Planting Windbreaks to Survive Drouth in South Dakota

A Windbreak Is Worth Money to You. Besides the beauty and comfort a good windbreak adds to the farm home, many South Dakota farmers assert that a windbreak saves an actual $350 a year by reducing the feed livestock must eat to keep warm. The benefits of a windbreak are many: It protects buildings and equipment, reduces fuel consumption in the home, attracts and shelters birds which destroy insects. Without a windbreak to collect and hold snow and provide protection against hot drying and cold freezing winds, yard beautification with shrubs and flowers, and profitable production of fruit or vegetables is next to impossible. As the trees approach maturity, thinning to take out undesirable trees provide useful fuel, fence posts and farm repairs. (See more in text.