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A herd of sheep foraging on leafy spurge in a grassland.

Multi-Species Grazing as an Alternative to Pasture Spraying

Broadacre spraying of pastures is intended to reduce undesirable plants and increase grasses for livestock. This practice often results in unintended consequences, including damage and reduction of native forbs and reduced profitability. One approach to managing perceived “weedy” plants is incorporating different species of livestock into a grazing operation.

A group of mixed cattle grazing in a pasture with several Canada Thistle plants spreading throughout.

Alternative Pasture Weed Control

The term ‘weed’ can be broadly applied to any plant that is undesirable at any given time and place based on certain criteria. It is important to understand that the word ‘weed’ has become a general term with no universal definition, and many plants are considered to be weeds, depending on location.

Two side-by-side fields. The left field is planted with perennial grass. The right field is bare with salty soil exposed.

Managing Weeds While Transforming Marginal Land Into Perennial Forages Production

There are currently millions acres across South Dakota impacted by saline and sodic conditions. Research has shown that salt-tolerant perennial grasses are a possible way to bring land back into production.

Plastic bags and containers with frozen vegetables in refrigerator

Freeze Now, Eat Later! Freezer Meal Workshop

Freezer meals provide families with the option to have a home cooked meal with minimal effort on busy days.

a variety of bright colored fruits and vegetables arranged on a table

A Guide to Drying Foods

Fact sheet about drying foods

grass with field bindweed, a viny green weed with white flowers

Weed Control: Noxious Weeds

Noxious Weed Recommendations: Herbicides for pasture, range, and non-crop areas, including roadside and other right-of-way that may be harvested for hay or grazed, are given a priority.

A herd of cattle gather around a stock pond on a vast, lush grassland. Courtesy: USDA [CC BY 2.0]

Weed Control: Pasture and Range

There are 24 million acres of native and tame pasture and range as well as 1.4 million acres of grass hayland in South Dakota.

A close up view of the stem of palmer amaranth which is hairless.

Identification and Management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

Guide for the identification and management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

Beef, swain and lamb carcasses cleaned and ready for butchering and processing at a locker.

Guide for Purchasing Freezer Beef, Pork and Lamb

Purchasing meat directly from farmers and ranchers has become a prominent consumer trend. This article focuses on purchasing a beef animal, pig or lamb to stock your freezer.

Young producers sampling produce outside a field with a young mother and her daughter.

Discussing Food and Agriculture in South Dakota: A Guide for Community Leaders

Food production and farming are issues that operate at the complex pivot point of where ecology and nature meet the marketplace and political systems. The way agriculturalists and communities handle their resources, both individually, and collectively, depends on their collective vision for the future.