Merit or Myth

Ep 13: Resilience (Soil Structure and Conservation)

Podcast

This podcast is the fifth in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer….

Ep 10: 2020 Planting Priorities

Podcast

This podcast is the second in the series 6 “Resilience” podcast series we recorded in Mitchell, SD (podcasts 1-5) and Crooks (Podcast 6), the backdrop was the extremely wet weather on 2019; at the time of recording the James River had frozen outside of it’s banks and there was every expectation of another wet summer….

Overcoming Ruts and Erosion

Video

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

Video

‘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)

Video

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)

Video

‘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)

Video

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)

Video

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)

Video

‘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)

Video

‘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!