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Group of calves grazing in a fenced-in area.

Weaning Calves on Cover Crops

What do we do if it is time to wean calves, but the pen isn’t ready? That can be a real concern during wet fall seasons, such as 2019. Putting calves into muddy pen conditions is far from desirable, but holding calves on the cows deep into fall increases the risk of adverse winter weather and tends to pull body condition off the cows.

A corn field with several plants showing symptoms of stalk rot.

Assess for Corn Stalk Rots

Several corn fields are beginning to show stalk rot and top dieback symptoms. Stalk rots cause the entire plant to die prematurely, which can lead to plants lodging under windy conditions making harvesting problematic.

sun rising over a cornfield. several grain bins are in the background.

Corn Grain Moisture Discount: Why and How Much?

Corn marketed at the standard moisture content of 15.5% and 56 pounds per bushel typically contains 47.3 pounds of dry matter and 8.7 pounds of water. At harvest, a producer has to decide whether to sell (or even store) his corn at ‘as is’ moisture content or mechanically dry it before taking it to the buyer.

A patch of western wheatgrass with ergot fungus growing throughout.

Ergot in Western Wheatgrass and the Potential Effects for Winter Grazing

2019 has been a year fraught with challenges for ranchers across South Dakota. Abundant precipitation is usually a blessing, however, wet conditions coupled with a cool spring followed by warmer temperatures has caused another problem across the rangelands of South Dakota: ergot poisoning.

Female dairy employee operating a skid-steer carrying a load of feed in the bucket.

Skid-Steer Safety: Are You and Your Employees Practicing It?

One piece of machinery used daily on many farms, especially dairies and acreages, is a skid-steer. Owners and employees need to be aware of the correct operating procedures for this equipment and make sure that all who are operating the skid-steer have had adequate training in its operation.

A field of green winter wheat emerging from a layer of light snow.

Climate Adaptability of Winter Wheat

For most of us, wheat is wheat. However, there is a distinct difference between spring and winter wheat, even though the vegetative characteristics of these two wheat types are very similar.

A large swine barn at the edge of a field.

Pork Producers and the One Health Movement: Actions at the State Level

The term “One Health” has been coined to describe the concept that the health of people, animals and their environment are inextricably linked. The most commonly considered examples of One Health in practice are zoonotic diseases. For pork producers, influenza strains that originate in pigs, but pass to people are a pertinent example.

Black Angus bull standing with a group of Angus and Charolais crossbred heifers in a spring pasture with an overcast sky.

Ensure Herd Bulls Are Ready for the Upcoming Breeding

Percent of calf crop weaned on any operation is the single largest factor influencing profitability. Subsequently, herd bulls influence herd fertility more than any other single animal.

a new small plant growing out of the soil

SDSU Extension to Address Economic and Marketing Issues in Crop and Livestock Production During Ag Economic Dialogue Series

August 06, 2020

SDSU Extension will host monthly Ag Economic Dialogues throughout 2020 to assist farmers and ranchers in making the best and most profitable decisions for their operations.

A red sprayer in a green field with a cloudy sky in the background.

A Tricky Task: Removing Dicamba From Sprayers

With the introduction of many new plant growth regulator herbicides, such as dicamba-based, and 2,4-D choline products, sprayer system cleanout has become even more critical before spraying resumes this growing season.