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Small herd of mixed cattle grazing rangeland in late fall.

Producer Views on Patch Burn Grazing vs. Winter Patch Grazing in S.D.

Traditional rangeland management promotes uniform forage utilization, yet causes detrimental effects on the richness of plant species and wildlife habitat. Therefore, management practices that increase heterogeneity in vegetation play an important role in developing diverse habitat types and preserving grassland wildlife species.

Color-coded drought monitor map of South Dakota. As of April 29, Northwest South Dakota is facing extreme drought, while the rest of the state is under abnormally dry to severe drought conditions.

SDSU Extension to Resume Drought Hour in May

April 29, 2021

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 95% of South Dakota is in some level of drought, including 19.42% that is classified as Extreme Drought (D3) in the north central region.

A farmer watching the sun rise in a bare, unplanted field.

Crop Tolerance to Soil Herbicide Residual

Some herbicides can persist in soil, especially dry soil. Herbicide carryover could be an issue in 2021 across the state depending upon last year’s moisture levels and field conditions.

Herd of black-beef cattle being moved in drought-stressed rangeland.

Trigger Dates: Critical Decisions for Drought Management

Having a drought plan in place ensures that you can overcome the inhibitions surrounding a drought response, the basis of which is figuring out trigger dates.

Cattle grazing drought-stressed rangeland in western South Dakota.

Adaptive Management: One Strategy To Increase Your Operation’s Flexibility and Resiliency

Adaptive management is a strategy that livestock producers can use to manage year-to-year variability in forage production and build drought resiliency for their operations.

Revegetation of Salt-Impacted Soils in South Dakota

This publication provides suggested native species suitable for the revegetation of salt-impacted soils. The suggested species are listed as native to South Dakota according to the USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Cover crops emerging from a no-till field.

Soil Organic Matter Matters: How Conservation Practices Bring Value to Farmers

Conservation management practices, such as conservation tillage, cover crops, diverse crop rotation and livestock integration, help improve soil health over time and offer producers numerous economic benefits.

man holding a small pile of soil in his hands

X-Ray Scanning Confirms Soil Health Benefits from Conservation Practices

Summary report of X-ray scanning confirms soil health benefits from conservation practices.

A bare crop field ready for planting

Nitrogen Credit: The Rest of the Story

We have all been programmed to think of soybean as fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere and adding nitrogen to the soil. The SDSU lab and most other labs give nitrogen “credit” when another crop follows soybeans.

A patch of switchgrass growing at the edge of a field.

Warm-Season Grasses of South Dakota

Fact sheet about warm-season grasses in South Dakota.