Urban Agriculture

S.D. Specialty Producers Association Partners with Natural Resources Conservation Service on Urban Agriculture Initiative Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SDSPA) have formed a partnership to build the capacity of local partners’ knowledge to develop and implement effective strategies in supporting producers. Learn more.

Latest SDSPA Resources

Video: Seed Starting: Seed to Sprout

Presenter: Alan Kissinger, Seed Savers Exchange Description: Alan Kissinger is the greenhouse coordinator at Seed Savers Exchange. His adventures in horticulture have taken him from his hometown in Ohio to Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and ultimately to Iowa. More than his fascination with plants and their inextricable

Video: Garden Friends and Foes

Presenter: Amanda Bachmann, SDSU Extension Description: SDSU Entomology Field Specialist Amanda Bachmann, PHD will be visiting with us about common insect friends and foes you may find in your South Dakota urban ag operation. She will go over identification, how to determine if the insect is a

Video: Transitioning from Traditional to Regenerative Agriculture

Presenter: Eric Fuchs, Southeast Missouri Producer Description: Learn about Eric Fuchs’s journey into regenerative ag and use of Holistic Planned Grazing on his diversified livestock operation. Eric Fuchs lives in Southeast Missouri on a diversified livestock operation where he raises hair sheep and contract grazes all classes

Video: Cultivating Morels for Production

Presenter: Erin Hamilton, The Mushroom Conservatory Description: Listen to Erin Hamilton, the founder and chief mycologist of The Mushroom Conservatory discuss her deep commitment to fungi and their potential to transform our world. Recorded: Dec. 3, 2024 This segments been funded under a Conservation Collaboration Cooperative Agreement

Video: The Down and Dirty of Compost

Presenter: Zach Wright, Lab Director & Compost Consultant for Living Soil Compost Description: Zach Wright discusses and answer questions about producing compost and how soil and plants benefit from compost and explain how compost is a living soil additive. This event has been rescheduled for our guests convenience.

Video: Innovative Approaches to Specialty Production Harnessing Drip Irrigation Systems

Presenter: Dr. Xinhua Jia, NDSU Professor of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering and Director of ND Water Resources Research Description: Drip irrigation is a micro-irrigation system designed to conserve water and nutrients by delivering water gradually to the roots of plants. This can be done from above the

For a complete listing of SDSPA videos, publications, podcasts and recommended resources visit our Resource Library.

USDA Resources for Urban Ag

Ag Loans for Cold Storage

Ag Loans for Cold Storage The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) now offers Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) to support the implementation of controlled atmosphere storage for agricultural producers of perishable commodities like fruits, vegetables, and flowers. This technology extends shelf life by regulating

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Introduction to the NRCS Conservation Plan

Introduction to the NRCS Conservation Plan The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) whose main mission to provide producers with knowledge and services to assist them in conserving their natural resources while still producing an agricultural commodity.  NRCS

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Deadline to Submit Initial Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Paperwork Approaching

The deadline to submit initial paperwork Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is approaching on November 3rd! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve your farm’s efficiency and sustainability. This month on our Facebook News Feed, we’re highlighting several practices supported by NRCS EQIP, from extending your

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Upcoming Events

‘Urban Ag’ Office Hours (Week of March 17th)

NRCS staff and specialty producers are welcome to contact the SDSPA Urban Agriculture Liaison, Malisa Niles, with questions, or advice on specialty production at 605-933-1282. Questions or research topics may be submitted anytime by email at sdspa.urbanag@gmail.com. Tuesday | 9 AM- 1 PM Central Thursday | 9 AM-

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‘Urban Ag’ Office Hours (Week of March 24th)

NRCS staff and specialty producers are welcome to contact the SDSPA Urban Agriculture Liaison, Malisa Niles, with questions, or advice on specialty production at 605-933-1282. Questions or research topics may be submitted anytime by email at sdspa.urbanag@gmail.com. Tuesday | 9 AM- 1 PM Central Thursday | 9 AM-

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Webinar: Soil Health Under High Tunnels

Soil in a high tunnel needs special considerations and management to maintain soil health. Natalie Hoidal, Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota will go over soil health factors and considerations in high tunnels and will offer recommendations for improved soil thus plant health. This segment has

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Visit SDSPA’s Event Calendar to see all upcoming trainings, tours and other events.

Resources

Upper Midwest Urban & Rural Ag Innovation Conference
USDA Resources for Urban AG

In the News