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collection of pressure canned food

Water Bathing vs. Pressure Canning

Water bathing and pressure canning are two common ways to preserve foods by canning. These techniques use heat processing to preserve foods, and which technique you use depends on the acidity of the food.

A dial pressure canner gauge

Testing Dial Pressure Canner Gauges

For accuracy before use, it is recommended that dial gauges get tested each year. Gauges that read high cause under-processing and may result in unsafe food.

A flock of white sheep grazing in a small pasture.

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.

people shopping at a farmer's market

Requirements for Food Entrepreneurs Selling Food in South Dakota

Throughout the country and in the state of South Dakota, people are showing more interest in selling their own food products and starting their own business

filed of sunflowers in bloom

Why Add an Agritourism Enterprise to Your Farm or Ranch?

Agritourism is the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities.

Julie Ross, Co-owner, Good Roots Farm & Gardens, Brookings, SD

Agritourism and Value-Added Agriculture: Legacy of a Tired Old Barn and 40 Acres

Driven by consumer interest, a growing numbers of farmers across the United States are embracing agritourism to improve their economic sustainability.

small group of people outside a mobile food hub. Photo by Shakeitha Stone, USDA

The Benefits of Food Hubs

Food hubs provide another marketing option to producers who do not have time to participate in a farmers market or other direct marketing venues.

assorted fruits and vegetables on display at a farmer's market

Direct Marketing Alternatives for Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Direct marketing is beneficial to both growers and consumers. Growers increase their profits because they capture the retail price that consumers pay other markets.

bunches of fresh garden greens ready to eat

Container Gardens and CSAs

Just about all of us have room to grow a few vegetables, as long as you have some space where they can get good sun exposure for at least six hours a day. You don’t even have to have a garden!

Woman in pink shirt buckling helmet under her chin

Bike Safety

View information about the benefits of biking and how to ride safely.