Content by Philip Rozeboom

Producer with tablet observing a field in late autumn.

Now Is the Time To Make Your Weed Management Plan for the 2024 Growing Season

As harvest season comes to an end, now is the time to start formulating your weed management plan for next year. Learn some expert tips for getting your operation off to a good start next growing season.

Producer observing a bare field in late autumn.

Now Is the Time To Plan For Noxious Weed Control in 2024

Since most of South Dakota has experienced several frosts, fall herbicide applications are likely near completion. However, now is the time to plan for noxious weed management for both spring and fall of 2024.

Three pictures of a red combine with tan and black soybean and weed seeds spread throughout its surfaces.

Evidence That Combines Can Transport Weed Seeds

A combine deliberately harvests crop grain, but it can also unintentionally transport weed seeds. Learn some tips for cleaning equipment and containing residues during harvest to prevent weeds from spreading this fall.

Two photos of yellow soybeans, one with green and yellow weeds in between the rows and the other with a clearing in-between soybean rows.

Order of Fields Harvested Can Improve Weed Management

Weeds at harvest time are hard to avoid, and their severity in fields can range from “clean” to a “weedy mess.” Harvesting weedier fields last can help limit the movement of weed seeds and reduce future weed pressure.

Waterhemp growing at the edge of a soybean field nearing harvest.

Row Crop and Noxious Weed Surveys

Controlling noxious weeds and weeds in row crops is a challenge every year. SDSU Extension has created two online surveys to capture the current climate of weed control in South Dakota.

Image showing a brown stalk with a hollowed out pith area and a white beetle larva present.

Prompt Harvest Can Reduce Lodging Caused by Dectes Stem Borer in Sunflower

If you notice an increased amount of lodging in your sunflower field, it is recommended to harvest the field as soon as possible to reduce losses from Dectes stem bore infestations.

Four green caterpillars feeding on a leaf of green kale.

What’s chewing on my kale?

Cabbage white caterpillars can be a nuisance in kale and other cold crops, leaving behind ragged-looking leaves and a significant amount of droppings. Learn some expert tips for identifying and manage them before they take a bite out of your harvest.

Tan grasshopper with light colored stripes on its back sitting on the soil surface.

Grasshoppers May Cause Problems for Winter Wheat During Fall 2023

As winter winter begins emerging, it is important to monitor field edges for grasshopper activity and feeding injury. This is especially true in areas where large populations have been observed throughout the summer.

Brown slug on a green leaf leaving behind a whitish trail of slime.

Slugs: The Slimy Defoliators

Have you noticed defoliation in your garden accompanied by distinct trails on plant leaves? The culprit could be slugs, a common pest that can be found during during cool, wet weather and in certain garden micro-climates.

Red sunflower seed weevil adult.

Malathion: Emergency crisis exemption for red sunflower seed weevil in South Dakota from Aug. 16-31

An emergency crisis exemption for Malathion has been approved for red sunflower seed weevil control in sunflowers in South Dakota from August 16-31, 2023. Learn everything you need to know before applying it to sunflower crops before the deadline.