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A lush field with corn, soybean, and forage rotation.

Crop Rotation 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.

A corn field in South Dakota looking very wet due to flooding from spring rains and melted snow.

Flood Resources for Agriculture

Use this information to prepare for and manage flood on your farm or ranch.

Two people having a conversation, one being the herd manager and the other the employee in a dairy free stall barn.)

Coaching vs. Evaluations To Improve Ag Employee Performance

One of the most difficult things farm managers have to master is coaching employees. Using appropriate coaching methods with employees will help you as a manager to achieve the desired employee performance you are looking for in your operation.

A John Deere Max Emerge XP corn planter behind a Case IH Magnum 335 with AFS precision farming system.

Why Precision Agriculture?

When precision agriculture comes into a conversation a few questions arise. Three of those questions might be: What is precision agriculture? How does precision agriculture make our farm more profitable? What do I do with all this data?

SDSU Extension welcomes new program manager for urban development

December 02, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension is pleased to welcome Paul Rann as the new Program Manager for Urban Economic Development within the Ness School of Management of Economics.

A group of dairy employees having a discussion around a barbecue grill.

Employee Turnover: It Is Important in Agriculture Also

Lots of conversations in agriculture lately focuses around labor or the lack of a labor pool of employees. This is the case not only for dairy farms, but also within the entire agriculture industry.

Dairy cattle wearing feeding muzzles while feeding at a feed bunk. A series of arrows on two of the cows labeled Y, Z, X represent feeding motions recorded by the muzzles, while two variables labeled T-0 and T-1 represent "lag" variables expressed by lowering their muzzle to the feed bunk table to eat. For a complete description, call SDSU Extension at 605-688-6729.

New Sensor Technology to Estimate Feed Intake in Lactating Dairy Cows

The use of sensor technology to advance the field of precision livestock farming is becoming more predominant in modernized dairy farms.

Northern Corn Rootworms on sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlia flowers.

Corn Rootworm Presence in Cut Flowers

Multiple cut flower farms in Eastern South Dakota have reported corn rootworms on a variety of crops, including sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlias. Careful attention to species present, their timing, and the damage they cause can help inform integrated pest management strategies.

A black, plastic case containing a captive bolt stunner kit along with laminated instructions for properly using the tool for euthanasia.

Reviewing Humane Euthanasia Protocols

Unresolvable health problems and injuries occur in pigs in every swine operation and having a plan in place to humanely deal with these issues is critical. This includes having a written protocol for timely euthanasia.

Gettysburg teen competes at international range management conference

February 09, 2024

Bobbi Eide, a sophomore at Gettysburg High School, represented the South Dakota chapter of the Society for Range Management from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, 2024, at the meeting themed “Change on the Range.”