Alfalfa (“Queen of Forages”) has been considered one of the most important forage-legume species in South Dakota. In general, it is a deep-rooted legume that grows best in moderate to well-drained soils. Under optimum growing and soil conditions, along with proper management, yields can exceed from 3 to 4 tons DM/acre of hay on irrigation, whereas, 1 to 2 tons DM/acre are produced on dryland.
Noxious weed are problems for landowners and farmers regardless of what the year is like. Nearly 1.9 million acres of statewide noxious weeds were reported in 2012. Statewide losses from them exceed $140 million annually. Noxious weeds are characterized by their ability to spread rapidly and are not controlled by normal management practices.
More Wormwood Sage has been showing up around the countryside this spring. Noxious weed reports show that it is on the increase. The silver color makes it stand out easy to spot. Wormwood Sage is a local noxious weed in most eastern South Dakota counties. Infestations are limited to pasture and grass areas. However, no-till farming has contributed to it spreading into crop ground.
Proper newborn lamb care is a critical component of flock profitability. In the U.S. lamb mortality from all causes is approximately 20% with more than 80% of those losses occurring in the first two-weeks following lambing. Yet a solid lamb care management plan coupled with a few key tools in the lambing barn can sharply improve the number of lambs reared per-ewe. Generally, the top causes for newborn lamb losses are starvation, hypothermia (cold stress), respiratory disease, and scours followed by injury.
Many Midwest producers have limited options for their primary forage source this year and, must utilize ear-less corn stalks as silage for their in livestock feeding systems. Despite the lack of ears on stalks in some areas the resultant corn stover silage is still expected to contain 80% of expected level of energy under normal growing conditions.
Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance is available for 2013 in South Dakota based on a Rainfall Index (RI). Haying and grazing needs can be covered against moisture shortages using PRF-RI. November 15, 2012 is the deadline to purchase or change coverage for the 2013 calendar year.
As with everything this year corn and soybean harvest is ahead of schedule. For many that means corn stalk grazing. Cattle producers can find that to be a great benefit to them as pastures are out of grass. Removing cattle so pastures have additional time to recover from drought damage incurred this summer is a potential benefit of grazing corn stalks this fall. There are many aspects to consider in 2012 that we do not usually face with this program.
Hay prices were at all-time high marketing year prices for the 2011 crop year. The lack of moisture has driven prices even higher for the 2012 crop. Unlike other crops, 60% of the 2.3 million alfalfa acres in South Dakota were uninsured this year. Thus, both producers raising alfalfa as a cash crop and those raising it as a feedstuff may have lacked protection against low yields.
Obtaining and using feed test results as a decision aid in livestock feeding programs will be more important than ever this year. Overfeeding nutrients will be incredibly expensive this year given the high price of feedstuffs. At the same time, with the value of cattle and the value of added gain, producers can’t afford to underfeed either. Getting the diets right depends on using the best information available.
Potential disaster aid from USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) will hinge on the records you keep now. FSA recently announced that good records will be essential if any disaster aid packages are released for livestock producers that faced loses of livestock or had to purchase feed due to natural disaster, including drought and heat.
In response to seasonal flooding, iGrow has put together a collection of the latest news updates, articles, and flood relief information to help get your farm and community on the path to recovery. Learn more inside!
Hazardous Occupation Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA) sessions will be delivered across the state this spring (2013) by SDSU staff. HOSTA is a program which aims to educate South Dakota youth about the dangers associated with working on a farm or ranch. Currently, the law states that any individual who is 14 to 15 years old must be trained on the safe operation of tractors, farm machinery, and other hazardous activities in the agricultural industry.
Dave Specht, President of Advising Generations LLC, Connell, Washington was one of the presenters at the 20th Anniversary of Cattlemen’s College held in conjunction with the 2013 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention and Trade Show, Tampa, Fla., Feb 6 -9.
Spring is a season of hope. It is appropriate that the first day of spring occurs during National Agriculture Week, March 17-23. It is a time to recognize the abundance provided by agriculture, and celebrate the opportunity it holds for South Dakota and humanity. As farmers once again move into the fields to plant crops, and also begin calving and lambing season, it's important to keep in mind the challenges ahead.
