Merit or Myth

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!

Why Incorporate Livestock? (Hall 5/6)

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Producer Jesse Hall spent several years at SDSU working alongside researchers exploring soil health. Hear how one particular study opened his eyes about the benefits of livestock integration and why he decided to incorporate them in his operation.

Avoiding Sidewall Compaction (Hall 4/6)

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‘Sidewall compaction’ is a term many may be unfamiliar with, but it can have dire effects on a producer’s yield. Sidewall compaction is the result of poor soil structure. It happens when planting occurs in wet, degraded soils that have often been subjected to tillage. This compaction prevents the roots from growing outward and the…

Utilizing Multispecies Cover Crops (Hall 3/6)

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‘No-tilling beans into rye, you can’t believe the difference between that and going into straight corn stubble.’

The Benefits of Crop Rotation (Hall 2/6)

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‘Within a three-year span my soybean yields probably went up 3-5 bushels an acre and corn 10-2. That’s been pretty consistent.’ The reason? Find out in our second video featuring Jesse Hall!

Improving Soil Structure Nature’s Way (Hall 1/6)

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One of the first principles of soil health is to minimize disturbance. But why?   One of the biggest reasons: soil structure!   Hear how improved soil structure has helped producer Jesse Hall take his operation to the next level