Education

Many consumers are increasingly drawn to organic foods because of perceived benefits to their health and the environment. In response to market signals, organic crop production is also increasing. Under current market conditions, it is easy to understand why some producers or landowners are considering organic

Brett Nix grew up a few miles south of Murdo, South Dakota on the same ranch he and his wife Lori live on now. I visited the Nix place in the thick of calving on a balmy, May morning. We

Dan stepped out of the pickup and waited for the evening songbird chorus to return after being hushed by our arrival. He parked on the top of Cedar Butte— a long, grassy plateau surrounded

Native vegetation in grasslands, which are critical habitats that provide ecosystem services and economic opportunities for South Dakotans, are widely being replaced by invasive grasses. The utility

Jim Faulstich, Chair of the South Dakota Grass-land Coalition, began his work on the board in 2000 after experiencing the value of grassland on his own operation. From migratory bird habitat to

Assessing pasture forage is a key step in planning grazing strategies. The grazing stick utilizes simple plant leaf height measurements in inches. For every inch of growth, the grazing stick estimates how many pounds of dry plant material are available. This number is then represented as pounds per-acre, per-inch of growth.