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Carbon Markets and Opportunities for Farmers
There is growing interest in paying farmers for regenerative agricultural practices as a means for sequestering carbon. Learn about some of the benefits and challenges that carbon capture opportunities offer for producers.
Community Gardens: Liability Insurance
Groups organizing a community garden often ask about liability insurance. They will typically consider getting a policy if they have an organization to protect, or as coverage for the landowner in case a participant is injured and elects to sue.
CSA Models
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) marketing is an outlet that allows a farmer to sell subscriptions or shares to consumers prior to the growing season. When the produce or food product is harvested it is then delivered on a scheduled basis to the customer.
Factors Affecting Wheat Production Decisions: Producer survey findings
Recent USDA data shows that during the past 3 years acres devoted to wheat production continue declining in both South Dakota and North Dakota (USDA, 2018). South Dakota wheat acres experienced a remarkable decrease of 31.5% during the past 3 years, compared with a relatively mild drop of 16.4% by North Dakota.
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.
Training Gardens and Business Incubators
Community gardens are associated with urban areas and food production. However, community gardens can also be used as job training sites or small business incubators.
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.
Food Safety Rules for Fruit & Vegetable Growers: FAQ
It seems rules and guidelines for growing fresh produce safely are constantly changing, as new laws and regulations are implemented each year.
Soil Testing for Vineyards in South Dakota
Not all soils are conducive to growing quality grapes, so prospective vineyard sites should be tested before a decision is made to plant grapes. Tests can identify soils that are either too high in pH, salts, or salinity, or that are “too rich” (too high in organic matter and nitrogen) for grapes. In addition, testing before planting allows for the incorporation of nutrients—such as phosphorus—that do not move easily through the soil to plant roots.
Sorghum Trial Results
In 2023, sorghum trials were conducted in 2 locations in South Dakota.