Soil Health
All Soil Health Content
South Dakota Teams Perform Well at National Land, Range & Homesite Judging Contest
June 08, 2022
After two years of cancellations, a record attendance of more than 1,000 FFA and 4-H members competed in the National Land, Range, and Homesite Judging contest according to the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the contest’s main sponsor.
The Power of Living Roots
Learn how living roots improve soil structure and can be used as a tool to fix marginal lands with salty soil conditions.
Anthony Bly Receives Friend of Soil Health Award
May 16, 2022
Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist, received the 2022 Friend of Soil Heath Award at the 2022 Soil Health Conference.
The Costs of Erosion: Topsoil’s Role in Food Security
The thin layer of topsoil covering our earth sustains almost all of the life we know. Learn some answers to common questions about protecting it from erosion.
Windy and Divide Fires
General guide to all South Dakota landowners who may be affected by unplanned fire events.
Herbicide Considerations for Cover Crop Planting in 2019
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.
Herbicide Interactions With Cover Crops After Oats
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.
Managing Weed Seed in 2020
Producers need to plan in advance on how to deal with bare fields that contain an overabundance of weeds. Weeds in these fields have deposited significant amount of seeds on the soil surface, which can easily germinate when adequate moisture and temperature are available.
Perennial Solutions for Alkali Areas
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.
Crop Tolerance to Soil Herbicide Residual
Some herbicides can persist in soil, especially dry soil. Herbicide carryover could be an issue in 2021 across the state depending upon last year’s moisture levels and field conditions.