Year-round sales of fuel blends containing 15 percent ethanol, or E15, is welcome news to John Killefer, the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at South Dakota State University. This recent decision gives farmers more opportunities to implement precision agriculture practices to grow the corn needed for ethanol production.
"The use of precision agriculture helps enhance environmental sustainability on South Dakota farms and ranches," Killefer said. "As the data-enabled management of cropland, grassland and cover crops expands, farmers can continue to improve the efficiency of water use, nutrient management, water quality and cropland and grassland health."
South Dakota State is the nation's first land-grant university to offer both a bachelor's degree and minor in precision agriculture. It recently broke ground on the Raven Precision Agriculture Center. The 129,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in fall 2021.
Contact Ag Communications Director Lora Berg at (605) 688-6579 to arrange an interview with Killefer.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 200 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 36 master’s degree programs, 15 Ph.D. and two professional programs. The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state.
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