Skip to main content

Search

A tall grassy warm season cover crop blend grown in South Dakota.

Using Annual Cover Crops and Forages in Lieu of Row Crops

Although there are many factors to take into consideration, annual forages and cover crops can be an excellent tool to mitigate challenging planting seasons.

Oat leaves covered in orange pustules.

Crown Rust of Oats

Crown rust continues to be the most economically damaging and important fungal diseases of oats in South Dakota. Learn how to recognize and manage it in oat fields this growing season.

Blades of green wheat in a wheat field.

Scouting Wheat Fields

Scouting is the process of monitoring fields and crops during a growing season. It can provide producers with field specific information on pest pressure and crop injury.

green soybeans with white mold

White Mold Development: Is your soybean field at risk?

According to USDA-NASS crop progress report for the week of July 17, 49% of the soybeans in South Dakota are at flowering. The flowering growth stage is also the time when white mold infection is initiated. The white mold pathogen infects the soybeans through the flowers that are senescing after pollination.

Grain bin damaged by a windstorm.

Salvaging Feed Grain From Damaged Storage Structures

The windstorm that hit South Dakota on May 12, 2022 left an extensive damage in its wake, including damage to grain bin structures. Taking prompt action can help minimize value loss in stored grain.

Barley yellow dwarf developing in winter wheat.

Barley yellow dwarf is starting to develop in winter wheat. Barley yellow dwarf is caused by the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). This disease usually becomes more distinct at flag leaf emergence. A typical symptom of Barley yellow dwarf is the purplish-yellow color of infected leaves, especially the flag leaf.

A pile of brown wheat seeds

Fungicide Seed Treatments for Winter Wheat

As producers are preparing to plant winter wheat, one of the decisions to make is whether to use a fungicide seed treatment, and if the answer is yes, which product to use.

Color-coded map showing precent of normal forage production for South Dakota. For assistance reading this graphic and data set, please call SDSU Extension at 605-688-4792.

Herd Inventory Centers on Feed Available

With drought conditions continuing across the state, livestock producers will be making hard decisions on livestock inventory numbers as pasture and feed availability become an even more significant factor.

A yellowing soybean plant with brown spots on the leaves.

Soybean Diseases Update

A few soybean fields scouted had between low to moderate levels of brown spot (also known as Septoria leaf spot). Soybean planted into soybean stubble had elevated levels of brown spot.

soybean field with white mold

Late-Season Soybean Diseases: Know what’s killing your soybeans

Late-season soybean diseases can sometimes be mistaken for natural senescence. A closer look at the stems and roots of dying plants and the pattern displayed by dead plants in the field may reveal root or stem rots going on. In order to devise effective management practices for future soybean seasons, it is important to determine the cause of early soybean plants death.