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By Julia Gerlach Congratulations to former Dakota Lakes graduate student Clarence Winter on the successful completion of his master’s degree in plant science from South Dakota State University (SDSU). We wish you well as you embark on your next adventure as an...
A little over 40 years ago, a group of farmers decided to start a farmer-owned agricultural research farm in central South Dakota. Despite many challenges, these farmers rallied behind their vision and raised the necessary funds. In January of 1990 the Dakota Lakes...
By Julia Gerlach Cover crops are frequently praised for improving soil function, reducing erosion, and suppressing weeds, along with the other soil health benefits they provide. But finding a way to convert them from an expense to a profitable enterprise can sometimes...
This summer and fall, Dakota Lakes farm manager, Sam Ireland, consulting agroecologist, Dr. Cody Zilverberg, and research manager, Gary Waack, put their heads together to find a more efficient way to feed grain to the livestock herd to supplement their cover crop...
At Dakota Lakes Research Farm, Dwayne Beck (left), Sam Ireland (center) and Cody Zilverberg (right) show off the new Ford Lightning electric pickup that was recently delivered. It's just one piece of their overarching strategy to become fossil fuel neutral. By Dwayne...
Tuesday, Oct. 17, offered up a perfect October afternoon in rural South Dakota, with the wind gusting, the sun glinting off of Whitlock Bay in the distance, and the occasional bellowing of a recently-weaned calf. Occasional because the calf could still see, smell and...
Join Dakota Lakes Research Farm to learn how fenceline weaning can reduce the stress of separation between calves and dams, leading to better outcomes. In addition, speakers Dan Forgey, Corey Cronin and Monty Cronin will discuss other livestock and grass management...
By Sam Ireland In South Dakota, the fallow period between wheat harvest (July) and corn planting (the following April and May) presents an opportunity for cover crops. The state’s limited growing season restricts late-fall and winter plant growth, which narrows this...
At the Dakota Lakes field day on Thursday, July 6, 2023, Hoven, S.D., Dakota Lakes board member Brett Huber (above, left) talked about a July 7, 2022, storm that completely took out a 200-acre field of sunflowers. Faced with the prospect of a bare field for the...
Description: This position will contribute to the Agricultural Experiment Station’s mission of maintaining a high level of integrity with regards to research conducted at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm. The main contributions from this position will be fabrication,...
Just like people, wildlife needs food, shelter, and water not just to survive but to thrive. The farming practices we follow at Dakota Lakes nurture a robust ecosystem that provide for the needs not only of the deer and pheasants that are popular with local hunters and nature enthusiasts but also a diverse range of species that ideally keeps pests at bay naturally without the need for intensive pesticide intervention.
Much of the nutrient acquisition in plants is mediated by microbes, so soils that are home to a rich diversity of microbial life are better equipped to provide plants with their required nutrition effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have shown foods, including meat, grown under regenerative farming practices contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than those grown under conventional farming practices. While the science behind these studies is complex and sample sizes are small and highly variable, preliminary results suggest that regenerative practices can enhance the nutritional profile of many of the foods we eat.
Carbon is one of the best water filters known to man, and regenerative farming practices like no-till, cover crops, and livestock integration help to maintain or even increase soil carbon levels. Plants serve as natural “carbon pumps,” bringing carbon in from the atmosphere by way of photosynthesis and feeding it to soil microbes in the form of exudates. In addition, plants take up and hold onto nutrients that are mineralized in the soil, so keeping living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible goes a long way to preventing nutrient runoff into local waterways.
By following diverse cropping rotations, keeping a living root in the ground as much as possible, integrating livestock, maintaining good soil armor, and keeping soil disturbance to a minimum, we are nurturing the soil microbiome and providing favorable conditions for the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, insects, earthworms, and other living creatures that call the soil their home. Just a teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of microbes and our goal is to promote a natural, balanced environment that allows them to thrive.
