Search

How to use the Livestock Stress Tool

During this episode of Cattle HQ, Taylor Grussing, SDSU Extension Cow Calf Field Specialist visits with Dr. Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension Feedlot Specialist about the Livestock Stress tool he helped develop which is available on the SD Mesonet website.

Left: Ponderosa pine tree growing on rangeland. Right: Long, skinny, green needles on Ponderosa pine branch.

Pine Needles: Another Possible Threat to Beef Cow Pregnancies

For at least the past 50 years, consumption of Ponderosa Pine tree needles (and those from a few other pine tree species) by pregnant cattle has been recognized as a cause of abortions during the last trimester (three months) of gestation.

Black and white scan of Cottonwood Field Station soil map.

Range Roundup: Long-Term Grazing Records Can Guide Future Management

For nearly 80 years, researchers at the Cottonwood Field Station have monitored how different stocking rates have shaped plant communities. Today, these records are being compared with modern data to help us better understand how rangelands respond to long-term grazing management.

High tunnel used for specialty crops

How to Build High Tunnels

A video series developed to help producers learn how to build high tunnels.

Plastic bag containing numerous green larvae.

Let SDSU Extension know how alfalfa insects are affecting you

January 29, 2026

South Dakota State University Extension is encouraging forage producers to participate in a survey about managing alfalfa insects.

4-H member working on a robotics project

Youth Development

View all youth development resources.

An oats field with numerous small rows of green, oat grass emerged throughout.

Oat Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate Guidelines: Do we use the yield goal or maximum return to nitrogen approach?

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient commonly applied to oat crops. It is important to apply an appropriate rate of nitrogen fertilizer to oats, as too little can reduce economic return, while too much can lead to potential negative environmental effects.

Rolling Rangeland with patches of snow with a wire snow catch fence on the right.

Reading the Range in Winter: What Dormant Season Clues Reveal About Spring

For range and grazing management, winter is one of the most revealing times of the year. With a few hours in each pasture, managers can gather a season’s worth of insight and set themselves up for a more-resilient grazing year. 

Three canning jars filled with cucumber slices.

South Dakota Cottage Home Processing Food Safety

The Cottage Home Processing Food Safety course serves as the approved food safety training for HB1322.

Rows of sweet corn growing among clover mulch in a research plot.

Organic Sweet Corn Production in Clover Living Mulch Systems: 2-Year Research Summary

Research in 2024 and 2025 in a USDA certified organic field at the SDSU Southeast Research Farm explored growing sweet corn in three types of clover grown as a living mulch.