Ag states throughout the nation, but especially across the Midwest, have been tagged “fly-over states.” Nationwide, people often consider this area someplace to cross as fast as possible, and many of us don’t think we have much in common with the states on the coasts either. Ag states do, however, have a huge impact on the economy and food production worldwide. Now is your chance to voice your opinions and to influence policy design.
Livestock producers inevitably deal with livestock death loss. Additionally, this requires them to dispose of the carcass in a proper manner. An option available to producers is composting of the livestock carcass. Learning the proper composting method is important to insure success of carcass decomposition.
As harvest has started on South Dakota’s corn crop all livestock producers are encouraged to test for aflatoxins due to prime environmental conditions for their development. Producers should consider testing their corn, DDG’s, corn gluten and silage piles when either purchasing or selling their feedstuffs.
SDSU Extension is soliciting applications for an exciting new learning opportunity for sheep producers called sheepSD. This 3 year course is modeled after SDSU Extension’s Beginning Farmer/Rancher Program called beefSD, sheepSD has adopted the American Sheep Industry Association Goals to grow the industry to a point of economic sustainability for all levels of the sheep industry.
The sheep industry in South Dakota is an integral part of agriculture production systems throughout the state. It is with great enthusiasm that SDSU Extension has placed a high priority on supporting the industry through efforts to help producers develop production programs that will not only provide sustainability, but promote an increasing number of sheep producers in the Northern Plains.
The purpose of the iGrow Sheep website is to provide easy access to SDSU Extension for educational sheep information, research based recommendations, event scheduling and up-to-date industry news. iGrow Sheep has 5 specific categories: Range Flock, Farm Flock, Youth, Sheep 101 (Basic) and Industry News & Events.
Noxious weed are problems for landowners and farmers regardless of what the year is like. Nearly 1.9 million acres of statewide noxious weeds were reported in 2012. Statewide losses from them exceed $140 million annually. Noxious weeds are characterized by their ability to spread rapidly and are not controlled by normal management practices.
Leafy spurge flea beetles will soon be emerging and can be found on the leafy spurge plants. Mid June is the normal time of the year when we start collecting the flea beetles for distribution in South Dakota. Now is the time to start watching for the emerging adult flea beetles, however with the cooler temperatures we have had this spring emergence of the flea beetles may be a week or so later than normal.
The history of federal involvement in soil preservation dates back to dust bowl era of the 1930’s with the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act. This was the first in a long series of ‘Farm Bills’ that continue to guide our soil and water conservation strategies today.
As livestock producers continue to make plans and adjustments for the upcoming grazing season it is important to consider all parameters affecting 2013 pasture conditions. Although turnout dates can vary with individual management schemes and location, many producers consider May 15 an initial target date.
During the April 24th webinar, South Dakota Natural Resources Conservation Service Rangeland Management Specialist, Stan Boltz, will introduce the South Dakota Drought Tool and discuss how it can be used to monitor growing conditions and guide the implementation of appropriate management responses if and when drought develops.
The topic of critical dates has received some discussion this spring, particularly in response to the “Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch” webinar series originating from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Webinars are presented the last Wednesday of each month this spring.
The Drought Mitigation Center is collaborating with several other agencies and organizations to offer monthly training webinars focused on drought responses for Great Plains ranchers. During the March 27th webinar, Pat Reece, former University of Nebraska-Lincoln Range Management Specialist, will discuss the Cumulative Forage Reduction Index.
The Drought Mitigation Center is collaborating with several other organizations to offer monthly training webinars focused on drought response. The February 27th webinar will deal with critical dates in more detail. Dwayne Rice, Rangeland Management Specialist for NRCS in Lincoln, KS has worked with Ted Alexander, a Barber County rancher, to develop procedures to identify and describe critical dates and suggest how appropriate action steps are planned.
