Pasture

All Pasture Content

An orange plastic hoop placed around a portion of tall grass on a range to provide a measurement.

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.

Red angus cattle gathered in a feedlot in winter.

Livestock

South Dakota is home to a dynamic livestock industry.

Grazing exclosure constructed in a rangeland area.

End-of-Season Monitoring

The end of the grazing season is a great time to monitor your pasture/rangeland resources. Learn about some strategies and tools available to help assess where you stand at the end of the season.

Cattle using a fabricated windbreak in north western South Dakota.

Guidelines for Livestock Windbreaks

Livestock grazing open crop residue fields or large pastures can be left exposed during extreme bouts of cold. Ensuring that cattle and any other livestock being pastured in exposed areas have adequate access to shelter to escape the wind and cold is especially important.

Cattle grazing late-fall pasture.

Pasture Conditions and Grazing Opportunities

Fall rains across South Dakota have provided some much-needed soil moisture improvement. Learn some expert tips for taking advantage of late-season grazing opportunities on pasture and rangeland.

Rangeland and Soils Days participants observing rangeland.

Range Roundup: Opportunities for Youth

There are several opportunities for youth in South Dakota to get exposed to rangeland ecology and management, with involvement from several partners across the state. Learn about some exciting opportunities offered each year!

Cattle outfitted with virtual fence collars on an open rangeland.

Range Roundup: Virtual Fencing Project Takes Place at the Cottonwood Field Station

Virtual fencing (borders without physical barriers) has started making waves in the cattle industry, and it can be used to implement precision grazing management. Our team is researching its use and utility at the SDSU Cottonwood Field Station starting this summer.

Two young woman inspecting plants growing on a vast, open range.

Range Roundup: South Dakota Women on the Range

With the percentage of women in agriculture expected to grow over the next few years, SDSU Extension will be launching a new program called South Dakota Women on the Range. The program will educate women about the importance of range management, while also empowering them to become leaders in the agriculture industry.

A series of beaver dam analog structures built to limit rangeland erosion.

Range Roundup: Riparian Health Project Started in Western South Dakota

Over the last five years, federal, state, NGO and university partners and producers in Northwest S.D. were involved in a needs assessment that identified riparian health as an area of significant concern across Western S.D.

A cow at the Cottonwood Field Station with her head in the green colored chamber of the GreenFeeder

Range Roundup: Precision Technology to Measure Cattle Methane Emissions and Intake on Western S.D. Rangelands

In a recent research project, our precision livestock team deployed technology to measure individual cattle methane emissions and feed intake by disappearance. Learn how this data can be used to help improve day-to-day management decisions on the ranch.