PROFILES IN SOIL HEALTH
Daniel, Andrew, and Ken Snyder
Piedmont, SD
“All the different bugs of the soil that are taking it apart, that are disassembling a complex item that the cow put on the ground, and they’re taking that back into the soil for the benefit of everything else that’s growing to make the whole cycle start again.” -Andrew Snyder
Andrew Snyder ranches with his grandfather Dean, father Ken, mother Ronda, wife Tacy, brother Daniel, and sister-in-law Jenna near Piedmont, SD, nestled against the Black Hills between Sturgis and Rapid City. Together they run a cattle operation which includes cow-calf pairs, bred heifers, and stocker cattle, as well as the cropping of a diverse range of forages and cover crops. The Snyders are beginning to utilize cover crops on top of no-till practices in order to grow additional forage out of season for grazing. This, along with rotational grazing on forest units and native grasslands, is driving a soil health system which benefits not only the cattle above ground but the wide variety of organisms that live below it.
