Merit or Myth

Better Soil Structure, Better Planting: a Series with Kent Vlieger (1/7)

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In February 2020, there was much anxiety around the planting season as because of so much moisture much of South Dakota had received in the previous year. In May 2020, Kent Vlieger, SD NRCS state soil health specialist followed up in Garretson SD and Hutchinson County, SD to see how the planting season was going. …

Overcoming Ruts and Erosion

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In extreme weather conditions like 2019, issues like rutting are unavoidable—though that doesn’t mean farmers don’t get some say. While ruts are still a reality, farmers are finding that no-till fields feature far fewer of them than conventional. With that in mind, how can no-till and conventional till farmers best handle existing ruts and what…

A Year Like No Other

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‘You are not alone!’ ‘There is hope!’ If there were two messages from the eight South Dakota farmers we sat down with in early 2020, these would be it. 2018 and 2019 were tough years. This remains true for all farmers—regenerative, conventional and everywhere in between—but by growing resilience through soil health, many producers are…

Reaping the Benefits of Soil Microbes (Little 5/6)

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It’s no secret that the life below ground helps promote healthy crops above it. But what are the best practices that lead to the healthiest, most bio-rich soils? Hear Barry and Eli Little of Castlewood, South Dakota talk about their experience.

A New Perspective on Weeds (Little 4/6)

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‘We don’t want to call anything a weed. It’s just that you don’t have the right livestock out there to eat it.’ Hear how the Little’s have transformed their approach to weed management!

How to Make Custom Grazing Work (Little 3/6)

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Current trends suggest that livestock integration is one of the more high-impact practices an operation can employ. But not every farmer has livestock. Two producers from Castlewood, South Dakota are showing us that that doesn’t have to hold us back from reaping the benefits.

Stacked Enterprises (Little 2/6)

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Scalability and direct-to-market sales are just two of the benefits of stacked enterprises. Hear how Barry and Eli Little have grown their operation by implementing stacked systems — and what the common pitfalls are along the way.

A Forward-Thinking Approach to Grazing (Little 1/6)

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‘We really wanted to get cattle integrated into our cropland and put more into the soil [so that it] will give back to us.’ See how these forward-thinking, South Dakota farmers started experiencing the benefits of soil health through a change in their approach to grazing. USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender.

A New Approach to Farming (Promo)

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‘If I was still farming like a lot of my neighbors I’d be as bored as they are.’ See how one family farm in Castlewood, South Dakota has shaken things up in this exclusive promo of our upcoming six-part series that explores all things soil health!

Why Choose Goats for Livestock? (Hall 6/6)

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Goats may seem like quite an odd choice for livestock. One South Dakota producer has found them to be the perfect soil health companions. Why? Hear what this producer has to say in his own words!