Northeastern Montana Ag Crops and Weather

Pulse Day to be held in Wolf Point, Feb. 15

2012-02-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

Montana State University Extension and North Dakota State University are collaborating to present MonDak Pulse Day on February 15, 2012 at the Elks Club in Wolf Point, Montana. More than twelve years ago, Extension personnel in both Montana and North Dakota saw a need to address agronomic questions related to the rising amount of pulse production (peas, chickpeas and lentils) being done in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana. Today this area, known affectionately as the MonDak area, produces 88% of the peas, 86% of lentils and 18% of chickpeas grown in the United States. Agents from both states met and discussed the feasibility of holding a seminar around pulse production. The annual MonDak Pulse Day is the result of that shared effort. The workshop strives to bring together producers, researchers and industry in an atmosphere of collaboration and commonality. Montana is proud to be hosting the twelfth occurrence of this highly successful program. Registration begins at 8:30 am (MDT) and there is a $20 fee. Lunch, sponsored by Northern Pulse Growers and educational materials are included in the fee. Three private applicator credits and five commercial and governmental credits in the Dealer, Demonstration & Research, Ag Plant Pest, Right of Way, Regulatory Weed and Aerial categories, are being offered for attending the program.

The meeting kicks off with our top three challenges in pulse production. Brian Jenks, Weed Scientist for NDSU North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) will start off the program with a discussion of pulse production’s number one challenge- weed management. After our long snowy winter and excessively wet spring and early summer our number two challenge - disease issues and management will be presented by Michael Wunsch, Plant Pathologist for NDSU at the Carrington Research Center. The third challenge pest problems will be presented by Dr. Daniel Waldstein, NDSU Area Extension Crop Protection Specialist.

We shift gears right before lunch and learn how pulse production improves wheat yields, soil health and a producer’s bottom line. Dr. Perry Miller, MSU Professor; Land Resources and Environmental Sciences will discuss the long term value of pulses in rotation with wheat. Soil biology and the importance of soil quality will be presented by Dr. Catherine Zabinski, MSU Associate Professor; Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Brian Jenks steps up to the podium again and offers a discussion of desiccation research and restrictions.

Shannon Berndt, Executive Director or Kaye Effertz, Marketing Director of Northern Pulse Growers Association will provide an industry update and Leta Campbell will be speaking live from India via Skype where she will be attending the India Pulse Conclave. Leta will talk about Pulse Check-Off dollars and how they help to breathe life into the pulse industry – from farm to table.

Please join us for this valuable day of learning, connecting and networking. For more information please contact Ann Ronning, MSU Roosevelt County Extension Ag Agent: aronning@montana.edu 406-787-5312; Keith Brown, NDSU Extension Agent in Divide County: Keith.Brown@ndsu.edu 701-965-6501; or Shelley Mills, MSU Valley County Ag Agent: smills@montana.edu 406-228-6241.

Winter Drought???

2012-01-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

You hate to throw the a word like drought around so maybe I shouldn't have given this post that heading. But it does get one's attention.

As far as Richland County is concerned, we really have not had much snow accumulation to speak of this winter. As I look out my window today I see bare ground and sunshine. This weather is nice if one is planning on doing anything outdoors but it does not do much to re-charge soil moisture. The soil moisture censors that were installed with the Richland County weather station project don't seem to be working at this time. Suffice to say, however, that some form of moisture would be beneficial.

The All American Beef Batalion

2012-01-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

I hope he does not mind, but I am going to steal some of Trent Loos' words. It will not be an exact quote but I think I can paraphrase it fairly well. When Trent was in Sidney to speak at our annual banquet during the MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show, he mentioned what he felt were two of the most important people in our nation and should be the most revered. One being the American soldier and the other, the American farmer and rancher. He then went on to tell about Bill Broadie and his objective of providing a steak dinner for every troop returning to America's soil.

Out of this idea came the All American Beef Batalion, and organization set up to promote the beef industry while, more importantly, thanking those in the armed services. I would encourage you to visit their website and learn more about this great organization.

Don't miss Trent Loos at the Mondak Ag Days and Trade Show banquet

2011-12-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening, January 12, the keynote speaker for the annual MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show banquet will be agricultural advocate Trent Loos. To learn more about Trent and his passion for agriculture visit http://www.loostales.com.

