Foxley Farm Field Day and Tour

Farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and community members are invited to attend a field day hosted by Dakota Lakes Research Farm and board member Blake Foxley on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Foxley Farm, located at 27127 312 Ave., Winner, South Dakota.

This on-farm event will explore strategies for improving soil health and productivity through diverse and regenerative practices. Attendees will gain insights from hands-on demonstrations and discussions led by regional experts and local practitioners.

Field Day Topics Include:

  • The importance and challenges of a diverse crop rotation
  • Livestock integration when you don’t own cattle
  • Converting cropland back to grass
  • Water infiltration under different management scenarios
  • Cover crop forage options with Sara Bauder, SDSU Extension Forage Field Specialist

This event is free and open to the public. Whether you’re looking to refine your current practices or explore new ideas, this field day offers valuable knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities with producers and professionals committed to land stewardship. For questions or to RSVP, email manager@dakotalakes.com or call 605-224-6357.

Join us on June 17 to see regenerative ag in action.

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Date

Jun 17 2025

Time

9:00 am - 11:30 am

Ample Wildlife

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.

Healthy Food

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.

Clean Water

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.

Living Soils

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.