A More Sustainable Tomorrow: It all starts with a seed.
No matter where you live, we all want healthy, productive soil and access to clean water. Protecting the vital resource of soil is necessary for our planet’s survival, and for the livelihoods of our state’s 29,000 farm and ranch families.
Whether it’s for recreation at our beloved rivers and lakes, irrigation for crops or for livestock to drink, clean water is an essential part of the equation as well.
Farmers and ranchers of today are adopting practices to replenish soil fertility, reduce water loss, manage crop diseases and pests, and boost yields.
The farmer of a century ago (or even a few decades ago) cannot produce enough to feed our planet. Feeding the world’s growing population requires continual changes to advance with technology.
To accomplish this lofty goal, farmers are using cover crops, advanced seed genetics, and high-tech helpers like satellites and drones. What will the farmers of tomorrow need?
Instead of making decisions that blanket an entire field, farmers can now focus in on every inch of soil, applying exactly what is needed, when and where it’s needed. This is best for the soil, the crop, and the farmer’s bottom line.
By making decisions based on detailed data, farmers and ranchers conserve water, reduce inputs, and capture carbon to help the environment.
That’s right, the ag industry also plays a key role in providing solutions to address climate change concerns.
In fact, corn is being turned into low-carbon jet fuel right here in our state!
Thanks to our state’s quality corn production, 16 biorefineries currently call South Dakota home. They turn millions of bushels of corn into millions of gallons of ethanol, a biofuel that benefits us all with 46% lower greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicles.
Because the earth depends on us to care for the soil, the air, and the water.
And it all starts with a seed that grows into corn in South Dakota. This is farming.