Tickets for the banquet can be purchased at event sponsor Stockman Bank in Sidney or at the Richland County Extension Office.

The banquet will be held at the Richland County Event Center on the Richland County fairgrounds, beginning at 6:00. Tickets are $30.00 each and include a free drink ticket for the social beginning at 5:00 sponsored by First Bank of Sidney and Prewitt and Company.

MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show Jan. 12 and 13

2011-12-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

The Annual MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show will take place January 12 and 13 at the Richland County Event Center on the fairgrounds in Sidney. This year's schedule of presentation consists of:

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12
LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION DAY

8:00-11:00-The Home, Garden, and Family Program

8:00-De-Clutter and De-Stress. Judy Johnson, Richland County Extension Agent

8:45-Tidying up your tax drawers. Margaret Bradley H&R Block

9:15-Hoophouses and High Tunnels for producing fresh produce. Bruce Smith, Dawson County Extension Agent

10:00-Planning-The "P" word can be simple and easy. Edwin Haugen, Thrivent Financial

11:00-What is the "true" carbon footprint of beef production. Dr. Judith Capper, Washington State University

12:00-Break for lunch and trade show opens

1:00-Factors affecting cow herd efficiency. Dr. Andy Roberts, Ft. Keogh USDA research station

2:00-Increasing sheep production, explaining ASI's "2 plus" initiative. Larry Pilster, American Sheep Industry

3:00-The impact of oil wells on livestock production. Dr. Michelle Mostrom and Dr. Jon Ayers, North Dakota State University

4:00-Dry Redwater rural water authority update. Julie Goss, Richland County Conservation District

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13 CROP PRODUCTION DAY

7:00-9:00-Breakfast sponsored by the Sidney Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture

9:00-WATER, WATER and more WATER
What happened at the Ft. Peck Dam in 2011? Darrin McMurray, Army Corps of Engineers

Permits needed to work on or near perennial streams. Army Corps of Engineers

The 310 Permitting process. Laurie Zeller, MT DNRC, Conservation Districts Bureau

10:30-Precision agriculture practices that you should be using on your farm. Jeff Nesbit, Precision Ag Partners

11:30-Making equipment more efficient. Lawrence Papworth, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Ag Tech

12:30-Lunch Break

2:00-Properly Setting up your beet harvester. Kelly Sharpe sponsored by Sidney Sugars.

Time is running out for private applicators to get points

2011-12-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Private applicators in northeastern Montana who have not yet received the 6 points necessary to renew their license only have a few more chances to earn them. Dates for remaining programs are:

DECEMBER 13-Last chance private applicator training. This will be held in Lame Deer, MT. For more information, call 406-994-5607.

DECEMBER 14-Last chance in Sheridan County. This will be held at the courthouse in Plentywood. For more information, contact Mark Rude at 406-765-3406.

DECEMBER 15-Labels, Records, and Weed Identification. This will be held at the RC Complex in Culbertson. For more information, contact Ann Ronning at 406-787-5312.

2011 Bovine Connection

2011-11-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Bovine Connection will be held at the Richland County Extension Office on Thursday and Friday, December 1st and 2nd. Tickets are $40 per person or $75 per couple and can be purchased at the Richland County Extension Office or by calling 406-433-1206.

The lineup for Thursday December 1st includes:

10:00 -Steve Dittmer, Agribusiness Freedom Foundation-The importance of the 2012 election and it’s effects on producers

10:30-Bill Price, Global Beef Consultants-What is the Global demand for U.S. Beef and how can we reach that market?

11:45-Charlene Rich, Executive Director of MT Beef Council-The newly formed United States Farm and Ranch Alliance, what it is and how our producers benefit from it.

12:15-LUNCH-

12:45-Dr. John Paterson, MSU Beef Cattle Specialist-How cattle on pasture responded to a study regarding mineral supplementation.

1:30-Dr. Jon Seeger, Pfizer Animal Health-Using implants, what has changed and why producers should be using them.

