Filtering by category: "Rural Dictionary" | Displaying 1 - 10 of 12
4/12/2019 - Crop rotation is the systematic planting of different crops in a particular order over several years in the same growing space. According to SDSU Extension, benefits of good crop rotation are numerous and include reduced soil erosion and improved soil water management, soil tilth, and fertility. A... Read More
2/6/2019 - Farmers have many ways of improving soil fertility, sustainability, and preventing soil erosion. One way farmers do this is by planting cover crops, which are typically planted after a crop like corn or soybeans is harvested. According to SDSU Extension, cover crops are generally defined as crop... Read More
1/11/2019 - During the winter, South Dakota crop farmers are busy reviewing how their crops performed the previous year and making plans for the next growing season. After harvest, farmers calculate how much corn, soybean, wheat or other crops were produced on their field. Crop yield is the term for t... Read More
11/1/2018 - Hen – The female turkey. A hen will lay about 100 eggs in 6 months. Hens don’t gobble, instead they make a clicking noise. Hens are also raised for meat and are most often sold as a whole turkey, like the kind we eat at Thanksgiving. Tom – The male turkey. Males are bigger than fema... Read More
10/1/2018 - It's Pork Month! Take a minute to learn a couple common pig terms. Nursery Barn Pigs are weaned at 3 to 4 weeks of age. At this time, they are ready to leave their mother and eat solid food. Pigs will often be moved to a nursery barn where they live for 5 to 8 weeks, or until they are about 50... Read More
9/7/2018 - Silage (noun) – A crop that is chopped, packed, and sealed to ferment. Most commonly found in the form of corn or alfalfa. The crop is cut while green and has high moisture content. After chopping, the crop is put in a pile, and heavy tractors drive on top to get out extra air. The pile is cov... Read More
8/3/2018 - Showmanship (noun) – In this type of livestock show, participants are judged on their ability to show their animals. A good showman will know how to set up their animal so it looks it’s best. They are also aware of their placement in the ring, take hand signals from the judge or ringman, a... Read More
7/10/2018 - On a crop farm you might hear the farmer talking about pollination or flowering during the summer months. These processes are very important because this is the first step in the actual production of the corn and soybean crops by developing the flowers into grains. Usually lasts about one week... Read More
6/18/2018 - Hello Everyone! My name is Morgan Kohl and I am excited to be serving as the 2018-19 South Dakota Dairy Princess. I recently graduated from Waverly-South Shore High School. This fall, I plan on attending South Dakota State University for a double major in dairy production and animal science. I pla... Read More
6/1/2018 - Parlor (n.) : When on a dairy you might hear the farmer say that the cows are in the parlor. The parlor or milking parlor, refers to a room in or attached to the barn on a modern dairy farm that is maintained exclusively for the milking of cows. This is the room where the cows go to be milked, usu... Read More
