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Pet Food & Pet Treats
In South Dakota the Department of Agriculture Feed & Animal Remedy Program is the agency that oversees the manufacturing, licensing and labeling of animal feeds and remedies. Local foods producers interested in selling pet foods or pet treats need to be in compliance with this program.
Nitrates and Livestock Water Quality
Nitrate poisoning is something we think about with forages such as millet, oats, corn, sorghum, sudan, kochia and others that have been fertilized or if there is a drought, but water can also be a contributing factor.
Blue-Green Algae and Livestock
With warmer temperatures, the conditions are right for blue-green algae blooms. Different species of blue-green algae contain various toxins, which can poison livestock, resulting in rapid death.
Water Use by Plant Stage
Over the growing season, solar radiation, air temperature and plant size are the dominant factors in determining evaporative demand and the rate of water use by wheat. Water use can vary dramatically on a day-to day basis, depending on climate and wheat health.
Bacterial Leaf Streak of Corn: A New Corn Disease in South Dakota
Bacterial leaf streak, caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum (Xvv), is a recently discovered disease of corn in South Dakota. The disease was first identified in Nebraska in 2016 but now has been found in the majority of the Corn Belt states. Under favorable weather conditions bacterial leaf streak can develop to reach yield reducing levels. Like any other bacterial disease, once symptoms develop there is little that can be done to control it in the field. However, it is important to correctly diagnose this as a bacterial disease because it can be confused with gray leaf spot which is a fungal disease.
Fungicide Resistance: Risk and Management
What is fungicide resistance?
Fungicide resistance can be defined as when a pathogen population is no longer sensitive or has reduced sensitivity to the fungicide that used to control the same pathogen.
Sorghum Trial Results
In 2023, sorghum trials were conducted in 2 locations in South Dakota.
Haying With Wildlife in Mind
Anyone who has spent time cutting hay knows that hayland can be a magnet for wildlife in late spring and early summer. Hay fields are often considered an “ecological trap” for wildlife; that is, they appear to be high quality habitat for nesting or feeding due to tall, dense grass and legumes, but often lead to increased mortality once harvesting is under way.
Spring Wheat Variety Trial Results
The 2023 spring wheat reports include data from 10 locations with regional summaries.
Pre-weaning Pneumonia in South Dakota Beef Herd: A Persistent Problem, Suddenly Gone
This case report describes a southeastern South Dakota cow-calf herd’s experiences with pre-weaning pneumonia. Unlike many beef herds that experience pneumonia in calves on pasture, this herd’s problems were consistent year after year: widespread calf illness was documented in each of 6 consecutive summers. Anecdotally at least, the occurrence of pre-weaning pneumonia in beef herds is more likely to be sporadic and unpredictable from year to year. This herd’s persistent problems were followed by a year in which, after a change in calf vaccination protocol (informed by herd diagnostics), very little pre-weaning pneumonia was observed.