2:15-Lee Leachman, Leachman of Colorado-Five keys to long term profitability and how to buy your neighbors ranch

3:15-Curt Pate, “The cow whisperer”-Using the “Bud Box” system for low stress cattle handling

Times and presentations on Friday, December 2nd include:

10:00 -Robin Thorstenson, program manager of Bismarck State College’s Continuing Education Training & Innovation department “The power of persuasion”, helping you be more assertive in getting what you want.

11:00-Jim Robb, Livestock marketing Information Center- The 2012 market outlook.

12:00-Willy Altenburg, Associate Vice President of Beef Marketing for Genex Cooperative- What’s new in the A.I. industry?

12:45-LUNCH-

1:30-Dr. Kent Andersen, Associate Director of Technical Resources in North America for Pfizer Animal Health- Using DNA testing in the cattle industry.

2:15-Robin Thorstenson-program manager of Bismarck State College’s Continuing Education Training & Innovation department- “Generational Issues”, how people from different generations respond to different situations.

3:00-Bill Bowman, Chief Operating Officer of the American Angus Association- Taking the information obtained at Bovine Connection and applying it to the real world.

On Thursday evening, immediately following the presentation by Curt Pate, there will be a no-host social at the Sidney Country Club. Steve Dittmer with the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation will be the keynote speaker for this event.

Another beet harvest is in the books in Richland County

2011-10-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

Harvest- Another successful sugarbeet campaign has come to a close. According to the Sidney Herald officials with Sidney Sugars seemed very pleased with the harvest this year, especially considering the issues growers had in getting the crop planted and growing. Averages for this year's crop were;

Tonnage-25.3 tons/acre
Sugar Content-17.57
Total Acreage-29,069

As far as other crops are concerned, just about everything is harvested for this year. There is still some corn out there but not much.

Weather- Weather for the month of October has been just about perfect for harvest activities. Although it was a bit too warm at the beginning to allow for much beet harvest, this actually lead to the accumulation of a few more degree days which promoted some last minute beet growth.

Sidney to hold classes for Montana Pesticide Applicator points

2011-10-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

On November 15 and 17, classes will be held at the Extension Office in Sidney to help pesticide applicators in Eastern Montana obtain the necessary points needed to keep licenses current. Each class will be worth 4 points for private applicators meaning that a person attending both classes would receive 8 points. Commercial points have been applied for as well but, to date, no determination has been made regarding how many, if any commercial points will be given.

The classes will start at 5:30 both evenings and run until about 9:00. On Tuesday, November 15, the class will pertain to pesticide storage, safety, and laws. On Thursday, November 17, the class will cover disease, insect, and weed issues in Montana in 2010.

For more information and a complete schedule, contact the Richland County Extension Office.

Beet harvest continues in Richland County

2011-10-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Harvest- As mentioned in the title, sugarbeet harvest is still going strong. Beet farmers have been in the fields all week and I believe we are well over the half-way point. Some corn for grain harvest has taken place and most of what few acres of soybeans we have has been taken off as well. Essentially, all that is left are a few fields of safflower and the items listed above.

Weather- Conditions have been just about perfect agronomically speaking. Temps have been in the high 50's to low 60's during the day and low to middle 30's in the evenings. Beet harvesters have not had to postpone their work because of warm temperatures since the first week that harvest started and they also have not had to deal with trying to dig beets in extremely wet/sloppy fields.

Richland County Sugarbeet Harvest Continues

2011-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Harvest- Unfortunately, the weather last week did not cooperate with beet harvest. As was alluded to in an earlier post, warm daytime temperatures and an equipment issue at the plant lead to a stoppage in beet harvest. However, on Friday, October 7 harvest resumed and has been going strong ever since. In my estimation, about 30-40% of our beet acres have been harvested at this point.

Corn harvested for silage is all but wrapped up and grain harvest should begin before too much longer. Right now, corn, soybeans, and safflower are about the only crops we have left to harvest.

Weather- As I mentioned above, the weather this week has really helped with getting our beets harvested. We did receive some rain last Friday (10-7), but it did not amount to much, probably .25" or so average. This did allow for a good amount of moisture to get what winter wheat has been seeded started and provided additional moisture for those that are still planning on seeding the crop.

