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Three young girls weighing sugar on a kitchen scale.

Teaching Math and Science in the Kitchen: 24 Ideas

Children can learn valuable skills in the kitchen: measuring ingredients, following a recipes, and much more. Have you ever considered that these skills double as math and science skills?

An ear of corn in a field with visible white mold on the tip of the ear.

Can Livestock Utilize Moldy Grain?

While livestock producers know that moldy grain and forage are not ideal feedstuffs, they also know that stored feed occasionally contains a small amount of visible mold, and that their animals consume it with no obvious adverse effects. The question arises, how much mold is too much for a feed to be unsuitable for animals?

A variety of fresh vegetables displayed on a white countertop.

Choosing Vegetable Varieties for South Dakota

Fact sheet describing characteristics to look for when selecting a vegetable variety to grow in South Dakota.

A close up of a raspberry plant with several berries growing on the plant

Growing Raspberries in South Dakota

Fact sheet describing how to grow raspberries in the home garden: selection, planting, and care.

a lush, green grape vine with clusters of dark, purple grapes

Vineyard Work Calendar

Monthly check list for vineyard work

grapes growing on a vine in a vineyard

Grape Varieties for South Dakota

Updated list of grape varieties recommended for South Dakota.

Woody looking zucchini plant.

What’s Killing My Zucchini and Squash Plants?

For many of us, this time of year is tough for our zucchini, squash and pumpkin plants. A close inspection of wilting plants may reveal a sawdust-like substance around the soil surface or on the base of the stem. When pushed, the plants typically break and reveal clear evidence of insect feeding through the stem.

Three, four-wheel drive John Deere tractors, pushing up chopped corn silage into a drive over pile on a dairy farm.

Harvesting Silage on a Wet Year: Moisture is Critical

Fall is on its way in South Dakota. However, with many flooded and saturated fields, some producers are growing concerned that there will be little opportunity to harvest silage before corn dries down past desired moisture levels or frost occurs.

Corn earlobe being stored in a bunker for later use as cattle feed.

Valuing High-Moisture Corn and Earlage

A key advantage to using commodities that meet standard specifications and are frequently traded is that it is very easy to establish an economic value that is accepted by most users. The marketplace sets the value of corn, and other feedstuffs on a daily basis, provided those products meet some set of standard specifications.

Group of calves grazing in a fenced-in area.

Weaning Calves on Cover Crops

What do we do if it is time to wean calves, but the pen isn’t ready? That can be a real concern during wet fall seasons, such as 2019. Putting calves into muddy pen conditions is far from desirable, but holding calves on the cows deep into fall increases the risk of adverse winter weather and tends to pull body condition off the cows.