Learning About Salinity: A Journey from Confusion to Clarity
- Jul 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 19
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 Unlimited’s Matt Hubers, and especially Anthony Bly to open my eyes to the bigger picture.
The turning point came when I understood that salinity isn’t caused by any one thing — it’s a perfect storm.
The geology of the James River Valley — salty Pierre Shale soils just below the surface — sets the stage.
The geography — a broad, slow-draining valley — compounds it.
The climate — several decades of wetter-than-normal years — lifts those hidden salts closer to the surface.
And then, over the past few decades, necessary and understandable changes in agriculture added to the pressure:
Loss of pasture, rangeland, and perennial systems that once helped use excess water.
Fewer small grains and more soybeans, crops that don’t draw down water tables the same way.
Market signals encouraging certain rotations and land uses, in response to larger global needs.
As Anthony put it:
“Farmers are receiving market signals to do certain things. What creates the market signal? It’s the support from the system. So is it anyone’s specific fault? No, it’s not. It’s a societal problem”.
That helped me see:
Increased rainfall didn’t cause salinity — it revealed vulnerabilities shaped by geology, geography, climate, and years of honest, well-intentioned management decisions.
When we tried to talk about salinity early on — with blog posts, long videos — the response was modest. After all, salinity isn’t a flashy topic.
But when we shared short, 30-second video clips distilling Anthony’s holistic perspective, people engaged.
Maybe it was the format. Maybe it was Anthony’s clarity.
I think it was because the message wasn't about blame — it was about seeing the land clear-eyed, and with hope.
In the end, salinity is a symptom of a broken water cycle — landscapes that were once in balance are now more variable.
It’s not anyone’s fault.
But it is everyone’s opportunity — to respond, adapt, and move forward with the land in mind.
Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages:
1. Podcast page for drought planning fact sheets, Q&As, news, podcasts, and more.
2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture.
3. Follow Growing Resilience on social media:
4. Our homepage: www.growingresiliencesd.com
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