Search

Green leaves on a buckthorn tree covered with crusty spots of bright orange crown rust inoculum.

Oats Crown Rust Inoculum Abundant This Year

Crown rust is the most important fungal disease of oats in South Dakota. In years with heavy disease pressure, susceptible cultivars can have over 80% yield loss due to crown rust. The presence of crown rust inoculum on buckthorns can be an indication of the likely risk for crown rust to develop during the growing season. Buckthorns scouted recently were loaded with crown rust inoculum.

Black caterpillars with white stripes feeding on green Canada thistle.

Thistle Caterpillars Showing Up on Canada Thistle

This week we received reports of caterpillars feeding on Canada thistle. After taking a look at the caterpillars, we determined that they are thistle caterpillars. However, we typically don’t see thistle caterpillar activity in S.D. until July or August. So why are they showing up so early this year?

Proper Ewe Nutrition Benefits Future Lamb Performance

Supplying ewes with greater levels of energy during gestation ultimately leads to greater lamb performance throughout their lifetime.

A screenshot of the website shows a map of the United States with green squares indicating where soil fertility trials have been conducted

New digital Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool launches nationwide

April 11, 2024

South Dakota State University Extension and project partners are proud to announce the nationwide release of the Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST), a decision aid that provides an unbiased, science-based interpretation of soil phosphorus and potassium values for crop fertilization.

Northern Corn Rootworms on sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlia flowers.

Corn Rootworm Presence in Cut Flowers

Multiple cut flower farms in Eastern South Dakota have reported corn rootworms on a variety of crops, including sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlias. Careful attention to species present, their timing, and the damage they cause can help inform integrated pest management strategies.

Vaccinating Early-Weaned Beef Calves

In most years, pre-weaning vaccinations are a task completed in early fall. However, in dry years, poor pasture conditions forcing producers to wean calves early may push up that timeline.

Cow Mineral Nutrition: Macro Minerals and Their Importance

Mineral nutrition is vital to overall cow performance. There are seven macro minerals that need to be analyzed and balanced within a cow’s diet. These are calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl) and potassium (K).