SDState - Department of Animal Science

05/29/2026

National Beef Month calls for a spotlight on a club that advocates, educates and celebrates the beef community! 🐮

The SDSU Collegiate Cattlemen’s Club is all about fueling passion for the beef industry. With nearly 100 active members, the club works to promote the beef industry, connect student and build future leaders in agriculture.

Each month, members hear from industry professionals in animal health, nutrition, reproduction, finance, beef production and more. Members also take an annual spring trip that brings real world learning to life.

The club stays active with events like a gingerbread barn competition, paint the town, ice cream socials, Little International and an Ag in the Classroom series teaching Brookings second graders about beef.

05/29/2026

Have you registered for the Clover Classic yet?

The Clover Classic will take place June 15-16 in Brookings, SD and will host ❗️EIGHT❗️ contests including the:
💥SD 4-H State Livestock Judging Contest and the
💥SD 4-H State Livestock Skill-A-Thon Contest.

⏳Registration closes June 1 at 11:59 PM CT.
All the information you need can be found using the link below. ⬇️
https://extension.sdstate.edu/event/south-dakota-4-h-clover-classic

05/28/2026

A legacy rooted in innovation, now shaping the future of livestock technology. 🌾🐮
Thanks to a transformational gift of farmland from Dick and Jeune Nicolai, SDSU is establishing the Richard and Jeune Nicolai Endowed Chair in Precision Livestock Systems.

Dick’s lifelong passion for agricultural innovation sparked his vision to close the gap in precision livestock technology education. This gift will support a new faculty position, expand research and strengthen SDSU’s precision agriculture education for years to come.

Read more about this gift here: https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2026/05/gift-farmland-aims-close-gap-precision-agriculture-technology-sdsu

05/28/2026

Join us this summer for the SDSU Field Days and get a first-hand look at the cutting-edge research happening across South Dakota’s agricultural field stations. Enjoy guided tours, meet university and SDSU Extension experts and see the latest innovations in action. All events are free and registration is encouraged so we can plan food and resources. 🌾🐮

➡️Full Field Day Details: https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2026/05/south-dakota-agricultural-experiment-station-field-days-announced
➡️Registration: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=6fu-G57LYkq9EKKmCxooxRrxWEpJ20ZCsbKNHrC4tb1UOEpJR1NHVTEwNE9BNzhQQzdHRFhOU1pKNi4u

05/27/2026

During this video you will learn the proper process, requirements and deadlines for RFID tagging and DNA collection for your beef before show season from War...

05/27/2026

Reminder for South Dakota 4-H families: several key deadlines are approaching quickly!

05/24/2026

Congratulations, Reanna! 🎉

Reanna Byrnes-Schoen successfully defended her master's thesis titled "Effects of Corn Processing Methods on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Gastrointestinal Health in Ruminants Fed Finishing Diets."

Her advisor was Dr. Zach Smith.

05/23/2026

Success has carried over from one year to the next for the South Dakota State University Livestock Judging program. Last year’s team had a successful run, and this year’s team is continuing that momentum as members move through their competition schedule.

🔗 Read more at: https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2026/05/sdsu-livestock-judging-team-finds-success-across-two-seasons

SDSU Livestock Judging Team, SDState - College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

05/22/2026

What happens when swine diets containing corn or dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) are contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON)? Our swine research team is helping answer important questions like this. Read more about their work by clicking the link below.

What levels begin to impact growth performance and f***l consistency of nursery pigs and subsequent growth performance?