Sugarbeet Harvest Has Started in Richland County

2011-10-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Harvest-As the title of this week's post states, the sugarbeet campaign has begun. Growers were told to begin harvesting on Friday, September 30. Hopefully this year's campaign will be a successful and safe one. The last report that I had heard was that total acreage was down some from last year due to the early spring weather and flooding and the early summer hail damage around Savage.

As far as small grains are concerned, we are pretty much wrapped up with harvesting those. Reports were that yield and quality were average to slightly below average but with prices holding steady producers are, for the most part, content. Silage harvest has slowed some and corn for grain harvest should begin before too much longer.

Weather-We have been a bit on the warm side for much of the past two weeks. If this trend continues, there is some concern that it will interfere with beet harvest. If temps are too warm throughout the day, beet harvest will stop and wait for cooler evening temps before resuming. This is done to prevent spoilage. We ran into this issue last year and growers would harvest in the late evenings and into the early mornings, then quit around noon and start back up in the late evenings again.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for the week of September 11

2011-09-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Weather- There has been a little bit of a chill in the air to let us all know that the autumn season is upon us and winter is not far behind. Lows this week have been at or below freezing and highs in the 50's and 60's. There is a chance for rain this weekend and, although it will not help much for those trying to finish up harvest, it would not necessarily be a bad thing. We could use the moisture to help get winter wheat off to a good start.

Harvest- I think we have reached the point where there are more fields of small grains that are harvested than those that are not. Actually, with the string of days of good weather that we have experienced lately, there has been a good portion of crops taken off in just the last week or two. Some corn has been harvested for silage and that will continue to be the case in the coming weeks. Sugarbeet harvest will start next week at the experiment station and contracted growers will begin digging the week after that, weather permitting.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for the week of September 5

2011-09-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

State-Wide Harvest- The Montana Field Office of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases weekly crop condition and weather reports for the state. According to the report I received on September 6, here is where we were in regards to harvest.

Barley......................................................65% harvested
Corn for silage........................................4% harvested
Dry Peas.................................................93% harvested
Alfalfa Hay (2nd cutting)......................85% completed
Other Hay (2nd cutting).......................75% completed
Lentils.....................................................85% harvested
Oats.........................................................42% harvested
Durum Wheat........................................30% harvested
Spring Wheat.........................................49% harvested
Winter Wheat.........................................98% harvested

Richland County Harvest-While the numbers above reflect state-wide averages, I think Richland County is ahead of those in every category except for silage harvest. I have yet to see any corn chopped for silage at this point. Some of the hailed out fields around Savage may be chopped soon but, other than that, we are probably a week or two out from really ramping up silage harvest.

Weather- Conditions this week have been ideal for harvest. Dry and warm are the best words to describe the weather pattern we have experienced this week. Many of the spring wheat fields that were just beginning to turn at the end of last week have now completely turned and are being combined as quickly as our producers can get to them. Unfortunately I have heard reports around the savage area of 10-15 bu. wheat where it got hailed out. One producer mentioned how he was happy to be finished with harvest but primarily the reason that he is done is because it didn't take him long to zip through his hailed-out fields.

Richland County Harvest/Weather Report for the week of August 28

2011-09-02T14:03:00.001-07:00

Weather- We have experienced just about every kind of weather (except snow, thank goodness) possible this week. The week started out on the hot and somewhat humid side, then the middle of the week brought thunderstorms and some high winds (no tornadoes though), and now the end of the week looks like much cooler temperatures with highs in the 60's-70's and lows in the mid-to-high 40's.

Harvest- Harvest continues to progress fairly well. Winter wheat is all but harvested and durum as well. I still have only heard reports from a few producers but one of those reports was that the dryland durum crop around Fairview averaged around 33 bu. and graded really well.

Richland County Harvest/Weather update for the week of August 21

2011-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Harvest- Pulse and small grain harvest is progressing rather smoothly. Most of the winter wheat has been harvested as well a a majority of the barley. Spring wheat is well underway, and the pulse crops are just about all out of the fields at this point. The hay harvest continues to progress nicely as well. Most of the alfalfa second cutting is up and out of the field and many producers should get a third cutting this year, if they haven't already.

Weather- Hot, dry conditions continue to be the norm. Last week's Friday shower only stalled harvest for the day as combines and swathers have been busy since.

