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Rancher on horseback moving a group of black cattle in winter pasture.

Preparing for Spring Grazing After a Dry Fall: Strategies for Ranchers

A dry fall presents significant challenges, but it also offers an opportunity to implement proactive and adaptive management strategies.

Salts accumulate on the soil surface of a field with salinity issues.

Soil Salinity, Sodicity, and Alkalinity in South Dakota Soils

Salinity and sodicity are issues that negatively affect crop production and soil health in South Dakota.

Firefighters in yellow protective gear monitor a grass fire in an open pasture

SDSU Extension to co-host prescribed fire forum for private landowners

December 09, 2024

South Dakota State University Extension, Audubon Great Plains and partner organizations are hosting a first-of-its-kind event for private landowners in South Dakota interested in prescribed fire as a management tool.

Two pastures side-by-side. The left has minimal snow capture due to reduced plant residue. The right has ample snow capture throughout due to increased plant residue.

Winter Pasture Report: What’s your plan for spring?

Widespread drought conditions persist across the upper Great Plains into the beginning of 2025. During drought conditions, it is extremely important for producers to regularly assess precipitation and forage resources so they can manage livestock accordingly.

A man in a yellow shirt kneels in a pasture with a group of youth and teenagers standing in a circle around him

A Guide to South Dakota's Rangeland and Soils Days

Fact sheet to provide an overview of the South Dakota Rangeland and Soils Days program.

A prescribed burning taking place in a field.

Prescribed Fire

SDSU Extension works collaboratively with state and federal partners to educate landowners about the use of fire as a grassland management tool.

rainbow over green pasture with a red barn

Application to Chaperone South Dakota 4-H Youth Trips

Information about how to become a chaperone for South Dakota 4-H Youth Trips.

Snow-covered landscape along the Missouri River in Central South Dakota.

2024 Annual Climate Review

The final climate numbers are in for 2024. Learn what the year brought for temperatures, precipitation, and drought conditions throughout the state.

Sprawling rangeland enrolled in the conservation stewardship program.

SDSU Extension invites all to SD Coalition Grassland Management School

January 30, 2025

SDSU Extension is partnering with the South Dakota Grassland Coalition, Audubon Great Plains, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service to host the school, which is on Feb. 11-12, 2025, at Cedar Shore Resort near Oacoma.

A man kneels next to a creek with testing equipment spread in front of him

SDSU Extension hopes to empower South Dakotans through water use survey

March 18, 2025

Sushant Mehan wants to know what South Dakotans think about water. Mehan, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and South Dakota State University Extension Water Resource Engineer Specialist, is researching water in various ways, including how water affects plant growth and what the future of crop production looks like across the Great Plains as moisture levels fluctuate.