News

Growing Connections: New app creates soil health social network

By Janelle Atyeo For the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition PIERRE, SD – South Dakota farmers, ranchers and gardeners are making strides in improving soil health, and they’re willing to share what works and what doesn’t. A new app from the South Dakota Soil Health...

Volga 4-Hers Win Student Soil Health Video Contest

Volga students Caleb Barsness and Dane Olson won first place in the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition’s 2022 Soil Health Demonstration Student Video Contest. The two sixth-grade Sioux Valley Middle School students, representing the West Sioux 2 4-H Club, will be...

Conference speakers: Solving ag problems begins with the soil

By Stan Wise For fifth-generation Indiana crop and livestock producer Rick Clark, soil health and regenerative agriculture are about stewardship. “You have to be good stewards of the land,” he said. “If you think it's OK to watch your topsoil blow away in the wind,...

Student soil health essay contest open

PIERRE, SD – The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is excited to announce a student essay contest for the 2023 Soil Health Conference, Jan. 24-25 in Sioux Falls, SD. The contest is open to students in the following divisions: middle school, highs school and...

Video: 2022 Soil Health School Distinguished Researchers Panel

At the 2022 Soil Health School, Aug. 31- Sept. 2 in Garretson, SD, retired USDA-ARS soil scientist Dr. Don Reicosky, retired Dakota Lakes Research Farm manager Dr. Dwayne Beck, and Ward Laboratories founder Dr. Ray Ward took time to answer questions from the school...

Adding life to the soil: Experimenting with compost

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – Healthy soil requires healthy, active biology beneath the surface. This includes bacteria and fungi. While the five principles of soil health – soil cover, minimal disturbance, living roots, diversity, and livestock integration – all work to...

SDSHC Provides Scholarships to FFA Regional Land Judging Winners

South Dakota FFA Bath (October, 2022) – The South Dakota FFA Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of four $100 scholarships for students placing first in one of the four SD Regional Land Evaluation Competitions this fall. 2022 scholarship recipients are:...

Bale grazing: Efficient soil health improvement

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – “Last winter, I fed 450 head of cattle and did not start a tractor for 90 days.” South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Board member and Colome, SD, producer Van Mansheim doesn’t mince words when it comes to the benefits of bale grazing. “I hear...