic variables, such as precipitation or drought after the fire event.

a flooded wheat field with some emerging wheat plants.

Wet Feet in Wheat

Given the widespread wet conditions present this spring, there are many areas in winter wheat fields with both ponding and saturated (or waterlogged) soils. Producers may want to consider soil conditions and evaluate extended weather forecasts when deciding whether or not to retain a winter wheat this spring.

Left: Picnic beetle adults feeding on a damaged tomato. Right: Multicolored Asian lady beetle adults infesting an apple.

Picnic Beetles and Multicolored Asian Ladybeetles Bothering Produce

Ripe fruit that has been injured can attract undesirable insects into your garden. Some of these insects will feed on the produce, which can completely ruin it by increasing the rate of decay and make it unappealing.

A medium-sized shrub with many upright stems next to a white shed

Woody Weeds: Tatarian Honeysuckle

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) was brought to North America from Asia in the mid-18th century for ornamental uses. In South Dakota it was also used as a windbreak species until the 1980s.

A planting of alfalfa.

Effects of Late Spring Frost on Alfalfa

Forage research indicates that, although alfalfa is considered to have good cold temperature tolerance, minor frost damage may occur when plants are exposed to air temperatures slightly below freezing for several hours, and more severe damage will be seen when temperatures drop below 25°F for four or more hours.

yellowed wheat field

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Management: Plan ahead before planting this fall

Have you had a history of moderate wheat streak mosaic disease in your field? Do you plan on planting wheat into wheat stubble or wheat fallow? Have your neighbors had wheat streak mosaic disease outbreaks in the recent past? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to incorporate wheat streak mosaic control principles into your management plan before planting winter wheat this fall.

Professional headshot of Sandy Smart

SDSU Extension program leader receives Society for Range Management Fellow Award

March 13, 2023

The Society for Range Management recently named SDSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Senior Program Leader Sandy Smart a 2023 Fellow Award winner.

A lush, green lawn with a few scattered weeds throughout.

Use Caution With Turf Herbicide Applications During Extreme Heat and Drought

Dry conditions cause weeds to be under stress. This decreases herbicide effectiveness with annual, biannual and perennial plants. So, is there a safe option for weed control in yards during high temperatures and dry conditions?