Pasture

All Pasture Content

Pasture Attacker: Woody Plants are Robbing Your Forage Production

Traditionally, the prairie is home to herbaceous vegetation, such as grasses and broadleaf plant species. Although many woody plants are naturally present in canyon, riparian, or river areas, they are not meant to be a part of the grassland landscape.

Healthy, well-managed grassland with a variety of native plants and grasses.

Understanding Grassland Terminology

Before learning the best practices of grassland management, it's important to know some of the common terminology used in the land management and conservation arena.

Range Roundup: SDSU’s Native Plant Initiative

The SDSU Native Plant Initiative aims to improve our understanding of South Dakota’s native plants, including which ones are best-suited for restoration and production. This information will help guide stakeholders in matching native species to desired restoration outcomes.

South Dakota native grassland with a variety of plants and grasses growing.

Grassland Fertilization: Ecology

In the first article in this series, we discussed basic terminology and economics. This article focuses on the ecological impacts of fertilization in various grassland plant communities, including native rangelands and prairies.

Rancher standing in a vast, rolling grassland.

Grassland Fertilization: Terminology and Economics

This article is the first in a series of six focused on helping producers understand the pros and cons of grassland fertilization. We begin by learning some of the basic terminology and information related to fertilization.

Healthy, South Dakota native grassland with a variety of plants and grasses growing.

Grassland Fertilization: Native Pasture Case Studies – McPherson, Deuel, Grant and Clark Counties

Even our best native pastures, rangelands and prairies suffer from at least some level of invasion. Within this reality lies a wide gradient of quality of native grasslands that is largely influenced by past and present management.

Grassland Management Do’s and Don’ts

This article is intended to address the variety of questions we receive related to establishing, re-establishing and maintaining grass-based plantings for grazing, hay, wildlife and recreation.

Several bales of fresh-cut hay in a pasture.

Haying and Mowing/Clipping

While grazing is the primary means of harvesting the majority of South Dakota’s native grasslands, haying also plays an important role in native and tame grassland management.

Canada thistle growing throughout a pasture in western South Dakota.

Invasive Species Management in Grasslands

Once invaded, grasslands can shift dramatically toward dominance of exotic species and require an integrated approach to species control that considers all tools, such as mechanical (cutting, burning), cultural (grazing) or chemical alternatives.

A male and femail dung beetle rolling a ball of dung in a pasture. Courtesy: Beverly Skinner/USFWS (CC BY 2.0)

Managing Livestock for Dung Beetles and Other Beneficial Species

South Dakota researchers have taken a closer look at the function of dung beetles in Eastern South Dakota over the last few years. This article summarizes findings related to management of livestock grazing and chemical pesticides in relation to dung beetle and insect community health.