News
His ground bounces back: Everything works a little better with healthy soil
Craig Rau produces a variety of crops and cattle on his farm in northcentral South Dakota. Image Courtesy of SDSHC and USDA-NRCS South Dakota. By Lynn Betts For South Dakota Soil Health Coalition PIERRE, SD – Like most South Dakota farmers and ranchers, Craig Rau has...
Producers receive financial assistance to improve their land
By Stan Wise South Dakota Soil Health Coalition For many producers, knowing that soil health is important just isn’t enough. The challenge for them is how to pay for it. “Conservation is not cheap,” Marshall County producer Dennis Fagerland said. Soil health is...
Soil health producers have more confidence in their systems
By Lynn Betts For South Dakota Soil Health Coalition As concerns continue to build about a widespread drought across South Dakota this year, the state’s farmers and ranchers face yet another stressful year. Two exceptionally wet years in 2018 and 2019 followed by...
Wet or dry, less stress: Father and son credit focus on healthy soils
Eli (left) and Barry Little. Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS SD. By Lynn Betts For the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition “We feel like if we get the moisture that God gave us and leave it where it's supposed to be, we can get through most any year,” Barry Little...
Standing up to drought: No-till, cover crops build resilient soil for managing water
By Janelle Atyeo For the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition South Dakota farmers slogged through two wet years before the rain shut off in the middle of the last growing season. Now a warm start to winter without much snow cover has farmers heading into the next crop...
Maximum benefits seen when cover crops and cattle grazing added to no-till
By Lura Roti for South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Driving conditions were challenging as Brandt, S.D., farmer Tyler Brown made his way south to the Texas Panhandle this December. “I started out in a snowstorm, then it became a dirt storm. And it made me realize, we...
SDSHC Presents Awards During Memorable 2021 Soil Health Conference
The virtual 2021 Soil Health Conference held Jan. 6-7 offered more than 400 attendees the chance to hear conservation advice and encouragement from an excellent lineup of soil health experts and innovators. World Food Prize Winner Dr. Rattan Lal spoke about the...
Soil Health Conference speaker shares many benefits of interseeding
By Lura Roti for South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Mechanic is among the many hats most farmers and ranchers wear. “Every farmer and rancher modifies equipment – it’s the nature of the game,” explained Paul Winkler, a Newell, S.D., rancher. Always eager to learn...