Pests- There is a great article regarding grasshoppers and their management on the Montana Ag Alerts website (http://www.mtagalert.org/). Also included on the site are articles regarding winter wheat stripe rust, pesticide training opportunities in Eastern Montana, and much more. If you haven't visited the site, I would recommend adding it to your bookmarks and checking it periodically.

Hail Damage

2011-08-19T13:19:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of some fields around Savage and the damage they sustained after the strong winds/hail storm on July 19.

Harvest update for the week of August 14

2011-08-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Weather- For some reason, Friday's have not been good for those who are trying to get crops harvested. Late Thursday night and early Friday morning brought showers to the area, nothing heavy or damaging, but just enough to keep the combines out of the field for another day. Up until Friday, however, the weather was ideal.

Harvest- Much of the winter wheat crop and a good portion of the barley that is fit to run has been harvested. I still have not received many reports regarding yield or quality but did talk to one irrigated barley producer in the Yellowstone valley and his assumption was that his barley was yielding around 90-100 bu./acre.

Other crops- Spring wheat is progressing nicely and some of it has probably been harvested but most of it is not quite ready yet. In another week or two most of the spring wheat will be ready. The sugarbeets that got planted and did not get hailed out or flooded out are progressing quite nicely as well. A few planes have been spotted flying on what I am assuming is fungicide sprays.

Wheat, pulse harvest in full swing

2011-08-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Weather- Storms brought rain much of the day last Friday with accumulations of anywhere from a couple of tenths to an inch around the county. The end of last week and beginning of this week, however, saw temperatures in the 70's and 80's and drier weather. Now that the end of the week is here, we are experiencing some more, gentler showers than last Friday but I do not think we will get much accumulation from them.

Harvest- While last week's rain event put a temporary hault on harvest, it didn't last long. Combines were back in the fields as of Monday. Much of the winter wheat crop has been taken off, some barley, some spring wheat, a good portion of the pulse crops, and there is quite a bit of hay down that will be baled this weekend providing we do not get any additional moisture.

Harvest has started, but now delayed

2011-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Weather- Most of the county dodged the bullet that landed squarely on parts of Lambert and Savage last weekend. Strong storms swept through the area Friday (7-29) night and brought hail and damaging winds with them. I have not personally seen the damage in the Lambert area but while driving through Savage on Sunday (7-31) I did notice fields of corn and sugarbeets where leaves were completely stripped off of the plants. Another round of storms has shown up today (8-5) but so far has not been damaging.

Harvest- Winter wheat harvest has begun and some of our pulse crop acres are starting to come off as well. We are still in the very early stages of both, however, so no reports as to yield yet. Today's showers have delayed both a bit, however. Spring wheat and barley should start to come off in the next couple of weeks.

Pests- Grasshoppers are now out in full force but there really is not much that can be done regarding them at this point. Wetter weather tends to suppress them some and allows for grass to grow and hide some of the damaging effects of the insect. I have started a Pale Western Cutworm, Army Cutworm, and Dingy Cutworm monitoring program. My first collection will begin next week and will give us a good idea about what kind of numbers we will potentially be dealing with for next year's crop.

Crops continue to progress

2011-07-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Weather-While there was quite a storm that covered most of Richland County on Friday, July 22, one farmer mentioned that the rain that it brought, for the most part, proved to be more beneficial than the hail and winds were detrimental. Some areas of the county, however, did receive more hail than others, so farmers in those areas do not necessarily share the same sentiments.

Small Grains-Wheat, barley, oats, and durum continue to make substantial strides toward maturity. Most of these grains have headed out and a substantial amount of them are starting to turn.

Sugarbeets-At a recent field day event, it was mentioned that more than 1,000 acres either did not get planted or was planted and then got drowned out. The acreage that remains, however, is progressing nicely.

Forages- Much of the irrigated alfalfa is ready for or has been cut for the second time. Most of the dryland acreage has been cut for the first time as well.

Pests- Still no major issues on the pest front. There have been quite a few planes flying this week applying fungicides over sugarbeet fields, however. Some cercospera and rhizoctonia has been spotted but not at damaging levels.

