sdviking
Active member
By now a lot of us have driven up Interstate 29 to South Dakota to hunt some birds. If you were fortunate to drive through Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and lower South Dakota during day light hours, you might have noticed how the crop land is managed. In North Western Missouri you noticed the flooded corn fields in preperation for the anticipated Migratory migration. In Nebraska and Iowa you noticed the farmers combining and then turning the ground black in preperation for next Springs planting. Most of South Dakota the harvest was on going and that some fields still have fence rows with good cover.
Since South Dakota still has some fence row cover and that a majority of the fields are not prepared for Spring planting in the Fall, there is still good habitat for wildlife.
Observations:
Tiling of fields is happening in South Dakota which will reduce the number and size of some sloughs. But in other locations the standing water areas will actually increase. Around our place the water is being pushed to pasture land when possible.
Lots of shelter belts being removed so that more land can be put into crop land.
Fences continue to be removed due to fewer farmers putting cattle on the land after harvest like in the past. Fewer need for fences.
Fields are a lot cleaner(weed free) due to increased spraying, increasing crop production.
Ditches and land easment areas continue to shrink due to getting as much crop in as possible.
Some of the best shelter belts, ground cover and winter forage is along the farmstead, that seems to be the area the wildlife moves towards in bad weather.
I understand that big farming requires preparing a certain amount of land in the Fall so it can be planted immediately in the Spring, because the farmer just doesn't have the time to prepare and plant all of his land in the Spring, just not enough time in the day. But it's not a good sight when a lot of land is tilled in the Fall.
Not sure what I am trying to say, just a few observations. And I thank all those that put the energy into preserving good habitat for the wildlife. SDviking
Since South Dakota still has some fence row cover and that a majority of the fields are not prepared for Spring planting in the Fall, there is still good habitat for wildlife.
Observations:
Tiling of fields is happening in South Dakota which will reduce the number and size of some sloughs. But in other locations the standing water areas will actually increase. Around our place the water is being pushed to pasture land when possible.
Lots of shelter belts being removed so that more land can be put into crop land.
Fences continue to be removed due to fewer farmers putting cattle on the land after harvest like in the past. Fewer need for fences.
Fields are a lot cleaner(weed free) due to increased spraying, increasing crop production.
Ditches and land easment areas continue to shrink due to getting as much crop in as possible.
Some of the best shelter belts, ground cover and winter forage is along the farmstead, that seems to be the area the wildlife moves towards in bad weather.
I understand that big farming requires preparing a certain amount of land in the Fall so it can be planted immediately in the Spring, because the farmer just doesn't have the time to prepare and plant all of his land in the Spring, just not enough time in the day. But it's not a good sight when a lot of land is tilled in the Fall.
Not sure what I am trying to say, just a few observations. And I thank all those that put the energy into preserving good habitat for the wildlife. SDviking
I'm sure you've hit some of those newer CREP lands. If only such a program can be expanded throughout the entire state of SD and other states like IL. What an enormous difference that would make!