Search

Alfalfa plant that has numerous holes in the leaves.

Keep Scouting for Alfalfa Weevils

This week we received a report and picture confirmation of early-instar alfalfa weevil larvae in an alfalfa field. Although most alfalfa fields were treated for alfalfa weevils before the first cutting, those fields still need to be scouted.

close up of black cow and the words cattle HQ

Systems Thinking

On today’s episode of Cattle HQ, former Cow/Calf Field Specialist, Kiernan Brandt sits down with Dr. Hector Menendez of South Dakota State University and Dr. Benjamin Turner of Texas A&M Kingsville to talk a systems approach to early weaning first calf heifers. 

Yellow wheat field with green weeds throughout.

At-Harvest and Post-Harvest Weed Management Tactics in Wheat

Many pre and postemergence herbicides did not adequately control weeds during the 2023 growing season due to early dry and hot conditions. Despite the poor control, there are still options to implement at-harvest and post-harvest to help manage weeds.

Group of youth participants at rangeland and soil days.

SDSU Extension invites youth to 2026 Rangeland and Soil Days

March 24, 2026

South Dakota State University Extension invites youth interested in learning more about grasslands and soil health to the 2026 Rangeland and Soil Days in Belle Fourche.

Group of children playing rock in fist

Traditional Native American Games: Beat Boredom

Traditional Native American Games might be just the activity you are looking for to bring the whole family together (and cut down on excess screen time)!

a field with plots of soybeans

SDSU Extension’s Soybean Week Dives into Pest Management, Soil Health and 2021 Outlook

January 07, 2021

Want to know more about weed control, research, planting dates, and fungicide? Join us on January 19 - 22.

Woman in pink shirt buckling helmet under her chin

Bike Safety

View information about the benefits of biking and how to ride safely.

Herd of bison behind a fencline in a pasture.

Getting Started With Bison Ranching

While bison ranching has some similarities with cattle ranching, there are significant differences that must be accounted for to ensure long-term sustainability and profitability.

A sample of green leaves with noticable bumps at their bases.

Cottonwood Galls

Just about every year I receive samples of fallen cottonwood leaves with a “bump” at the base and the first one for this year was from Winner. This is the cottonwood petiole gall formed by the feed activity of a very small green aphid.

Image of western South Dakota where green triangles indicate areas with low grasshopper populations, orange squares indicate medium grasshopper populations, and red circles indicate high grasshopper populations that exceeded thresholds.

2019 South Dakota Grasshopper Forecast

The USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service conducts an annual survey to monitor grasshopper populations in Western South Dakota. In 2018, SDSU conducted a survey to monitor populations in Eastern South Dakota. These previous-year surveys can be used as a prediction tool for where grasshoppers may be an issue during the upcoming season.