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4-H Water & Water Conservation Project
Water is essential to support life on Earth. Conservation is an important practice that ensures we have enough water, and preserving water quality keeps our water supply clean and free of pollution. Why is water important to you?
4-H Dairy Cattle Project
Whether you enjoy drinking a cold glass of milk or just really like cows, the dairy cattle project area is for you! Get hands on experience by caring for, milking, and feeding your dairy cattle.
Beef Quality Assurance
South Dakota producers have the option to receive beef quality assurance (BQA) certification.
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) in South Dakota 4-H resources
About YQCA – the national program
Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national multi-species quality assurance program for youth ages 8 to 21 with a focus on three core pillars: food safety, animal well-being, and character development. The YQCA program is an annual certification created for youth producing and/or showing beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, meat goats, dairy goats, swine, poultry, and rabbits. The program has been designed by extension specialists and national livestock program managers to ensure it is accurate, current and relevant to the needs of the animal industry and shows, and is appropriate for youth learning levels.
Bigger Cattle. Warmer Weather. What Can Go Wrong?
The disruptions in the beef processing sector caused by COVID-19 continue to interfere with the orderly marketing of finished cattle. While we all hope that the situation is resolved quickly, the reality is that because the shipment of so many harvest-ready cattle has been delayed, there will be increased numbers of heavier cattle on feed for the foreseeable future.
Challenges of Employee Turnover: Product quality and consistency
High employee turnover can lead to inconsistent animal production or potentially lower quality products, both meat and milk. How is this possible? Is it because cattle get accustomed to routines and the people who perform tasks in their home environment?
Beef Cattle Budgets
What does it cost to maintain a cow for the year? This is a common question asked by producers across the nation.
Census of Agriculture Cattle Insights
The "2017 Census of Agriculture" is a valuable source for insights related to cattle operations at the state level. There were 13,928 operations across South Dakota with cattle in 2017, and the total inventory was 3,988,183 head.
Livestock Risk Protection for Cattle
Price rallies, general price volatility and concern that prices may move lower could lead producers to insure livestock prices. Livestock Risk Protection is an insurance program that covers the single-peril or risk of lower prices on fed cattle and feeder cattle.
Monthly Cattle Prices and Basis Levels
Effective marketing and risk management techniques often rely on sound benchmarks. Those marketing cattle need reasonable metrics to evaluate received and expected prices.