Salinity often triggers a simple response: draw a line around the affected area, take it out of production, and manage it separately. While this can address visible symptoms—like white crusts and poor crop performance—it doesn’t solve the underlying issue. As NRCS Resource Conservationist Shane Jordan says, “You can box it out if you want—but it just keeps moving.” That’s because salinity isn’t the beginning of the problem; it’s where the system finally shows stress. When wat

Soil salinity is re-emerging across South Dakota fields. After a wet year followed by dry conditions, salts are rising to the surface. Here’s why—and what it means for producers.

Anthony Bly In 2023, NRCS’s Marcia Deneke and Kent Vlieger generously took time to guide me through the salinity challenges of South Dakota. We visited the Beadle County Dale Demonstration Farm, Cain Creek, producers like Scott and Jeff Hamilton — and finally sat down with Anthony Bly in Sioux Falls. At first, I couldn’t make sense of one question: Why would salinity increase when rainfall does too? More rain should be good, right? It took conversations with Kent, Ducks Unlim

By: Buz Kloot This summer (2024), as I began editing video footage from June 2023 (yes, I’m a bit behind), I realized I had my work cut out for me. We conducted interviews with several experts: Scott and Jeff Hamilton (of Hamilton Seed Mix fame), SDSU’s Anthony Bly, NRCS’s Kent Vlieger, Ducks Unlimited’s Bruce Toay and Matt Hubers, and the inimitable Frannie Fritz. The subject was salinity. If you’re driving east River (a very South Dakotan term for those outside the state),

Lee Briese By Cassidy Spencer Dr. Lee Briese is an independent crop consultant in East Central North Dakota, working directly with farmers. He conducts field checks, crop checks and recommendations, and generally refers to himself as a ‘plant doctor,’ “both literally and figuratively. I go out and do the checkups on the field and give the farmer a report and if we need to do anything I make prescriptions for that.” With a master’s degree in soil science, a doctorate in

By Cassidy Spencer Kent Cooley is a lifelong resident of South Dakota, with a diverse background spanning soil science, environmental management, and agronomy. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Soil Science and Environmental Management, followed by a master's degree in agronomy with a focus on soils, from South Dakota State University. He started his career with the Soil Conservation Service, mapping soils in the Northeast of South Dakota. He continued mapping soils in

Matt Huber By Cassidy Spencer Matt Hubers began as a district conservationist for NRCS and is now one of two agronomists who work with Ducks Unlimited, where he is currently focused on implementing the tenets of soil health on cropland that were originally wetland habitats for waterfowl. His work, studies, and farming practice have led him to an informed, widespread understanding of the South Dakota salinity crisis. He says we need to address it now, before the losses are f

In this week’s “Rodeo”, Jeff Hamilton shares with us the successes he’s starting to see in his unproductive, saline cropland areas when he started thinking about them differently. Jeff Hamilton farms with his brother Scott and his son John in east central South Dakota. They primarily grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and have started planting other forage crops on saline soils. Rye is also grown for seed, harvested as forage, and used for grazing. The farm supports 1200 beef ca

For this week’s “Resilience Rodeo”, discover Brian Johnson's shift from battling to allying with nature.