Skip to main content

Content by Heather Gessner

Round hay bales loaded on transport trailers.

Haul the Feed or the Cows

Reduction in pasture forage availability may require producers to decide between hauling feed or hauling cows. Learn how to decide which option is best for your operation.

Graduation table display with photos, awards, and keepsakes. Courtesy: Matthew Beckler [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Graduation Presents

With graduation season upon us, consider gifting your high school or college graduate with the necessary medical, financial and legal paperwork they're need for the next stage of their lives.

Veterinarian and pork producer with clipboard inspecting a hog pen.

Can Pork Producers Rely on Antibiotic-Use-Based Product Differentiation To Be Competitive?

Do consumers prefer meat produced with the minimal use of antibiotics compared to meat produced with standard antibiotic use? The following study investigates this question in-depth for South Dakota pork producers.

Cover crops emerging from a no-till field.

Soil Organic Matter Matters: How Conservation Practices Bring Value to Farmers

Conservation management practices, such as conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation and livestock integration, help improve soil health over time and offer producers numerous economic benefits.

A father, mother and daughter walking in a field in the countryside.

SDSU Extension to Host Another Round of Workshops for Next Generation Land Seekers

December 22, 2020

According to the USDA 2017 Census of Agriculture, one in four producers is a beginning farmer with 10 or fewer years of experience.

A young man analyzing the results of a pregnancy check on an electronic device.

Preg-Checking Decisions

There is much value in preg-checking spring-calving cow herds in the fall. The most common is to cull open cows from the herd. The second reason would be to reduce the number of late calving cows in the herd.

SDSU Extension to Host Sustaining the Legacy Virtual Conference

November 13, 2020

SDSU Extension will host a Sustaining the Legacy virtual conference on December 2, 9 and 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST each evening.

Female FSA employee reviewing paperwork with a male producer.

Counties Designated as Disaster Areas and Qualify for Other Programs

Five South Dakota counties have been given disaster declarations due to dry summer conditions. This declaration gives producers in these counties and those in contiguous counties access to USDA-FSA emergency loans.

scrabble tiles arranged to spell mental health

Stress and Mental Health Resources Available to South Dakota Producers, Family Members and Friends

August 14, 2020

April blizzards, wet planting and harvest conditions, low commodity prices, and trade concerns made 2019 a stressful year for many South Dakotans.

a windmill in front of a sunset

SDSU Extension to Hold Workshops for Beginning Farmers/Ranchers Looking for Land

August 04, 2020

SDSU Extension will host Farmland for the Next Generation, an eight-week virtual workshop series, beginning August 31.