Soil health applies to forage, pastures

Janelle Atyeo
Jul 27, 2026
5 hrs ago

1 of 2

Dave Ollilla looks over his pasture land in early June. This summer, he is using virtual fencing and GPS collars to graze his cattle and sheep together.

Tri-State Neighbor photo by Janelle Atyeo

SDSU Extension Sheep Field Specialist Jaelyn Whaley takes forage clippings from a pasture to measure production.

Tri-State Neighbor photo by Janelle Atyeo

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Janelle Atyeo

Dave Ollila’s regenerative approach to ranching started for practical reasons.

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Sheep production Ollila (135).JPG — Dave Ollila explains how he manages his pastures with rotational grazing and virtual fencing on his Newell, S.D., ranch.
Tri-State Neighbor photo by Janelle Atyeo

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Sheep production Ollila (198).JPG — SDSU Extension Sheep Field Specialist Jaelyn Whaley takes forage clippings from Dave Ollila's pasture to measure production.
Tri-State Neighbor photo by Janelle Atyeo

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Sheep production Ollila (114).JPG — Dave Ollila's sheep graze a pasture east of Newell, S.D., in early June. Using GPS collars, he can implement targeted grazing to help control weeds.
Tri-State Neighbor photo by Janelle Atyeo

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Raised in small town South Dakota, Janelle is enjoying her time as editor of Tri-State Neighbor and Midwest Messenger while raising kids, chickens and no till vegetables in central Sioux Falls. Reach her at janelle.atyeo@lee.net.