Range Science

Opportunity exists for basic or applied research through South Dakota State University in Range Science.

South Dakota State University provides an advantage of being a relatively small university which places a great deal of emphasis on teaching, research, and outreach to support good stewardship of resources that benefits everyone involved in range management.

Stipends of $14,000 with 2/3 tuition reduction for M.S. students are available.

Research Projects

Sustaining maximum use of mixed-grass prairie vegetation by summer and winter grazing.

This study will investigate the effects of timing and intensity of grazing winter-grazed pastures in the summer to increase the utilization of forages without damaging the resource.

Legume interseeding into cool-season grass pastures.

This study will evaluate various sod suppression techniques to aid the establishment of legumes in cool-season pastures.  Further study will be conducted on the appropriate grazing management to maintain legume persistence.

Interseeding warm-season grasses into existing cool-season grass pastures.

Can warm-season grasses co-exist with exotic or tame cool-season pastures species?  The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effectiveness of seeding technique and sod suppression technique on establishment of native warm-season grasses into existing cool-season pastures.

Biological control of western snowberry using goat grazing.

The absence of browsing herbivores has led to an increase in the invasiveness of woody plant species. Although the use of herbicides can be effective in controlling woody species, in certain situations their use can be undesirable. Consequently, this can limit the tools available to the land manager. The objectives of the study are to evaluate goat grazing on western snowberry plant cover, height, and density following grazing.

Using heavy-fall lamb grazing to reduce sagebrush cover in western South Dakota

We know that sheep can shift diet preferences depending on availability of green forage.  Observations have led to the hypothesis that heavy-fall grazing by sheep should reduce shrub cover in pastures dominated by sagebrush.