The Drought Mitigation Center (DMI) housed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a number of functions related to both understanding historical aspects of drought and encouraging planning for anticipated future droughts. In response to the deep and widespread drought of 2012, the DMI is collaborating with several other agencies and organizations to offer monthly training webinars focused on drought responses for Great Plains ranchers.
Rangelands West was developed and is maintained by the Rangelands West Partnership, a collaboration of rangeland specialists and librarians from 19 land-grant universities. The partnership’s mission is to provide researchers, educators, and public and private land managers with electronic access to the full scope of research and educational information in the fields of rangeland ecology, management, and conservation by collecting, creating, evaluating, and organizing relevant data, information, and learning materials.
Proper newborn lamb care is a critical component of flock profitability. In the U.S. lamb mortality from all causes is approximately 20% with more than 80% of those losses occurring in the first two-weeks following lambing. Yet a solid lamb care management plan coupled with a few key tools in the lambing barn can sharply improve the number of lambs reared per-ewe. Generally, the top causes for newborn lamb losses are starvation, hypothermia (cold stress), respiratory disease, and scours followed by injury.
Acidosis (also known as lactic acidosis, grain overload, over-eating or grain poisoning) is a metabolic condition that most commonly occurs with lambs offered grain based diets, but can affect mature sheep.
The purpose of the iGrow Sheep website is to provide easy access to SDSU Extension for educational sheep information, research based recommendations, event scheduling and up-to-date industry news. iGrow Sheep has 5 specific categories: Range Flock, Farm Flock, Youth, Sheep 101 (Basic) and Industry News & Events.
With the historically high prices in the sheep industry, existing producers have received premium prices which ultimately act as an incentive for these producers to expand sheep operations. The enthusiasm to join into sheep production is unprecedented and directly linked to recent price trends for lamb and wool.
South Dakota Rangeland is one of the richest and most important biological resources in the state. The native vegetation of rangeland is the economic backbone of ranching. Rangeland provides essential wildlife habitat as well as being treasured for recreation and scenic beauty. It is the lifeline of streams, ponds and lakes.
Most of the time when one thinks of wool clothing, hot and scratchy wool coats or socks come to mind. You don’t think of soft wool peacoats and summer weight wool gauchos, or of lightweight wool blazers made to be worn in the spring or summer. Wool is a very versatile fabric that can be worn all year long.
So you’re thinking about breeding the doe you showed at the state fair. If she is in really good condition, theoretically she should cycle; female goats cycle every 18-21 days. If you turn in the Billy goat today, 150 days from now mark your calendar because the little one(s) will be arriving.
Are you an expert at recognizing sheep breeds? Now is your chance to show off your “skills” by identifying the breeds that were used in the 2012 South Dakota State Fair Sheep Skill-a-thon. Match the breed pictures in this article to the breed descriptions listed.
Mary Nold from Brookings County was named the first Sheep Premier Exhibitor at the 2012 South Dakota State Fair. South Dakota 4-H and SDSU Extension worked together to form the new Premier Exhibitor program that would recognize youth and their knowledge in the livestock project at the State Fair.
Most youth exhibiting sheep at the fair will slick shear their sheep to show off their sheep’s muscle and conformation, but what about the sheep that are shown with the wool left on?
New to the South Dakota State Fair 4-H Show, junior and senior age youth in the sheep project will be eligible to compete for Premier Exhibitor. The purpose of this award is to provide an opportunity for 4-H exhibitors to demonstrate their production and management skills in the sheep industry and be recognized for their excellence in the knowledge of their sheep projects.
It’s time to head off to the show, but before you can go everything needs to be loaded into the truck and trailer. You get a supply of feed and hay, load some bedding, put in a fan, add the trimming stand and now it’s time for the show box.
Youth interested in sheep production are encouraged to participate in a new event at the South Dakota State Fair; Sheep Skill-a-thon on Friday, August 31st from 4-8 pm.
As you feed and train your market lamb for show this summer, having an exercise plan for your lamb will impact the success the lamb has in the show ring. Just like in humans, exercise will increase muscle development and the animal’s appetite while toning the muscle to get the rock hard body look and touch.