Some areas drying out too fast

2011-07-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

Weather- In a classic case of "be careful what you wish for" we are now approaching the other end of the spectrum in reference to available moisture. Many fields are drying out and our producers who use irrigation have been pouring the water to their crops. The forecast, however, does have chances for showers for the rest of the week.

Crops-This warm, dry weather has really allowed for crops to progress through their various growth stages quite rapidly. Most all of the cereal grain crops have-or-are headed out and are looking very good. Corn is coming along well also and just about all of the first cutting hay crop has been harvested. Some producer's have started their second cutting or will be starting very soon. Sugarbeets have really taken off as well as the safflower and our pulse crops.

Pests- There are still some weed escapes out there as the early wet weather followed by dry days with too much wind have not really allowed for many days suitable to spray. Some reports of ascochyta and/or anthracnose have come in from pulse producers but fortunately there were not many and I have not seen or heard of head scab yet. I will be conducting another cutworm moth sampling session in August to determine levels/presence of these pests.

Nutrient Management-The spring rains have ultimately lead to leaching of some of the nutrients put down earlier in the year. This is showing up in many of our crops. For a guide on conducting tissue samples, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cpr/soils/plant-tissue-testing-interpretation-7-7-11

We are at moderate to high risk for Fusarium Head Blight

2011-07-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Recent predictions from the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) risk assessment tool, created by Penn State University, labels Eastern North Dakota as being in the moderate to high risk area for the disease. If you have planted spring wheat varieties that are moderately susceptible or susceptible to the disease, you are highly encouraged to do some scouting and determine what stage of development your wheat is at. The DON model for barley developed in North Dakota also has the area listed as moderate to high-risk for that disease as well.

The FHB risk assessment tool can be found at- http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/riskTool_2011.html

There are several sites available that are helpful in determining what stage of development wheat and barley crops are in. For an in-depth look at determining growth stages visit http://plantsci.missouri.edu/cropsys/growth.html

Fields continue to dry out

2011-07-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Weather-
This week has brought warmer, dryer weather with it. Mid-week highs reached the 100 plus range and, as such, has allowed us to catch up on some much needed heat units. Crop development is still somewhat behind where we would be in an "average" year, but we are starting to make up for lost time. According to NOAA's website the forecast for the rest of the week and into next week looks good as well with highs in the 80's and slight chances for additional precipitation. Realizing that some people will absolutely not like to hear this, a little rain would not necessarily be a bad thing.

Forages-
Quite a few acres have been cut and baled since last week. Forage quality seems to be fairly good as producers were able to cut, have good weather for drying, and bale in a relatively short period of time. There is still some hay that needs to be cut by a vast majority of it is baled. This is great news for the fields that did not get flooded out, however there are some fields that were not as fortunate, so producers are considering whether or not to put in a crop like millet, sudangrass, or a cover crop mix.

Crops-
I will add this as a second post, but our wheat and barley producers need to be paying attention to the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and DON forecasting models for wheat and barley respectively. According to the models, we are now in moderate to high risk for these diseases. To see this information, click here. If you have susceptible winter wheat, spring wheat, and/or barley, it is imperative that you check your fields, determine their growth stage and, if they are flowering or near flowering, strongly consider a protective fungicide application.

The recent string of good weather has really helped the sugarbeet acres that got planted this spring. While they got off to a slow start, they are now looking much better and growing really well.

Pests-
Aside from the scab risk to wheat and barley that was mentioned above, not much has been reported regarding pest issues with our crops. Pulse producers should be scouting for signs of ascochyta and anthracnose on those crops and, if found, should treat ASAP.

Finally....... A break in the weather

2011-06-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Planting-
I would file our recent weather under the category of too little too late. We finally have had a string of 4 or 5 nice days with only a little precipitation falling but, unfortunately for many of our farmers, it came at the wrong time of the year. All of the crops that are going to be planted this year have all but been planted and now producers are trying to figure out just how much insurance is going to cover.

I still do not have a good feel for how much of our crops went un-planted and what portion was planted and eventually drowned out, but I would venture to guess that about 1/3 of the acres that were intended to go into production this year would fall into one of these two categories.

Forages-
On a brighter note, many of the forage fields that didn't get flooded out or only partially got flooded out are starting to be cut for hay. These fields should produce quite a bit of hay this year which is good after many hay reserves got depleted after the long, drawn-out winter we just experienced.

