Search
Farm Practices That Improve Soil Health: Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems
An integrated crop-livestock system can provide an alternative management strategy that benefits producer’s income, soil health, and the environment—all while increasing production.
Choosing the Right Custom Feeding Partner
Custom cattle feeding can be a “win-win” strategy when done correctly. Feeding someone else’s cattle provides a method to market feedstuffs without tying up the capital required to own the livestock.
Starting a Commercial Vineyard in South Dakota
Are you thinking of starting your own vineyard? This publication provides a brief overview of the issues you need to consider in determining whether grape growing might be a good fit for you.
New Sensor Technology to Estimate Feed Intake in Lactating Dairy Cows
The use of sensor technology to advance the field of precision livestock farming is becoming more predominant in modernized dairy farms.
Nutritional Needs Prior to Calving
Nutrition during late gestation plays a large role on the future calf as well as the dam. It is during the last 60-90 days of gestation, or the pre-calving period, that impacts the calf’s survivability, long-term health and overall production.
SDSU Extension and South Dakota Mesonet team up to release the Livestock Stress Tool
November 18, 2021
Weather conditions in the Northern Plains can present many challenges for livestock producers. Farmers and ranchers need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions to provide the best care for their livestock and minimize their risk of losses.
Standing Corn Considerations
The January 2020 South Dakota Crop Progress Report indicated four percent of S.D. corn acres remain in the field. Given the record rainfall of 2019, current snow pack levels and the 3-to-6-month precipitation forecasts, farmers will likely be dealing with a wet spring in 2020, thus making the removal of those acres important but hard to accomplish.
Pre-Plant Disease Management Considerations
If the forecast holds true, it looks like it is going to be another year of excessive soil moisture and possible flooding come this spring. The increased level of soil moisture has implications with regards to plant stand establishment as well as root rot and nematode infestations.
Livestock Stress Tool
Weather conditions in the Northern Plains can present more than a few challenges for livestock producers. From below zero or blizzard conditions during winter or even spring, to heat waves in the summer months, farmers and ranchers need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions to provide the best care for their livestock and minimize their risks of losses.
Selecting a Calving Season Based on Matching Nutritional Needs and Resources
Choosing the calving season is a complex and highly individual decision for each beef cattle producer. A primary consideration in pasture-based cow-calf operations is choosing a calving season that will best match the forage supply to forage demand.