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A dark bodied insect with large wings and red eyes sitting on a tree twig. There are green leaves behind it and many tan insect shells.

I heard cicadas are having a big year. Are they coming to South Dakota?

Cicadas are making headlines—specifically the periodical cicadas in Brood XIII and Brood XIX. Both both broods are in the Midwest and are geographically close together. Find out where you can expect to see them this spring.

Rain falls on a sample of conventional tilled in a rainfall simulator.

How Soil Holds Water

Water retention is an important soil property and is related to soil texture, organic matter content, and density.

Canada thistle growing in a pasture.

Current State of Noxious Weed Management in South Dakota

Results of an online survey to determine how South Dakota stakeholders are currently managing noxious weeds.

Two young males sorting and identifying aquatic invertebrates on a yellow tarp.

Aquatic Invertebrate Sampling: Teaching an old dog old tricks

Sampling aquatic macroinvertebrates is an important aspect of assessing surface water quality. Their presence, absence, and abundance give us an indication of the condition of the waterbody.

A dairy cow at the front of a small heard looking straight forward.

Public Perception and Animal Well-Being

So you ask why is public perception and animal well-being important? Well, did you know that there is just a little over 1% of the population involved in production agriculture, today? Did you know that 98% of the people have no direct connection with how their food is produced?

A vast, rolling grassland area.

Change in South Dakota Agricultural Land, Tenure of Farm Operation, and Producer Characteristics 2012-2022

Report using the newly released data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture to provide an update on land in farms, the number of farms, tenure of farm operations, and producers’ characteristics in South Dakota for the last ten years, from 2012 to 2022.

Grass buring

Live fire training for landowners planned for May 20

May 19, 2025

There will be a live prescribed fire training for landowners and agency officials on May 20, 2025, in the Animal Science building on the South Dakota State University campus.

Color-coded map showing precipitation outlook for the United States. For a detailed description, please call SDSU Extension at 605-688-4792.

May 2025 Drought and Climate Update

Drought has plagued South Dakota since last year’s growing season. While producers welcome a spell of dry weather for planting spring crops at this time of year, recent moisture will not be enough to carry through the growing season.

stack of coins with faded chart lines showing in the foreground

SDSU Extension Silage/Earlage Calculator

The Silage/Earlage Calculator is designed to help corn and livestock producers answer questions regarding the value of standing fields of corn either as grain, silage and earlage.

A logo of a cow with a calf over the words Sweetheart Ranch

SDSU Extension hosting hands-on soil health workshop at Iona ranch

June 18, 2025

South Dakota State University Extension is hosting an educational soil health workshop for women and couples involved in agriculture at the Sweetheart Ranch near Iona.