Skip to main content

Search

road closed sign in front of a flooded road

Floods Continue With a Wet Outlook

As April unfolds, major flooding continues along the Eastern rivers. The James River is at crest in Brown county the first week of April and will slowly recede while maintaining flood level for much of April.

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.

a father and son inspecting a show goat in a competition.

Bringing Home Your 4-H Goat Project

Sales and transport is a stressful time for any animal. Reducing stress factors due to transitions start before the actual purchase of your new project. Managing proper nutrition and disease management are just a couple factors to help your project get off to a great start.

South Dakota soybean late plant date map. View pdf map: https://legacy.rma.usda.gov/fields/mt_rso/2018/final/sdsoybeans.pdf  View text in Excel: https://legacy.rma.usda.gov/fields/mt_rso/2018/final/sdsoybeanstext.xlsx

Multi-Peril Crop Insurance: Delayed and Prevent Plant Choices

Crop insurance late plant dates are fast approaching for planting crops in South Dakota. The weather and soil conditions this spring will likely lead to some prevent plant situations for farm producers.

a flooded wheat field with some emerging wheat plants.

Wet Feet in Wheat

Given the widespread wet conditions present this spring, there are many areas in winter wheat fields with both ponding and saturated (or waterlogged) soils. Producers may want to consider soil conditions and evaluate extended weather forecasts when deciding whether or not to retain a winter wheat this spring.

Map of United States with green areas favored to be wetter than average and tan areas favored to be drier than average.

May 2019 Climate Outlook: April Showers Bring May Showers?

The precipitation outlook for May does not show much promise of relief from moisture, as wetter than average conditions are slightly more favored than drier conditions. In addition, cooler than average temperatures are more likely for the first half of May and could continue for much of the month.

A map of South Dakota with yellow and green circles indicating iverson risks at various locations throughout the state.

Use the SD Spray Tool for Inversion Detection and Weather for Pesticide Application

The SD Mesonet Spray Tool provides real-time weather data for pesticide applicators. This dedicated website for pesticide applicators uses the SD Mesonet weather data, which is updated every five minutes.

Color-coded map of the United States indicating predicted precipitation for July 2019. South Dakota is set to experience above normal precipitation.

July 2019 Climate Outlook: Challenges Continue

This year’s seasonal pattern of wetter than average conditions is projected to continue through July and the rest of the summer season. The latest climate outlook, released June 20, 2019, shows an increased chance of wetter than average conditions in the next one to three months for the state of South Dakota.

neighborhood street flooded with melted snow and water runoff. FEMA News Photo

Flood Insurance

The higher amounts of snow this year will increase the chance of flooding and the potential water damage to homes and residential properties. Now is the time to consider purchasing a flood insurance policy.

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.