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an orange lady beetle with nine black spots

Lady Beetles of South Dakota

Lady beetles are one of the most familiar groups of beneficial insects. Farmers and gardeners appreciate them for devouring insect pests. Both adult lady beetles and caterpillar-like juveniles eat pests.

a sprawling green plant with flowering yellow heads

Sweet Clover Poisoning

Hay that contains sweet clover can be an excellent feed as long as the dicoumarol level is known and feeding management is used to prevent poisoning.

crop fields flooded by spring snow melt. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung

Managing Soil and Soil Fertility After Flooding

During floods, your fields will experience different amounts of erosion, sediment deposition, and crop residue accumulation. To avoid compaction of these soils it is crucial to let soils drain and dry out sufficiently before removing any large debris from fields or working the soil.

Healthy soil with ample organic matter throughout.

Why Is Carbon So Important to Agriculture and Society?

Carbon is not only vital to soil health—it’s the foundation of our long-term food security. Learn some incredible facts about the role carbon plays in our soil and environment.

Color-coded map showing average grazing readiness date for Western Wheatgrass in South Dakota. For assistance reading this graphic and data set, please call SDSU Extension at 605-688-4792.

South Dakota Grazing Readiness Spring Turnout Map

The South Dakota Grazing Readiness Map uses historical climate data to provide livestock producers with a range of spring turnout dates for their location based on grass type.

A picture of producers (ranchers) in a rangeland pasture looking into another pasture that has different forage biomass quantities. The

Systems Thinking for Agriculture: A tool for addressing complex ranch problems

A systems approach to management encourages producers to take multiple factors into consideration to solve problems within their agricultural operation.

Kaylee Wheeler smiles at the camera. Her long brown hair is down, and she is standing outside in a field

SDSU Extension welcomes new Range Field Specialist

October 24, 2023

South Dakota State University Extension is pleased to welcome Kaylee Wheeler as a new Range Field Specialist. She will be based out of the SDSU Extension Pierre Regional Center.

A field of yellow sweet clover in bloom.

Yellow Sweet Clover: Information and Management

Sweet clover is an opportunistic plant that is going to be abundant in pastures and hay fields when growing conditions are favorable, ideally for two consecutive years. Although it can cause problems, it is valuable to wildlife and pollinators and is a nutritious forage source.

A green cut alfalfa field dries as the sun sets.

Forage Resources for South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers

Producers often have difficulties locating fellow producers to buy, sell or rent forages and grazing acres too. South Dakota now has two widely recognized, free resources to aid in these connections.

Tractor pulling manure a spreader through a harvested crop field.

Using Feedlot Manure to Reduce Crop Production Costs

Livestock waste can be a valuable source of crop nutrients when correctly managed. Taking a strategic approach to feedlot manure application can increase the value of manure as part of your overall system.