News

Playing the course: Farmer manages variety and builds resilience through soil health

South Dakota is known for its variety, and Don Nickelson’s operation in Frederick is no exception. With the help of his wife, Trista, and sons Aiden, Gavin, and Ian, Nickelson raises cattle and also grows corn, soybeans, oats, triticale and alfalfa in addition to some...

Put cover crops to work for you

By Lura Roti for South Dakota Soil Health Coalition There’s no one-size-fits-all cover crop mix. So, selecting the right cover crop mix may seem a bit overwhelming. To provide guidance as farmers begin planning for the 2021 season, South Dakota Soil Health Coalition...

Soil health practices build soil and the bottom line

By Lura Roti for South Dakota Soil Health Coalition PIERRE, SD – In times like these, it’s what cattle and crop producers don’t spend that makes the biggest difference to their bottom line. “Because prices are not very good right now, there isn’t a lot a farmer or...

Update: Garretson, 60-inch corn plot

By Austin Carlson, SD Soil Health Coalition Technician Southeastern South Dakota has been fairly dry throughout the summer, receiving approximately 13.25 inches of precipitation for the year with minimal amounts of rain in the last month. Since the last plot update on...

Soil Health Informational Workshop set for Sept. 9 in Pierpont

A Soil Health Informational Workshop will be held at 5 p.m. on Sept. 9 in Pierpont, SD. Among other soil health concerns, presenters will discuss the new EQIP signup to help producers and landowners in the Upper James River Basin fight the expansion of saline soils....

Low Stress Livestock Handling Workshops set for September

A series of low stress livestock handling workshops presented by Dr. Tom Noffsinger, DVM, has been set for five South Dakota locations in September. Sept. 21 - Sturgis Sept. 22 - Belvidere Sept. 23 - Akaska Sept. 24 - Crooks Sept. 25 - Yankton

Producers have a new tool to fight saline soils expansion

The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition strives to help producers and landowners improve the health and fertility of their soil. One issue SDSHC focuses on is the expansion of saline soils — especially in the Upper James River Basin, where an estimated 2 million acres...

Farmer Discovers Stark Evidence of Past Erosion

As a kid, Twin Brooks farmer David Kruger watched his grandfather fight erosion using a very hands-on method. “I remember him going to the ditch along Highway 12 and hauling the dirt out of the ditch and back onto the field with a loader,” Kruger said. That was a...