“In the first 10 years, we saw a 30% increase in stocking rate, and we’ve maintained that over the years. The land has become healthier every year since. So now we’re 30 years into this, or 25 really, and we’re seeing some really good things with plant diversity, higher plant populations, and higher organic matter in the soil. When it rains, water soaks into the ground more now than it used to, by a lot. So we are more drought resilient. We’ve grown grass in every drought since the 90s. Some grass, anyway. That part has been a big benefit.” - Dan Rasmussen
About the video series
The “Our Amazing South Dakota Grasslands” campaign was created in 2018 with the goal of better communicating the importance and value of grasslands and soil resources throughout the state. This campaign strives to better show what South Dakota farmers and ranchers are doing to protect and enhance these resources. Each video was created utilizing footage from interviews with South Dakota farmers and ranchers and showcases footage of their farming and ranching operations.
If you missed previous 2023 "Our Amazing Grassland" stories, the links are below:
January: Ollila Family, Newell, SD
February: Breyer and Wollschlager Families
March: Sander Family
April: Fagerland Family
May: Dutton Family
June: Bien Family
July: Holt Family