Energy development on private lands can result in locally heavy land manipulation. Of particular concern is the manipulation of native grasslands and other sensitive areas and how it will affect those areas in the short-and-long-term.
A general guide to South Dakota landowners who are considering or who have allowed energy or other industrial development on their property.
Producers across South Dakota are harvesting small grains. These crops provide an excellent window for adding a cover crop into your rotation.
The Dakota Lakes Research Farm is working to develop cropping systems that include perennial crops, such as switchgrass, big bluestem and alfalfa, to improve long-term soil health and farm productivity.
A combination of tillage, no residue, and lack of crop canopy can lead to severe erosion and topsoil loss in the face of extreme weather patterns in the spring. The most effective strategy for producers to adapt to these extreme events is to improve soil health.
![A herd of cattle gather around a stock pond on a vast, lush grassland. Courtesy: USDA [CC BY 2.0]](/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/2019-05/W-00231-00-cattle-grazing-grassland-pasture-range.jpg?h=8f818b46&itok=RphA7XsP)
As farms and ranches across South Dakota continue to endure increasing costs of production while receiving less cash for grain and livestock marketed; ranch managers must be extra diligent when implementing new range improvements and grazing systems on their ranches.
During times of belt-tightening, it’s imperative to make sure all the resources of the ranch are being utilized as efficiently as possible. Conducting a complete ranch inventory is a perfect time for ranch managers to take an in-depth look at their operation.
Fallow syndrome received its name from the dry plains states, where fields routinely benefited from the additional moisture available after a year where the ground was fallowed. Corn sometimes had symptoms of phosphorus deficiency when grown on this previously fallowed ground, thus it received its current name, “fallow syndrome.”
Driving around South Dakota, you can see the many acres that farmers were not able to plant. Now that fall soil-sampling season is well on its way, many people have questions regarding how different situations of prevented planting will affect soil sampling and fertilizer application needs.
Fact sheet for beginners on where to start transitioning to soil health systems in eastern South Dakota.