SAVE THE DATE FOR THE DAKOTA LAKES ANNUAL FIELD DAY!

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Join us for our Field Day on June 27!

South Dakota State University’s Dakota Lakes Research Farm (DLRF) will host its annual field day on June 27, 2024. It will begin at 3:00 PM (CST) and run until dark.

Two field tours will be offered (each lasting roughly 1.5 hours, and each running twice). Visitors
will have the opportunity to attend both tours. A description of each tour and the presenters is
shown below.

Tour 1

  • Overview of the Cropping Year and Update of On-going Research – Sam Ireland; Manager
    DLRF (SDSU)
  • Winter Wheat and Crop Variety Testing – Sunish Sehgal, SDSU Associate Professor
  • Oats and Forage Oats – Melanie Caffe, Assistant Professor, SDSU Oat Breeder
  • Pea Variety Trials – Chris Graham, SDSU Associate Professor

Tour 2

  • Importance of Crop Rotation and Impact to Soil Carbon Dynamics- Dwayne Beck, DLRF
    Manager Emeritus
  • Pasture Restoration- Cody Zilverberg, DLRF Consulting Scientist

Dakota Lakes Research Farm Corporation purchased 480 acres last fall (240 acres of cropland).
If attendees are interested in seeing the progress of the new land, please arrive before 1:00 PM
(CST).

The field day is sponsored by the Dakota Lakes Research Farm Corporation and South Dakota
State University. A meal will be provided for attendees. There is no cost or required
registration.

The farm is located approximately 17 miles east of Pierre on Hwy 34 (21310 308th Avenue;
Pierre, SD). For more information on the SDSU Dakota Lakes Research Farm Field Day contact
Hannah Weinheimer at 605-224-6357 or at sdsu.dlrf.secretary@sdstate.edu.

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.