

Backgrounding Beef Calves on Cover Crops May Improve Steak Tenderness
Can short-term backgrounding diets of beef calves have long term impacts of meat quality? Recent research from the meat science team at South Dakota State University says, “Yes.”
Can short-term backgrounding diets of beef calves have long term impacts of meat quality? Recent research from the meat science team at South Dakota State University says, “Yes.”
During the growing season, SDSU Extension provides weekly production recommendations.
Long residual pre-emergent or early post-emergent herbicides may cause stand reduction or complete failure of cover crops. Depending on efficacy of the herbicide, each situation can both affect in-season and/or post-harvest cover crop establishment.
As the spray season starts, it is always good to be aware of resources and testing facilities where you can send in possible herbicide-affected plant samples. SDSU Extension offers suggestions on how to handle possible herbicide damage situations as well as recommended labs that receive plant matter samples to test for herbicide residues.
After oats have been harvested, options exist to keep a living root in the soil. This can be done through growing cover crops. In 2018 an on-farm trial was preformed near Salem, South Dakota to observe how cover crops grown after oats would germinate after common herbicides had been applied.
This is a quick reference guide to common herbicides and their rotation restrictions for selected crops.
Reclaiming marginal lands, especially those considered saline or sodic can be very challenging and may take many years to accomplish. The key to turning around salt or alkali areas in your fields, begins with getting a living root established in the affected area.
There are currently millions acres across South Dakota impacted by saline and sodic conditions. Research has shown that salt-tolerant perennial grasses are a possible way to bring land back into production.
Fact sheet about herbicide residual effect on cover crops after wheat.
Increased use of cover crops following major crops brings up questions of herbicide effects on cover crop establishment and rotation restrictions. Learn some considerations for cover crops following wheat.