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small group of cattle grazing on cover crops

Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms

Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.

Bull Selection

Bull sale season is upon us and those who are in the market for a new herd sire face a choice that will impact their herd for many years.

Making Use of “Ugly” Feeds

Feed does not have to be perfect to be useful. The key to making smart feeding decisions is knowing what the imperfections are and adjusting accordingly.

Sun rising over a vast spring landscape with green corn emerging from the soil.

Large Farms More Dominant in South Dakota Crop Production

Large farms play a more dominant role in South Dakota crop production, according to the recently released 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture. As of 2017, large farms of more than 2,000 acres operate 66.8% of South Dakota total cropland aces compared to 47.7% as of 1997.

Corn Production Costs in the Northern Great Plains

Supply and demand regulates U.S. agricultural and non-agricultural markets all the time. Prices increase when scarcity of a certain item is anticipated. Similarly, prices drop if the market is saturated because of oversupply or there is a reduced demand for the product.

A pen and calculator sitting next to an accounting binder.

Bookwork, The Missing Management Component: Consistency of Financial Records

Consistent record keeping will allow for accurate ratios and trend analysis. While operations will change, grow, or contract, having a standard operating procedure will allow for analysis and decision-making.

A green tractor pulling a red wagon next to a pile of wet distillers grains.

Storing Wet and Modified Distillers Grains

One of the primary challenges for livestock producers in the coming months could very well be feedstuff cost and availability due to the fact that the corn planted acreage and crop progress are both well behind normal benchmarks. One opportunity that might help cattle feeders proactively secure feed supplies would be storing wet or modified distiller’s grains now to be fed at a later date.