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Two rows of leafy, salad greens growing in a garden.

Salad Greens: How to Grow It

Salad greens, grown for their leaves, are cool-season crops. Most salad greens can be planted very early in the spring, and many will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 40° Fahrenheit.

A young man receiving an optometry examination.

Keep an Eye on Your Dairy Farm Employee Vision Health

With the aim to understand more about vision impairment with dairy employees, the SDSU Extension dairy team researched dairy employees' health status with a focus on vision care.

Left: Christmas trees growing at a German farm. Right: Poinsettia plant on display at a Mexican Christmas market.

Cultural History of the Christmas Tree and Poinsettia (Cuetlaxochitl)

Christmas trees and poinsettias are the two plants that symbolize the Christmas season, but why do these plants hold that place that? And where did the association with Christmas originate?

a screenshot of a website

The Small Grains Disease Forecasting System Could Save Producers Money

The South Dakota State University Small Grains Plant Pathology program has partnered with the Small Grains Plant Pathology program at North Dakota State University to deploy a small grains disease forecasting system for South Dakota. The system uses weather variables including rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity to predict the likelihood of disease development. This new tool has the potential to save growers money by helping them avoid unnecessary fungicide applications, or knowing when to apply a rescue fungicide treatment.

A group pen in a swine facility with plenty of space.

How Much Room Does a Pig Need?

Let’s take a moment to consider one of the animal observations from the Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) Site Assessment and its impacts. Recommendations exist in facility planning books about the square footage for an animal at each phase of production.

five small green plants in separate pots

Propagating Houseplants

The long winter finally seems to be loosening its grip and allowing for some warmer weather to move in, melt the snow and warm a gardener’s heart in anticipation of what might be grown this year. But, it will still be a few weeks before we can start doing much gardening outside. We are nearing the time to start those tomato, pepper and other vegetable seeds but it’s better to wait a little longer yet, instead of jumping the gun and ending up with overgrown transplants at planting time.

A chalkboard with "debt" written on it. Hand erasing the writing.

Debt Management

Many people face a financial crisis at some point in their life that can make it difficult to pay bills.

America Saves Week pledge form on a desk along with cash, a calculator, and smartphone.

America Saves Week 2026

America Saves Week (April 6-10, 2026) is an annual opportunity for individuals to assess their savings and take financial action. Each day of American Saves Week highlights a theme that offers ideas to increase your savings.

Testing Center on the South Dakota State University campus.

SDSU Extension Pesticide Applicator Testing Locations

Whether you are interested in becoming certified as a private or commercial pesticide applicator, SDSU Extension is proud to offer in-person pesticide applicator testing locations throughout South Dakota.

Sarah Calhoun, owner, Red Ants Pants presenting to a group of conference attendees

Entrepreneurial Experiences: Start a Brand With No Experience?

What happens if your business has never developed a brand, or if you’re just starting out, trying to build a business from scratch?