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Protecting Yourself From Ticks
During wet springs, tick populations tend to thrive in South Dakota. These parasitic arthropods require blood to fulfill their nutritional needs and commonly use humans as a host. Some ticks can also carry bacterial diseases that are a threat to human health.
July 2019 Climate Outlook: Challenges Continue
This year’s seasonal pattern of wetter than average conditions is projected to continue through July and the rest of the summer season. The latest climate outlook, released June 20, 2019, shows an increased chance of wetter than average conditions in the next one to three months for the state of South Dakota.
South Dakota Grazing Management Practices: Current & Future
Grazing land occupies 54% of rural land and accounts for a key portion of land use in South Dakota. Many grassland problems can be avoided by using efficient grazing management practices.
Smooth Bromegrass Grazing Management
Smooth bromegrass is a cool-season introduced grass with an advanced root system that tolerates temperature extremes and drought exceptionally well.
Swath Grazing: Extending the Grazing Season
One proposed way to cut fall/winter feeding costs is to extend the grazing season and allow the livestock to harvest the resource instead of relying on mechanical harvest.
Sheep Breeds
Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.
Reed Canary Grass: Possible Prussic Acid & Alkaloid Issues
Prussic acid issues with reed canary grass are poorly understood and may go unrecognized if they occur. This article addresses a little-known but interesting aspect of the biology of reed canary grass.
Rotational Grazing Benefits: South Dakota Producer Perceptions
To better understand producer perceptions on rotational grazing, we sent out 1,500 surveys to South Dakota ranchers inquiring about adoption status and perceptions of rotational grazing.
Junior Arborist Activity Guide
The Junior Arborist Activity Guide provides objectives, content, equipment and supplies needed to complete 8 modules of arboriculture instruction, helping schools and other educational programs to create a youth arboriculture program of their own.
Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms
Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.