Merit or Myth

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.

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!

Building Organic Matter and Soil Resiliency (Stiefvater 3/3)

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Soil health: Mother Nature’s way of growing healthy crops!   ‘Since about 1988 we look back at the soil tests and we’ve just about doubled the organic matter level.’   Special thanks to Practical Farmers of Iowa for contributing footage and Jack Boyer and Fred Abels for lending their fields!

SD Cropcast 04: Agronomist Kurt Dagel

Podcast

Sustainable Farming in Extreme Conditions (Stiefvater 2/3)

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Even if a farmer does everything right, Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate. When we farm conventionally, these extreme weather conditions can often lead to a complete crop failure. But when we incorporate soil health principles, we start to conserve available nutrients and water and protect our soils against erosion. All of this leads to a…

The Most Powerful Question in Agriculture

Blog

What does Mother Nature want? As farmers, we do a lot to fight her. If the soil is hard, we till it. If our crops have weeds, we spray them. If the land doesn’t have the right amount of nutrients, we inject them. This has been the way to farm for the past 50 years….