STURGIS, S.D. – New precision agriculture technology designed to help farmers improve their field scouting and livestock grazing will be demonstrated as part of the West River Research Farm Field Day next week. The event will run 3-7 p.m. MT on Wednesday, June 11, at 13370 Alkali Road, Sturgis.
While the West River Research Farm is known for conducting research on a variety of grains, livestock and soil health, this year, the scientists will focus on informing ranchers and farmers about the technology being tested on the ranch and farm.
“We want to show ranchers and farmers some of these newer technologies that are coming online that we’ve been working with,” Chris Graham, West River Research Farm manager and South Dakota State University professor, said. “Maybe they aren’t as accessible to the average rancher or farmer, so we want to show them what’s coming down the pike and how it can be used.”
Livestock producers will be particularly interested in the virtual fencing demonstration. This technology allows ranchers to track their herds in real time and even move them to specific areas within a pasture using computer software transmitting auditory and electric stimuli to the animals. Research conducted at SDSU shows promising results in using the fencing technology to practice rotational grazing, keep livestock away from sensitive areas and reduce overall inputs.
Another option for monitoring herd grazing and for scouting livestock is drones. Experts will be on-hand to demonstrate how drones and sensors can be used for scouting everything from livestock to cash crops to cover crops. There will be a specific demonstration on using this technology to detect crop stress.
“Especially today, ranchers and farmers are looking to become more efficient however they can,” Graham said. “We have a few years of experience with these technologies and are eager to share our work to help South Dakota producers better understand the options available to them.”
Additional topics will include technology that works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle and a tour of the various crop trials being conducted around the research farm
The West River Research Farm is a South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station research station. This field day is the first of six hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences that will take place across the state of South Dakota, with each presenting research conducted locally and of interest to local farmers.
A full list of the 2025 field days can be found here.
