Minnehaha Conservation District

News of the Day — 6/14/19

SECOND CENTURY HABITAT PROGRAM The focus of the program is to provide a working lands habitat alternative to cropping marginal land. Participants agree to establish grass and forbs on cropland for five years and receive free seed and a one-time $150/acre payment at the beginning of the contract. No haying or grazing is allowed until […]

News of the Day — 6/13/19

TURNING RED ACRES GREEN — PUBLIC WORKSHOP June 26, 2019 at 6:00 pm Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus, 4500 S Oxbow Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD Learn how to increase your bottom line while providing wildlife habitat

News of the Day — 6/11/19

MERIT OR MYTH: Exploring Cover Crops and Diversity “One of the first opportunities I saw after joining Olsen Custom Farms was to stretch our rotation out,” says agronomist Kurt Dagel “To take that power of diversity and make it work for us because it’s free. I look for many benefits to come out of it.” […]

News of the Day — 6/4/19

OUR AMAZING GRASSLANDS The Schmidt Family, Keldron, SD “We are grazers. We are grass managers. We are used solar salesmen.  We use sunlight and rain and grass, that’s what makes our living.” – Stuart Schmidt 2018 Grassland Stewardship Communications Project Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, Audubon Dakota, Ducks Unlimited, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, SD […]

News of the Day — 6/4/2019

SPECIAL NEW SIGNUP FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS), Huron, S.D., May 31, 2019 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials announce a special June 28, 2019 batching period for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to address resource concerns resulting from record high moisture levels during this year’s […]

News of the Day — 5/31/19

THE SCIENCE OF SOIL HEALTH: NATURAL SYSTEMS AND WEEDS Dr. Dwayne Beck, Manager of Dakota Lakes Research Farm Watch this short video to hear Dr. Dwayne Beck of Dakota Lakes Research Farm describe how natural systems can be used along with technology to combat weed problems. Competition, sanitation, and rotation are keys to keep in mind. “Technology […]

News of the Day — 5/28/19

MANAGING FLOODED ALFALFA We came across a great article about how to handle flooded alfalfa and wanted to share it with you. Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist, and Paul Johnson, SDSU Extension Weed Science Coordinator, are the authors. “As floodwaters rise again in parts of South Dakota, spring planting seems to feel further […]

News of the Day — 5/24/19

SOUTH DAKOTA SOIL STORY: “LEARNING SOIL HEALTH” with Dennis Hoyle Roscoe, S.D., no-tiller Dennis Hoyle talks about his efforts to raise soil organic matter levels on his cow/calf operation, which sells grass-fed beef. Dennis notes where he has livestock grazing soil organic matter is 5% or more, while his grain-only farms are at 3-3.5%.

News of the Day — 5/21/19

FROM MILLBORN SEEDS Benefits of Cover Crops on Prevented Plant Acres FAQs, Recommendations, and an Educational Meeting As mother nature continues to rain on our spring planting, Millborn Seeds has received a lot of phone calls about the benefits of cover crops on prevented plant acres. They have put together some resources to help you […]

News of the Day — 5/17/19

PROFILES IN SOIL HEALTH: “A SYSTEMS APPROACH” With Gene and Craig Stehly Mitchell, SD “We can’t continue on the same path, we have to start focusing a lot more on soil health. Soil health isn’t just one thing, it’s a systems approach, for us it’s combining no-till, crop rotation, cover crops, and planting native grass species […]