News

New website helps consumers connect with local producers

PIERRE, SD – It’s no secret that consumers are hungry for safe, healthy, sustainable, locally grown food. South Dakota’s small scale and urban producers are stepping up to the plate by learning how to improve their land, their environment, and their communities while...

Regenerative ag: Making room for the next generation

By Stan Wise South Dakota Soil Health Coalition There are many reasons for producers and landowners to adopt regenerative land management practices, but few are as important as the prospect of bringing a new generation into a farming or ranching operation. When Barry...

Regenerative ag pioneer to present workshop in Fort Pierre

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – Producers and land stewards who practice regenerative agriculture often enjoy learning about what is happening under the ground. In August, they’ll have a chance to learn from a visitor from Down Under. Australia, that is. Regenerative ag...

Coalition plans additional Soil Health School for West River

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – Since 2016, the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition has held an annual Soil Health School to offer an intensive educational experience that combines classroom instruction with hands-on field exercises. However, those schools have been held...

Grazing livestock on cropland pays off

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – The core idea behind the regenerative agriculture movement is a simple one: Mimic nature. What did farmland look like before it was farmed, and how can producers make their operations look more like that picture? This concept lies at the...

Farmer reaps higher yields by interseeding soybeans

By Stan Wise Alex Frasier has spent a lot of time studying what it takes to grow a successful crop. After studying ag production and precision technology at Lake Area Technical College, he has worked in ag retail and currently works as an agronomist in Aberdeen, SD....

Farm and ranch innovators to share new ideas at Soil Health Conference

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD — Before Cooper Hibbard came home to manage his family’s ranch, he studied ag business, rangeland resources and Spanish at California Polytechnic State University and then worked on ranches all over the world. That education and experience...

Wintertime is decision time

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – It’s often said that the best time to start improving your land was 20 years ago, but the second-best time is right now. That statement might be harder for ranchers to swallow with winter on their doorstep, nothing growing in their pastures,...