Skip to main content

Search

Fall pasture with cool-season grass greening up throughout.

Fall Grazing: A Cautionary Tale

It is very tempting to graze new, green cool-season grasses when pastures are dry most of the summer. However, caution should be taken to not overgraze this green-up.

Several, U.S. fancy-grade peppers in a yellow bin.

Did the Deer Persevere? 2023 Evaluation of Clover Cover Crops as a Living Mulch for Pepper Production in Eastern South Dakota

Research report analyzing the relationship between four different clover species and four different soil management practices and their effects on pepper growth and yield as well as weed suppression.

sunflower head with maggots

What Are Those Small Brown Things Sticking Out of Sunflower Heads?

A few days ago, I received a couple of calls about small orange/tan colored sacs sticking out of sunflower heads and small black spots on heads. The brown structures are sunflower seed maggot pupae and the damage described is caused by its larvae.

Light colored moth on a yellow sunflower head.

Sunflower Moths Active in South Dakota Sunflowers

We have received reports of sunflower moths present on early planted sunflowers this week. The observed sunflower moth populations are above the recommend threshold of an average of 1 to 2 moths per five heads.

Paul O. Johnson giving a presentation near a research plot.

Paul O. Johnson Retires After Dedicated Career in SDSU Extension

June 08, 2022

Paul O. Johnson, SDSU Extension Weed Science Coordinator and Northeast Research Farm Coordinator, is retiring after a dedicated 33-year career supporting the people of South Dakota in his role at SDSU Extension.

A hog farmer and employee conducting training inside a modern swine facility.

SDSU Extension to Host Pork Quality Assurance Plus Advisor Training May 5 and June 14

May 04, 2022

SDSU Extension will host two Pork Quality Assurance Plus Advisor Training Certification Days on May 5 and June 14 at the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings.

Pile of chopped silage in front of a tractor.

Does Kernel Processing Silage Pay for Growing and Finishing Beef Cattle?

Kernel processing involves passing harvested silage through a set of rollers mounted on the chopper. But does this extra step result in improved efficiency and reduced costs of gain?

Numerous grayish-brown bugs gathering on the stems of a Brassica plant.

False Chinch Bugs in the Garden

Swarms of false chinch bugs have started appearing in South Dakota this month. Although they are typically only a nuisance pest, their populations can become magnified during cool, wet springs (like this year). In high abundances, false chinch bugs can pose a threat to garden plants, especially Brassica plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and cabbage.

Two white flowers with green leaves. The first flower has an abnormal fused bloom.

Fasciation: What’s going on with my plant?

Fasciation is a malformation of plant parts commonly manifested as enlargement, flattening or cojoining. The abnormal growth of plants can be uniquely puzzling and beautiful at the same time.

a yellow dandelion flower growing in a garden

Dandelion Season

The yellow flowers of spring are coming. Spring dandelion treatments are not as effective as fall, but they can be used to stop the yellow flowers from producing viable seed.