Forage
All Forage Content
You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure: Range Record Keeping
Range record keeping helps detect and demonstrate landscape changes that have a direct impact on your ability to maintain or grow your herd.
Drought-Stressed Forage: Nitrate Considerations
While drought-stressed forages can provide valuable feed, they may also carry an increased risk of nitrate accumulation. Producers should be aware of before grazing, harvesting, and feeding these forages.
High Nitrates and Pregnant Cows
Drought poses many challenges to the beef cow herd. When considering grazing pregnant females, it’s important to understand that grazing management is critical to avoid nitrate toxicity and potential abortions.
Forage Inventory and Demand Calculator
Calculator for inventorying livestock and forage on hand to determine additional forage purchase needs, or livestock sales.
Have you observed chemical management failure for alfalfa weevils?
SDSU Extension entomologists are currently looking for alfalfa fields with a past alfalfa weevil insecticide failures. We are collaborating with North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota on project to determine if pyrethroid resistance exists in our respective states.
South Dakota Grasshopper Prediction for 2026
Almost every year in South Dakota there is a risk that grasshopper populations will reach levels capable of causing issues for producers. Unfortunately, our prediction for the 2026 growing season won’t change the trend.
Drought Conditions Magnifying Impact of Black Grass Bugs
Black grass bugs are a common early-season pest of forage grasses. Drought conditions exacerbate their impact by stressing plants and reducing their ability to tolerate and recover from feeding injury.
Start Management Plans Now: Absinth wormwood, Canada thistle and leafy spurge have emerged and are starting to grow
Absinth wormwood, Canada thistle and leafy spurge have emerged and are growing in eastern South Dakota. If not effectively managed, these weeds can displace desirable forage in pasture and rangeland.
Diversifying Your Forage Base for Drought Flexibility
While no single strategy eliminates drought risk, diversifying the forage base can offer producers added flexibility by spreading risk across species, planting windows, and rooting depths.
Effects of Late Spring Frost on Alfalfa
Forage research indicates that, although alfalfa is considered to have good cold temperature tolerance, minor frost damage may occur when plants are exposed to air temperatures slightly below freezing for several hours, and more severe damage will be seen when temperatures drop below 25°F for four or more hours.