Reproduction and Dispersal of Biological Soil Crust Organisms

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) consist of a diverse and highly integrated community of organisms that effectively colonize and collectively stabilize soil surfaces. BSCs vary in terms of soil chemistry and texture as well as the environmental parameters that combine to support unique combinations of organisms—including cyanobacteria dominated, lichen-dominated, and bryophyte-dominated crusts. The list of organismal groups that make up BSC communities in various and unique combinations include—free living, lichenized, and mycorrhizal fungi, chemoheterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, diazotrophic bacteria and archaea, eukaryotic algae, and bryophytes. The various BSC organismal groups demonstrate several common characteristics including—desiccation and extreme temperature tolerance, production of various soil binding chemistries, a near exclusive dependency on asexual reproduction, a pattern of aerial dispersal over impressive distances, and a universal vulnerability to a wide range of human-related perturbations. With this publication, we provide literature-based insights as to how each organismal group contributes to the formation and maintenance of the structural and functional attributes of BSCs, how they reproduce, and how they are dispersed. We also emphasize the importance of effective application of molecular and microenvironment sampling and assessment tools in order to provide cogent and essential answers that will allow scientists and land managers to better understand and manage the biodiversity and functional relationships of soil crust communities

Ten Steps in Planning Your Farm or Ranch Business

This is a companion to Management guide for planning a. farm or ranch business (EC 716) and Livestock budgets and planning prices (EMC 666). Forms are provided so that in ten easy steps you can. organize your business in various ways to see which looks most promising. You ma.y either use your own information or the average figures from the management guide and livestock enterprise budgets

Guidebook for Planning a Farm or Ranch Business

This farm business planning guide is designed to help you plan for more profitable use of land, capital, labor, and management. The estimates are based on slightly above average management. It is intended as a handy reference to guide individual farm planning, Extension and vocational agriculture farm management and planning programs, and to generally help promote more efficient agricultural production on South Dakota farms and ranches. Budget information is provided for common cash and feed grain crops, forage crops, and 50 different livestock ente/prise situations. The data provided are based primarily on information from published and unpublished materials provided by Experiment Station and Extension personnel at South Dakota State University. Data not available from South Dakota were estimated from farm record summaries, costs of production studies, farm planning handbooks, and experiment station reports from other North Central States. For more detailed information in specific enterprise areas contact your county Extension office. In addition, anyone using this manual who needs additional information is invited to check with farm management Extension specialists at South Dakota State University. They can provide supplementary material

Economics of Sheep Production

In December of 1968, a Sheep Symposium on Production and Management was held at Wooster, Ohio. This symposium was one of a series of symposia held throughout the country to look at problems of the sheep industry. At the meeting at Wooster, we used a standard format to look at the economics of sheep enterprises. The format that we are using today is one developed for that meeting based on sheep budgets in South Dakota Extension Circular 633, Guidebook for Planning a Farm or Ranch Business

Rates Paid for Custom Work in South Dakota

This publication shows average rates and the rates most frequently reported for the major custom operations performed on farms and ranches in the state. These rates are shown for the state as a whole and for six economic areas