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Introducing SD Soybean’s New Curriculum

Soybeans hold immense potential not only in South Dakota fields, but also in South Dakota’s agriculture classrooms. Thanks to the support of the South Dakota Soybean Checkoff, a new agriculture curriculum launched in July for agriculture educators across the state.

This new curriculum places soybeans at the forefront of learning. With ten topics spanning various agricultural pathways, it integrates state standards while offering a fresh perspective on the versatile crop. From exploring soybean composition and diseases, to delving into soy’s applications in aquaculture, food processing, and biofuels production, each lesson promises engaging, hands-on experiences that will resonate with learners across the state.

Within the curriculum, an array of resources awaits educators, offering a comprehensive toolkit for classroom instruction. From detailed guides for teachers to reading materials for students, instructional aids, worksheets, supplementary resources, and engaging projects, each component is designed to enrich the classroom experience. The curriculum provides a wealth of information in different formats so educators can adapt the topics to their own classrooms and learners.

This curriculum project also includes funding for lab kits, curated to equip teachers with essential materials to implement the ten topics into their agriculture classroom. Each kit includes a copy of the curriculum and the materials for five hands-on labs for up to twenty students.

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No-Till vs Tillage: Why Neighboring Fields Are World Apart

Video: No-Till vs Tillage: Why Neighboring Fields Are World Apart

“No-till means no yield.”

“No-till soils get too hard.”

But here’s the real story — straight from two fields, same soil, same region, totally different outcomes.

Ray Archuleta of Kiss the Ground and Common Ground Film lays it out simply:

Tillage is intrusive.

No-till can compact — but only when it’s missing living roots.

Cover crops are the difference-maker.

In one field:

No-till + covers ? dark soil, aggregates, biology, higher organic matter, fewer weeds.

In the other:

Heavy tillage + no covers ? starving soil, low diversity, more weeds, fragile structure.

The truth about compaction?

Living plants fix it.

Living roots leak carbon, build aggregates, feed microbes, and rebuild structure — something steel never can.

Ready to go deeper into the research behind no-till yields, rotations, and profitability?