Winter Grazing in South Dakota: Reid Suelflow’s Practical Approach to Corn Grazing and Bale Grazing
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Winter Grazing in South Dakota: Reid Suelflow’s Practical Approach to Corn Grazing and Bale Grazing
In January 2021 — the kind of January when South Dakota reminds you who’s in charge — Joe Dickey headed west from Minneapolis while I stayed gratefully at my desk in mild South Carolina.
Joe’s assignment was simple: document what winter feeding looks like when cattle stay out on the land.
He spent time with several producers that week — including Bart Carmichael, Harold Gaugler, Drew Anderson, Pat Guptill, and near White Lake, a fifth-generation farmer named Reid Suelflow.
Reid’s cattle weren’t standing in a yard waiting for a feed truck.
They were grazing.
A Fifth-Generation Farm, Managed Differently
“I run a small family farm south of White Lake,” Reid told Joe. “Primarily a cow-calf operation, and I have some farm ground.”
The Suelflow family settled there in 1884. Reid is the fifth generation. His children — ages ten, seven, and five — are the sixth.
About four years before Joe’s visit, Reid began grazing corn and incorporating bale grazing into his winter system.
“I was looking for a way to feed the cows in the winter at a lower cost and to keep them out in the fields spreading their manure.”
Instead of harvesting corn, hauling it home, feeding it in a yard, and hauling manure back out later, Reid leaves the feed in place. The cattle harvest it themselves.
“With my cows being trained to electric wire, it actually has worked pretty well for me.”
Using GPS on his loader tractor, he lays out precise strips before grazing so he knows exactly how much corn the cattle receive. When grazing standing corn, he often starts on the south side and works north — allowing the remaining corn to act as a windbreak against prevailing winter winds.
It’s simple. But it’s intentional.
Bale Grazing as a Soil Tool
Bale grazing serves a similar purpose.
Some producers set all their bales out in the fall. Reid prefers flexibility. Depending on conditions, he may set up a field in advance or haul bales out as needed.
“The bale grazing… you can use it to target certain areas that may have some fertility issues. It is a good way to add fertility to the soil.”
Rather than concentrating nutrients in a winter lot, manure and wasted hay are distributed exactly where improvement is needed.
The result? Fewer chores, less fuel, and fertility where it counts.
Economics Opened the Door. Soil Health Kept Him There.
Reid didn’t begin this shift because of philosophy.
He started by trying to improve margins.
“I was just looking for ways to maximize my land a little more.”
But as he researched and experimented, something changed.
“The more I learned about soil health and just the whole ecosystem function… it just makes sense to farm with nature.”
That simplicity doesn’t mean less management. It requires more observation.
“There’s a lot of management into it… you’ve got to learn as you go.”
Cover Crops, Bees, and Paying Attention
One field Joe visited was an experiment: 60-inch corn rows with soybeans planted between them, plus a diverse cover crop mix seeded into wetter areas — turnips, flax, sorghum, millet, and more.
Through EQIP and other NRCS programs, Reid installed cross-fencing, improved water access, and planted a shelterbelt. He also enrolled acres in a honeybee-focused EQIP program that supports flowering cover crop mixes.
“Part of it is I never used to pay attention,” he admitted.
That awareness may be one of the most important changes of all.
Practical Advice for Getting Started
For producers considering corn grazing or bale grazing:
Talk to someone in your area who’s doing it
Work with your local NRCS office
Watch videos and do the research
Build relationships and learn from others’ mistakes
Be prepared to clearly explain your approach to landowners
Winter feeding doesn’t have to mean confinement and constant hauling.
Sometimes it looks like electric wire stretched across standing corn — and a farmer who has learned to pay attention.
Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages:
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2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture.
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