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male 4-H youth showing a black beef cow

Why Tattoo Your 4-H Livestock?

Proper identification of animals helps create an honest record keeping system. With current DNA blood typing procedures animals can be identified through parentage, but when it comes to everyday practices on the farm or ranch a good tattoo can be a huge time saver in the event of a lost ear tag.

two young males with their show goats at a competition

4-H Youth Experience in Animal Projects – Purposes

4-H Youth Development must place an importance on developing “youth experience” versus “contest participation and competition."

Graduation table display with photos, awards, and keepsakes. Courtesy: Matthew Beckler [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Graduation Presents

With graduation season upon us, consider gifting your high school or college graduate with the necessary medical, financial and legal paperwork they're need for the next stage of their lives.

collection of pressure canned food

Water Bathing vs. Pressure Canning

Water bathing and pressure canning are two common ways to preserve foods by canning. These techniques use heat processing to preserve foods, and which technique you use depends on the acidity of the food.

Blue-tinted antique canning jars in a brown box.

Canning Jar Update

Before you start canning, take some time to learn the latest canning jar safety updates, including safe jar types, lid selection and handling practices.

Sand Bagged home in surrounded by flood water. FEMA News Photo

Managing Flooding Around Home Structures

As South Dakota and our surrounding neighbors begin to deal with the consequences of spring snowmelt and the dramatic flash flooding that came about from the region’s most recent winter storm, we can only hope that conditions begin to improve quickly.

aerial view of a flooded farm in late winter. FEMA News Photo

Inundaciones: sugerencias útiles

La primavera en el Medio Oeste siempre trae el riesgo de inundaciones, sea por la nieve que se derrite o por lluvia en exceso.

A flock of white sheep grazing in a small pasture.

Sheep Breeds

Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.

Silhouette of worker drinking water in extreme heat.

Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke: Protecting Your Operation

During periods of extreme heat, operations must take additional steps to protect their employees from heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

dehydrated apple slices

Extend the Life of Your Produce: Dry Your Food!

Drying or dehydrating gives you the ability to extend the life of your fresh foods to enjoy later.