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Beef Industry and General Management

All Beef Industry and General Management Content
Two black angus cattle grazing on a variety of grasses.

Grass-Fed Beef: Understanding Terminology in Conventionally Raised Beef and Grass-Fed Beef

What makes grass-fed beef different from conventionally raised beef? This is perhaps the most-common and sometimes most-complex question that arises amongst those hoping to understand the similarities and differences between conventional and grass-fed beef.

A vast, rolling, well-managed rangeland.

Range Beef Cow Research: Rangeland Soil Health

For rangelands to maintain productivity and produce adequate levels of forage, soil health must be sustained and function properly.

Small herd of mixed cattle grazing rangeland in late fall.

S.D. Producers’ Willingness To Adopt Patch Burn Grazing vs. Winter Patch Grazing

Patch-burn grazing and winter patch grazing are heterogenous rangeland management practices that aim to increase the variety of grass composition to benefit wildlife and maintain livestock production. To learn about producers’ desire to adopt these practices, we conducted an online survey between November 2019 and January 2020.

Small herd of mixed cattle grazing rangeland in late fall.

Producer Views on Patch Burn Grazing vs. Winter Patch Grazing in S.D.

Traditional rangeland management promotes uniform forage utilization, yet causes detrimental effects on the richness of plant species and wildlife habitat. Therefore, management practices that increase heterogeneity in vegetation play an important role in developing habitat types and preserving grassland wildlife species.

Black angus cattle in a feedlot.

Growth Promotant Technologies: Impact on Beef Production and Meat Quality - Background

It is well documented that growth promotant technologies can increase pounds of beef produced while reducing input costs and resource use. But what impacts do these technologies have on beef production and meat quality?

Producers cutting meat with a band saw.

Expanded Meat and Poultry Processing Resources Available to S.D. Livestock Producers and Meat Processors

The USDA's commitment to creating a more-resilient meat and poultry processing system is making new opportunities for rancher-owned enterprises, worker-owned housing and other cooperative initiatives.

two black beetles rolling a ball of dung

Promoting Dung Beetles on the Range

In South Dakota, dung beetles help regulate rangeland health through dung dispersal.

A group of male ranchers gathered in a farmyard.

A Healthy Farm Needs a Healthy Farmer

Farm safety encompasses the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and their families, and it is very important to farmers and ranchers across our state.

beefSD participants in a pasture

beefSD

beefSD is an intensive educational program designed to take participants to the next level in beef enterprise management.

Photo showing a wildfire recovery on native rangelands.

Range Roundup: Dormant Season Wildfire Project in Northwestern South Dakota

Two of the main environmental conditions that drive post-wildfire rangeland recovery include health of the rangeland ecosystem prior to the wildfire and climatic variables, such as precipitation or drought after the fire event.