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freshly harvested leafy greens

Best Practices When Harvesting Leafy Greens for Market and Home

The harvesting of leafy greens to maintain quality and safety focuses on the key risk factors from the time harvest begins to selling at market. The food safety risk factors involve temperature, time, water, worker hygienic practices, and food contact surfaces.

woman wearing gloves preparing servings of vegetables. USDA Photo Courtesy of Bob Nichols.

Disposable Gloves: Guidelines for Food Handlers

Improper handling of food and poor personal hygiene by food handlers are leading causes of foodborne illness. Disposable gloves do not take the place of good hygiene and proper hand-washing.

Several cans of homemade salsa sitting on a table.

Canning Tomato-Vegetable Mixtures

Tomatoes are unique when it comes to home canning recipes. Some tomato and vegetable recipes recommend using a boiling water bath canner, some recipes recommend a pressure canner, and some recipes offer both options.

inside a licensed fish hatchery

Selling Fish at a Farmers Market in South Dakota

This article was developed to address some of the questions around selling fish at the farmer’s market and to ensure that seller’s may be well-informed to ensure they are selling fish that meet regulatory requirements as well ensuring the product is safe.

A healthy, growing soybean field. Farmyard in the background.

Soybean Growers Sought for On-Farm Research Program

We want you! SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council are seeking South Dakota Soybean Growers willing to participate in a farmer-led on-farm research program.

an image of a field of soybeans

Soybean Production: Cost-effective pest management practices

Chemicals were one of the most expensive individual costs in soybean production, behind only to seed in the non-land cost category. The average cash-rent soybean production farms incurred a crop chemical cost of $39/ac in 2015, an 88% increase from 2010.

an image of fresh tomatoes

Farmers Market Food Safety: Health & Hygiene

Health, hygiene and hand washing apply to all stages of production, processing and marketing. Ill food handlers can easily contaminate fresh produce with disease-causing microorganisms. Many of these organisms have the capability to survive on fresh fruits and vegetables for an extended time, from several days to weeks. Once the organism is established on fresh produce, it is very hard to remove.

green tractor next to a machine shed with farm equipment inside it

Overproducing us Out of Business

There seems to be a misconception nowadays in much of the public that in order for agriculture to be sustainable in the future, there is a need to go organic. Organic agriculture can be sustainable, but so can traditional agriculture.

Community Gardens: Budget & Fees

In order to have a sustainable project, it is very important to identify all of the expenses that are involved in the operation of your community garden. Are there costs associated with utilizing the site, site preparation (tilling, plowing, soil testing, or soil amendments), on-site resources (hose, fencing, or shared tools), marketing the garden, water usage, or insurance?