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Three generations of a family farm standing in a field

SDSU Extension continues Sustaining the Legacy conferences for farmers and ranchers

September 12, 2023

From successfully transferring operations to the next generation to providing for children who didn’t stay on the farm or ranch, South Dakota State University Extension’s Sustaining the Legacy program can help.

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 series of red barns and grain silos on rolling hills in a farmyard.

Farm Structure Trends

Farm decisions are often undertaken with a very long outlook. The purchase of land or a change in a cropping system are not choices done with short-run gains in mind. As a result, structural changes in agriculture are often slow to occur and to observe.

Book Cover: The Growing Season by Sarah Frey

SDSU Extension to Host Third Community-Focused Book Read

November 01, 2021

“The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life—and Saved an American Farm,” by Sarah Frey, will be the focus of the November/December book read.

A red tractor and seed drill planting in a no-till field.

Project to Study Soil Health Economics in South Dakota

Soil degradation has become one of the most pressing global issues, because of its adverse effects on world food security, environment and quality of life.

Mother with two young children shopping at a holiday craft fair.

Your Town Matters! Shop Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Shopping local allows you to make a difference in your hometown. Locally owned businesses reinvest a large share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.

Rows of corn growing inside a research facility.

Consumer Demand for Genome-Edited Crops: Implications for Farmers’ Adoption Decisions

Genome-editing is a breakthrough technology for crop improvement that makes site-specific modifications in the genomes of cells and organisms.

A family farm with the sun setting in the background.

USDA-ARMS Survey Data: Benefits for university agriculture research & outreach

Conducted since the mid-1990s, the USDA Agricultural Management Resource Survey (ARMS) is a multi-phase, multi-level nationwide survey of agricultural producers that collects information on a large sample of farms and their characteristics.

Two woman reviewing a building plan in a community workshop.

Truly Authentic Leaders Build Community

Authentic people build successful communities. If community leaders practice and share the habits that foster authenticity, positive change can and will happen.

Herd of mixed cattle grazing a fenced-in winter pasture.

Alternative Management Strategies for Culled Cows

Traditionally, keeping open females is not a popular option. However, variability in cull cow prices and feed costs may provide an opportunity to consider other options.