MERIT OR MYTH: Engaging South Dakota’s Farming Community
In The Pursuit Of Healthy, Functioning Soils
In 2007, Doug Sieck of Walworth County, SD began his soil health journey. A little over a decade later, his soils, his operation, and his mindset have all transformed. In this 7-part series, Doug shares with us his eye-opening journey into soil health, how to make the transition easier, and why we all should consider the change ourselves.
Integrated Systems With Doug Sieck — Intro 1/7
Integrated Systems With Doug Sieck — Holistic Mindset 2/7
The big-picture idea of healthy, functioning soils is so appealing: more moisture available to the plant, more nutrients recycling, fewer weeds, lower inputs… what’s not to like, right? To the busy farmer, are the ideas of healthy functioning soils just that… ideas? Put another way we should ask: “what has merit and what is myth”? At Merit or Myth our mission is, through the social media, to engage with South Dakota-based farmers, researchers and conservationists to gain a better understanding of healthy, functioning soils. We want to engage in the context of the management issues that farmers most care about including residue, soil temperature, soil moisture and weed management.
SOIL HEALTH SCHOOL REMINDER Here’s your reminder of the Soil Health School coming up on September 5-7 in Hartford, South Dakota. The Soil Health School is designed for agricultural producers as well as anyone with an interest in learning how to manage soils for resiliency and profit. The agenda features classroom style presentations by producers and technical experts […]
EXCELLENCE IN RANGELAND MANAGEMENT TOUR Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Prairie Paradise Farms, near Ft. Pierre, SD RSVP ASAP to Pierre NRCS Field Office — 605-224-8870 Ext 3 Click on the picture to view or print the flyer
PROFILE IN SOIL HEALTH Barry and Eli Little, Castlewood, SD Barry and Eli Little describe the process they have gone through to incorporate different enterprises into their operation. These enterprises include multi-species grazing of cattle, sheep, and hogs as well as integrating livestock onto crop ground. This soil story was produced as a result of […]
DID YOU KNOW??? Ducks Unlimited has a soil health and cover crop partnership program! Improving soil health supports profitable and sustainable agriculture, clean water, vibrant rural communities, and health wildlife habitat. Win / win for everybody! For more information about this program, click on the picture below, or contact Brad Schmidt at 605-592-1277 or bschmidt@ducks.org.
LET IT RAIN Here’s an interesting article we found in “The Furrow” about the rainfall challenges we’ve been having in the Midwest. “Scientists conducting the third National Climate Assessment for the U.S. reported that heavy downpours are increasing nationally, with the largest increases in the central Corn Belt states along with the northeastern states.” (Please […]
SAVE THE DATE! Minnehaha County Summer Workshop August 17, 2018 — 9:30am – 3:30pm Crooks Community Center, 701 S Western Ave, Crooks, SD Come and learn about grazing, alternative forages, and soil health from both a scientist’s and producer’s perspective NEW TV COMMERCIAL! An “Our Amazing South Dakota Resources” new TV commercial was just released! […]
HAPPY COW TOUR! Now HERE’S something different for you! We have a HAPPY COW TOUR coming up this Friday, July 27 just west of Mobridge, SD, starting at the Darrel and Francie Smith home. Registration starts at 8:30 am. You’ll get a nice bus ride, lunch, and a ton of good information! To find out […]
PROFILES IN SOIL HEALTH Steve Reimer, Chamberlain, SD Steve Reimer describes the evolution of grazing practices on his family’s operation and the role that livestock integration, aftermath grazing, rotational grazing, and cover crops play in increasing the health of their soil systems. This Soil Story was produced as a result of an agreement with […]
MERIT OR MYTH: Engaging South Dakota’s Farming Community In The Pursuit Of Healthy, Functioning Soils In 2007, Doug Sieck of Walworth County, SD began his soil health journey. A little over a decade later, his soils, his operation, and his mindset have all transformed. In this 7-part series, Doug shares with us his eye-opening journey into soil […]
HOW DO YOU BUILD HEALTHY SOIL? Managing for soil health must begin by changing the way you think about SOIL.. Although the details of how best to create high-quality soils differ from farm to farm and even field to field, the general approaches are the same. Soil cover by keeping plant residue on the soil […]
