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With roots in Brookings, South Dakota, Millborn Seeds helps bring to life healthy vegetation across the midwestern landscape. |
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Leopold Award Applications Due March 9th In his influential book, "A Sand County Almanac," Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. The development of a land ethic was, he wrote, "an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity." A land ethic is alive and well today in the thousands of American farmers, ranchers and foresters who do well by their land and do well for their land. Sand County Foundation proudly presents its Leopold Conservation Award to a private landowner who exemplifies the spirit of a land ethic - an individual or a family committed to enhancing the natural resources that are in their care. If this describes you or a landowner you know, visit www.sandcounty.net for more information and application details. On The Road with Millborn: Millborn Seeds Hosts Forage & Cover Crop Workshops  More than 175 landowners from across the state attended the Forage & Cover Crop Workshops hosted by Millborn Seeds earlier this month. During the workshops, Forage & Alfalfa Specialist, Eric Mousel and Forage & Cover Crop Specialist, Justin Fruechte addressed forage issues and shared management practices and products that will help livestock and forage producers overcome challenges and maximize yields. If you weren't able to attend don't worry! We posted informative video presentations on YouTube. Call Eric or Justin with questions any time, 888-498-7333. Eric & Alaina Mousel Welcome Katie Mae  Forage & Alfalfa Specialist Eric Mousel & his wife, Alaina welcomed their daughter, Katie Mae Feb 9. |
New Alfalfa Varieties are Saline & Grazing Tolerant
South Dakota alfalfa producers have two new varieties to consider this growing season. SalinityMax Alfalfa is a salt tolerant variety developed to thrive in saline soils and PasturePlus Alfalfa is a grazing tolerant variety, developed to thrive in pasture mixes. These varieties were developed in the Dakotas to solve two common challenges South Dakota alfalfa producers face. And, they both carry disease, nematode and insect resistant packages as good as any conventional variety of alfalfa. Reclaiming the Soil SalinityMax will actually draw the salt out of the soil over time. Growers can use it to correct a soil. Once the soil is healthy, growers can go in and plant the acres back to cash crops. This variety also succeeds in high moisture soils that do not have salinity issues. A Grazing Companion Its root system isn't its only structural difference. PasturePlus Alfalfa is also a more palatable plant, making this alfalfa variety very compatible with grass because it doesn't have as much lignin and structural carbohydrates, which lends to higher nutritional quality. To learn more about SalinityMax and PasturePlus alfalfa, or the selection of Roundup Ready varieties Millborn Seeds has to offer, contact me at 888-498-7333 or ericm@millbornseeds.com. |
2011 Leopold Conservation Winner Shares his Story
A few days ago, Todd Mortenson came upon five coyotes playing like puppies. The third-generation Stanley County rancher says it was an experience he'll never forget. "I'd never seen this before. They were jumping into the air and wrestling each other in the grass. Of course I'd seen domestic puppies do this, but it was neat to see this in the wild," says Todd, who considers coyotes more of a partner than an enemy in the management of his ranch. "They have their place here. When I'm calving they clean up the placentas, they eat vermin and mice - they are part of this ecosystem, I feel that I need to work with them and realize that they have their place." Todd's outlook on his relationship with coyotes pretty much sums up his philosophy on land management and caring for the land he took over from his dad, Clarence, in the early '80s. The Mortenson Ranch borders the Cheyenne River. Inspired by his father, who in the 1940s began restoring the land to its natural state to help conserve and retain water, Todd manages his land and its resources in sync with nature. His rotational grazing schedule imitates buffalo grazing patterns. He began a more holistic grazing program about 20 years ago after the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe made it a part of a land lease contract. "They wanted to use my cattle as a management tool to graze the prairie like the buffalo - I watched what happened and noticed that it made quite a difference," says Todd, who ranches with wife, Deb and their sons, Quinn, 19 and Jack, 16. In the spring, his cattle graze grasses in riparian areas while stamping seeds into the ground to help establish trees and grasses. In summer, the cattle are moved to the uplands. In the 1990s, researchers observed a substantial increase in native tree and shrub species along the ranch's streams, as well as an impressive increase in wildlife populations. In addition, Todd and his family's efforts have led to a significant decrease in sediment flowing through creeks on the ranch. Due to practices like these, more than 90 percent of the 19,000-acre ranch is back to native grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees. To learn more about the Leopold Conservation Award and the Mortenson family visit, http://sandcounty.net/. |
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MILLBORN SEEDS | 1335 Western Avenue | Brookings, SD 57006 | P: 605-697-6306 | TF: 888-498-7333 | F: 888-471-1706 |