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A field with patches of soil exhibiting poor water infiltration.

Farm Practices That Improve Soil Health: Cover Crops and Crop Residues

Planting cover crops and returning crop residues (stover) to the soil both adds nutrients and improves overall soil quality. These practices are common with producers across South Dakota and have been recently studied by researchers to identify how they impact the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Freshly picked raspberries in shallow containers on a picnic table.

Raspberries: Harvest and Storage

Raspberries are a cool-season crop that produces fruit in the summer or fall depending on variety. Learn how to select, grow, harvest and store them with this helpful guide!

Adult red earthworm, cabbage looper, and brown-belted bumble bee.

The Seen and Unseen World of Invertebrates and Vegetables: The good, the bad, and the cute

The seen and unseen worlds of invertebrates in our gardens offer an opportunity to understand how each organism plays a crucial role in the balance of our environment, whether they are good, bad, or even cute.

Four varieties of colorful chrysanthemum flowers, including: Mammoth Red, Mammoth Lavender, Mammoth Yellow Quill and Mammoth Twilight Pink.

Chrysanthemums Add Color to Fall Gardens

Chrysanthemums are the quintessential fall-blooming plant that are sold all over the region, but not all mums are created equal! You need to shop carefully if you want plants that will look good this fall and also come back in future years.

A group of male ranchers gathered in a farmyard.

A Healthy Farm Needs a Healthy Farmer

Farm safety encompasses the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and their families, and it is very important to farmers and ranchers across our state.

A group of people stands inside a high tunnel

SDSU Extension to host 4th annual Specialty Crop Field Day

August 28, 2024

This free, family-friendly event will feature a series of presentations and field tours related to small- to mid-scale commercial vegetable production research trials. Field tours will feature SDSU Extension research plots of cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, onions, peppers and broccolini.

A green lawn with many small white flowers present throughout.

Buzzworthy Backyards: How Bee Lawns Are Reinventing Green Spaces

Bee lawns integrate a variety of low-growing perennials and fine fescues that not only require minimal maintenance, but also actively support local wildlife, particularly bees

Modern grain bin exterior with built-in staircase.

Grain Bin Safety Improvements

One major area of concern during fall harvest is producer safety in and around grain bins. Let’s examine some of the changes that producers could make to their current bins, which will help make them safer.

A farmer watching the sun rise in a bare, unplanted field.

Cash Flow and Income Considerations for S.D. Farms: Part 2

This is the second article of a two-part series examining cash flow and income for South Dakota grain farms. This article will look at crop insurance, prices for 2020 crops, and changes in input prices.

A grass forage blend grows in a central SD field as Red cattle graze.

Delayed Planting Challenges: Alternative Forages

With the excessively wet planting conditions much of South Dakota is now experiencing, many producers are looking for “Plan B” to meet forage needs for their livestock, or as a commodity that can be marketed to livestock producers.