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Round hay bales loaded on transport trailers.

Haul the Feed or the Cows

Reduction in pasture forage availability may require producers to decide between hauling feed or hauling cows. Learn how to decide which option is best for your operation.

Two rows of corn at V5 leaf growth stage looking down from above. Between the corn rows there are 3 separate cotton strips placed on the soil surface just before burial in a 2-inch-deep trench. The cotton strips are numbered for their identification after recovery at three different dates.

Cotton Strip Soil Test: Rapid Assessment of Soil Microbial Activity and Diversity in the Field

Soil has always been considered as a living system due to its biological components: fungi, bacteria and plant roots. Under several ongoing research projects, we started researching how we can use ‘cotton strip assay’ to compare different cover crop mixes to optimize field soil activity and build up better soil health.

Earthworms on the soil surface inside a white hard-plastic ring, after mustard-vinegar solution was drained down through the soil profile forcing earthworms out onto the surface in order to be counted.

How’s Life in the Soil? Ask (Count) the Earthworms.

Earthworms are ‘very special’ creatures on earth, and their contribution in soil nutrient cycling and fertility management has been acknowledged from the beginning of agriculture. So, the question needs to be asked, how can we help improve earthworm populations?

a strand of oats in a field

2020 Plant Disease Summaries for Small Grains

A number of field trials were implemented in the 2020 growing season with the general objective of assessing various disease management practices suitable for South Dakota growers and the Great Plains.

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.

Winter wheat plants at the tillering growth stage with leaves yellowing as a result of wheat streak mosaic virus infection.

Wheat Streak Mosaic Developing in Winter Wheat Fields

A few winter wheat fields in central South Dakota have been found with wheat streak mosaic disease. Incidence of this disease varied from a few plants to large portions of the field with yellowing leaves.

Young tomato plants surrounded by organic mulch in a no-till garden.

Weed Control in No-Till Gardens

Mulch is the key to successful weed control in no-till gardening. It is best to start a no-till garden in the fall to give applied mulch the time to breakdown and suppress any weed growth.

Tim Schreiner at his food preservation booth at the Vermillion Area Farmers Market.

Schreiner Turns Backyard Hobby Into Community Support

Whether volunteering as a Master Gardener or a Master Food Preserver, Tim Schreiner says the interaction with people and seeing that “light bulb” moment after a conversation is really the fun part of the programs.

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.