South Dakota Corn Best Management Practices

Early corn production techniques focused on maximizing yield and paid little regard to long-term sustainability. The effects of poor management practices were realized in the 1930s when drought reduced both plant growth and subsequent soil cover, leading to significant soil losses due to wind erosion. Wind erosion was so severe that people of the time referred to the Midwest and Great Plains as the “Dust Bowl” instead of as the “Cereal Bowl.” The Dust Bowl era led to the development of farming practices that strive to improve the quality of soil, water, and other natural resources. Production practices continue to evolve as more is learned. The ingenuity of producers, scientists, agronomists, policy makers, and others continues to hasten the evolution of flexible best management practices (BMP) that are economically viable, modifiable for local management and conditions, and field tested.

South Dakota Corn Best Management Practices provides a guide for selecting BMPs that consider both production and environmental-sustainability goals.

Want more information? See the related SARE grant(s) ENC07-095, Educational Curricula and Professional Development Training for Energy Efficient Production Practices.