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Calving Barn Video Technology: Keeping Cattlemen Warm During Calving Season

Labor is one of the most valuable resources on the ranch, and producers often try to utilize their time wisely to decrease hours spent on a project. Producers can potentially decease time spent in certain areas of the ranch with the use of modern video technology thus allowing them to multitask.

a hand holding a smartphone with apps showing

Calving Book Technology: There’s an App for That

Record keeping is necessary for beef producers to make benchmarks and progress from year-to-year. New calving book apps can make record keeping easier, helping producers stay on track during calving season.

A herd of cattle grazing in a snowy pasture.

Do You Have To Defer Grazing on Winter Pastures?

How can ranchers improve profitability when feed typically represents well over half of cow-calf production costs? Grazing dormant winter range is a common practice to reduce costs in South Dakota. Grazing winter range when plants are completely dormant minimizes negative impacts on the function of the plant during the growing season. Separate pastures are typically designated for winter use only, often based on availability of winter shelter, water and access to stored feeds.

A dairy cow at the front of a small heard looking straight forward.

Public Perception and Animal Well-Being

So you ask why is public perception and animal well-being important? Well, did you know that there is just a little over 1% of the population involved in production agriculture, today? Did you know that 98% of the people have no direct connection with how their food is produced?

stack of coins with faded chart lines showing in the foreground

SDSU Extension Silage/Earlage Calculator

The Silage/Earlage Calculator is designed to help corn and livestock producers answer questions regarding the value of standing fields of corn either as grain, silage and earlage.

stack of coins with faded chart lines showing in the foreground

Risk Calculator

The Risk Calculator is designed to combine crop insurance, government programs, and marketing tools together for a crop.

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.

USDA agent analyzing an ear of corn with a producer alongside a cornfield in early fall.

Margin Protection Crop Insurance for Corn in South Dakota

Farmers may be interested in exploring different aspects of crop insurance during the current agricultural conditions of low commodity prices and high input prices. One alternative available is Margin Protection crop insurance.

A manure pit at a dairy farm.

Putting Manure Handling Safety Into Practice

As livestock producers, we should know the dangers of manure pit gases. As safety equipment improves with advancements in technology, we must provide training on proper manure handling safety protocols and the use of equipment.

A combine harvesting soybeans and emptying them into a nearby tractor trailer

Evaluating the Economic Consequences of Possible Section 199A(g) Expiration of Agricultural Cooperatives in the Upper Midwest

A comprehensive evaluate of the potential economic impact of Section 199A(g) deduction sunsetting on agricultural cooperatives and rural communities.