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Infographic with steps that say 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, and 24 hours in a half-full freezer.

Power Outages and Your Cold Foods

South Dakota is no stranger to power outages and power surges from weather events. Learn some key actions to take before, during and after power outages to keep your cold foods safe.

snow plow clearing a highway

The Challenges of Farming and Ranching: Identifying the signs of depression

When weather conditions impact farming and ranching, producers can experience large amounts of stress. A normal amount of stress can be productive; however, abnormal amounts of stress can be harmful both physically and emotionally. With the drought that is currently impacting producers, it is important to understand the signs and symptoms of depression.

Group of children playing rock in fist

Traditional Native American Games: Beat Boredom

Traditional Native American Games might be just the activity you are looking for to bring the whole family together (and cut down on excess screen time)!

A group of farmers and ranchers sitting at a meeting

Communication: Importance of Social Support in Agriculture

Maintaining open communication and seeking social support can help producers get through difficult times.

Flock of mosquitoes in front of sunset.

West Nile in South Dakota: Expect Cases Into Early Fall

While it’s true that in South Dakota most West Nile Virus cases occur during August, new human infections are detected well into September in most years.

Small group of cattle at pasture.

Feeding at the Right Price

Managing feedstuffs efficiently becomes more important during drought conditions or low revenue years.

A calf resting next to its mother in a dry pasture.

Early Weaning as a Drought Management Strategy

Successfully managing drought conditions requires balancing the amount of forage demanded by grazing livestock with the amount produced.

Young calf resting at pasture.

Economic Considerations for Early Weaning

There is an excellent reason why ranchers use early weaning as a drought management tool: Weaning calves early reduces the amount of feed required to maintain the cow.

Color-coded map of South Dakota and other Midwestern states. Colors indicate a higher risk of unplanted areas in Eastern and Northeastern South Dakota.

Stretching Corn Silage Supplies

During the 2002 drought there was a need to stretch corn silage supplies as a result of the drought that affected the U.S. Now we deal with the opposite scenario, where excessive spring rains have not allowed farmers to get to the fields. In both situations livestock producers face challenges.

herd of mixed cattle in a dry lot

Drylotting Cow-Calf Pairs

Whether because of reduced forage production caused by drought, or increased competition for grazing acres, feeding lactating cows in a drylot is being at least considered as an option by more ranchers.