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A field of standing corn covered in snow.

Standing Corn Considerations

The January 2020 South Dakota Crop Progress Report indicated four percent of S.D. corn acres remain in the field. Given the record rainfall of 2019, current snow pack levels and the 3-to-6-month precipitation forecasts, farmers will likely be dealing with a wet spring in 2020, thus making the removal of those acres important but hard to accomplish.

A producer loading a planter with fungicide-treated soybean seeds.

Pre-Plant Disease Management Considerations

If the forecast holds true, it looks like it is going to be another year of excessive soil moisture and possible flooding come this spring. The increased level of soil moisture has implications with regards to plant stand establishment as well as root rot and nematode infestations.

A herd of cattle gather around a stock pond on a vast, lush grassland. Courtesy: USDA [CC BY 2.0]

Weed Control: Pasture and Range

There are 24 million acres of native and tame pasture and range as well as 1.4 million acres of grass hayland in South Dakota.

Frost-covered grass in a winter pasture.

SWOT Analysis for Your Ranch (And Don’t Forget About Yourself)

Completing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis allows you to evaluate your operation's current position and decide on management strategies to achieve your goals for the next year. Learn how to get started today!

Left: Soil from long-term no-till field, exhibiting good soil aggregation through clumping and smaller pieces of soil. Right: Soil from conventionally managed field that included tillage and crop residue removal. Notice the soil is lighter brown, indicating lower organic matter, and the pieces of soil are in larger chunks with no visible indication of clumping or structure.

Organic Agronomy Starting to Impact

For decades scientists have known that a handful of soil contained more micro-biological organisms than the number of humans on earth. Science is just beginning to discover these organisms and learn about their functions and contribution to their soil ecosystem.

A close up view of the stem of palmer amaranth which is hairless.

Identification and Management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

Guide for the identification and management of Palmer Amaranth in South Dakota

Tiny reddish-brown mite on a green leaf.

What Are Those Little Red Mites on My House?

The periods of unseasonably warm weather, especially in Western South Dakota, have temporarily brought several insects and other arthropods out of their winter hiding places. One of the arthropods getting attention lately has been the clover mite.

Rows of empty white, plastic pesticide containers.

New Training Options Available for Pesticide Applicators in 2021

January 07, 2021

Join us for more information on the pesticide applicator training in 2021.

a field with plots of soybeans

SDSU Extension’s Soybean Week Dives into Pest Management, Soil Health and 2021 Outlook

January 07, 2021

Want to know more about weed control, research, planting dates, and fungicide? Join us on January 19 - 22.

filed of sunflowers in bloom

2021 South Dakota Pest Management Guides Now Available

February 04, 2021

SDSU Extension has released the 2021 South Dakota Pest Management Guides.