Our Amazing Grasslands, Larry Wagner ~ Brule County, South Dakota

"Maintaining grass is crucial for building soil health. In the winter, the grass captures snow providing moisture retention. This helps keep the roots alive and growing throughout the year, benefiting the overall microbial activity in the soil. This practice is particularly important, especially in years with challenging weather conditions."
Larry Wagner

In this five-minute video, we join Larry Wagner on his operation near Pukwana, South Dakota. With soil health practices, Larry's operation demonstrates the ability of his soils to take in water even in the dead of winter, and how the rested grasslands serve as habitat for nesting birds after winter.

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition (SDGC) partnered with the organizations listed below to enhance the Grassland Planner with a release of a short video story each month during 2024, promoting healthy soils, grasslands, and ecosystems. Please enjoy the "Our Amazing Grasslands" feature story for January 2024.

The 2024 Grassland Stewardship Communications Project Partners: SDGC, Audubon Dakota, Ducks Unlimited, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and South Dakota State University.

The 2024 Grassland Planner is now available!
For a PDF copy, visit the NRCS Publications webpage.
For a physical copy, contact the NRCS State Office at (605) 352-1200.
Get the Google Calendar version at bit.ly/SDGrasslandCalendar.

If you missed previous "Our Amazing Grassland" stories, they can be found here.

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