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Cover Crop Adoption: Farmers’ perceived benefits & barriers
Cover crops are generally defined as crops planted between cash crops to cover and protect the soil. Some demonstrated benefits of cover crops include: reduced soil erosion, increased soil organic matter, increased biological diversity, increased nitrogen supply, and weed control. Depending on the farmers’ objectives, different species of cover crops can be planted. For example, if a farmer’s main objective is to increase nitrogen supply, then legume cover crops best suited to the farm area should be selected.
Forage Resources for South Dakota Farmers and Ranchers
Producers often have difficulties locating fellow producers to buy, sell or rent forages and grazing acres too. South Dakota now has two widely recognized, free resources to aid in these connections.
Drought Assistance Questions Answered
Dry conditions persist across the state, and many new questions are being asked regarding the federal assistance programs available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.
Drought Assistance From USDA: CRP Haying and Grazing
As this year’s drought intensifies, folks are quickly running short of forage. Due to the D2 Drought Monitor classification, most South Dakota counties qualify for Conservation Reserve Program haying and grazing for emergency and non-emergency use.
How to Make a Safe Hot Sauce
Hot sauces can be made to with a combination of several different ingredients to give unique flavors and heat that consumers enjoy. There are many considerations that should be made on how hot sauces are processed, formulated and packaged.
South Dakota Licensed Kitchen Process
Interested in selling food products in a retail establishments? Licensed kitchens are the place to start. Learn the steps for building a licensed kitchen in South Dakota along with rules, regulations and guidelines for processing foods in existing licensed kitchens.
Carbon Markets and Opportunities for Farmers
There is growing interest in paying farmers for regenerative agricultural practices as a means for sequestering carbon. Learn about some of the benefits and challenges that carbon capture opportunities offer for producers.
Communication: Importance of Social Support in Agriculture
Maintaining open communication and seeking social support can help producers get through difficult times.
Feeding at the Right Price
Managing feedstuffs efficiently becomes more important during drought conditions or low revenue years.
Early Weaning as a Drought Management Strategy
Successfully managing drought conditions requires balancing the amount of forage demanded by grazing livestock with the amount produced.