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South Dakota Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification Testing
New commercial pesticide applicators and those that have allowed their licenses to lapse must pass commercial pesticide applicator exams to receive certification. Learn about some some helpful resources, contacts, and tips to help you be successful in your certification testing.

SDSU Extension welcomes new specialty crop expert
August 12, 2025
South Dakota State University Extension is pleased to welcome Nick Volesky as a new Horticulture and Specialty Crop Field Specialist.

SDSU Extension welcomes new plant pathologist
August 12, 2025
South Dakota State University Extension is pleased to welcome Cody Molnar as a new Horticulture Plant Pathology Field Specialist.

Soybean Aphids Exceeding Thresholds in Some Parts of South Dakota
There have been a few fields this week that were infested with soybean aphids that are getting closer to threshold. We have also received reports of insecticides being applied to manage soybean aphids in South Dakota.

Grasshopper Populations Continue to Cause Issues in South Dakota
Recent reports of crop loss along field edges indicate that grasshopper populations in some areas of South Dakota are well above threshold. Unfortunately, crops are often the target of these moving populations.

Weed Management After Wheat Harvest
Most of the winter wheat has been harvested in South Dakota and spring wheat harvest is underway. While the growing season is over for the wheat, post-harvest weed management is important to minimize the amount of weeds that are present in the spring

Volunteer Wheat and Kochia Management With Herbicides Will Likely Require Two Passes
Wheat curl mites, which carry wheat streak mosaic virus, use volunteer wheat and grass weeds as secondary hosts to infest recently planted winter wheat crops. Therefore, effective management of these plants before winter wheat planting is critical.

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Complex: Breaking the Green Bridge
As wheat harvest proceeds, it won’t be long until winter wheat planting is underway in South Dakota. To effectively reduce wheat streak mosaic virus, it is important to manage the green bridge effect to slow spread of disease in newly emerging wheat fields.

Corn Diseases in South Dakota Update
Several South Dakota counties have confirmed positive cases of Southern Rust and Tar Spot this growing season. See our latest recommendations for dealing with these diseases before they become a problem.

In a Bind With Field Bindweed?
It’s August and field bindweed, one of our most-persistent perennial weeds, is flowering. Although field bindweed is not statewide noxious, it’s locally noxious in Bennett, Bon Homme, Clarke, Lake, Stanley, and Yankton counties.