Crops-
The crops that did get seeded and did not get flooded out are just now starting to look very good. Small grains are really starting to green up and grow, what corn was planted has emerged and is looking good as well and ditto for the sugarbeets. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the growing season plays out weather-wise and how these crops end up producing.

Pests-
So far, our primary pest issues are strictly related to weed control problems. Because of less-than-ideal field conditions followed by less-than-ideal weather and wind events, much of the spring weed spraying has not been accomplished.

As our wheat continues to grow and we approach flowering, scouting will have to be done to watch for fusarium head blight. According to the Fusarium Head Blight Risk Assessment Tool we are having optimum conditions for the development of the disease.

Montana Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Container Recycling Program

2011-06-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

The Montana Department of Agriculture's (MDA) pesticides and fertilizers division has a recycling truck that will be making it's rounds around Montana this summer. While the schedule is not up yet, it will be soon and can be found by visiting http://agr.mt.gov/pestfert/disposal.asp and clicking on the link "container recycling schedule".

All pesticide containers that are #2 HDPE plastic can be recycled. All containers must be triple-rinsed to ensure that they are clean and there are special steps that must be taken for anything larger than 5 gallon containers. For more information about this, visit http://agr.mt.gov/pestfert/miscpdf/Recycling%20Brochure.pdf

There is also a permanent link to the container recycling program under the "Links" section of this page.

Still trying to get seeds in the ground

2011-06-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Starting with Tuesday of this week, weather conditions drastically improved and some of our wetter soils are starting to dry out some. While the change in the weather has been a welcome sight, it has not yet lead to a significant increase in planting. Most farmers are still willing to try and get their spring wheat seeded but the soil is still too wet.

According to the National Weather Service's website (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/ggw/forecast.php) the forecast calls for the rest of the week to fairly decent with only a chance of rain but then chances for more rain beginning Monday and continuing through Friday. If the remaining days of this week are nice and the beginning of next week is as well, it should allow for some of these fields to dry out to the point where some more seeding can be done. If not, it may be another 2 weeks before fields would be suitable and, as such, farmers would be faced with even tougher decisions regarding whether or not to try and get a crop in this year.

The wet and windy conditions have also lead to problems trying to control weeds and diseases. Most of the days when it's not raining and temperatures are suitable for spraying, the wind has not allowed for it to happen. There are a few aerial applicators in the region and I am sure they are booked but there has not been much of an available window for them to spray.

More than just saturated soils

2011-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

In my estimation, about half of our intended crop acres have been planted due to our overly wet conditions. And, if that is not enough bad news, now, many of the acres that have been planted are under water. So the most popular question being asked now is how long crops will survive under water.

For corn, wheat, and barley, here is a great source of information from North Dakota Extension http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/procrop/env/fldwhb07.htm.

And here (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/flood/farm-ranch/salvaging-crops-after-flooding) is a good source of information regarding forage and hay crops, the effects of flooding on them, and recovery.

Lots of rain and more on the way

2011-05-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

I know it is a bit difficult to determine what this is without seeing it before the water was there but the picture shows a Richland County producer's alfalfa hay field under water. This was taken on May 24th, and this was the third or fourth day the field had been under water. This field is located in the southern portion of Richland County, along the Yellowtone River.

Studies on the effects of planting dates and rates on Spring Wheat and Barley

2011-05-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

With much of our spring wheat yet to be seeded, some questions have been raised regarding recommendations for planting rates and how these late seeding dates are going to affect yield and quality. In 2007 and 2008, a study was conducted at the Western Triangle Research Center in Conrad, MT. The study looked at three different planting dates and three different planting rates for both barley and spring wheat. Results of the study can be found at http://www.sarc.montana.edu/documents/mwbc/2008/WT08SeedDate.pdf

The study was also conducted in 2010 and those results can be found at http://ag.montana.edu/wtarc/Web2010/PlantingDatexRate.pdf.

Wetter than wet

2011-05-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

As far as seeding is concerned in Richland County, we are in a holding pattern. For much of April and now into May, our fields have been either covered in snow or extremely saturated. There was some planting and tillage that took place around Easter and we had a few days since that provided more opportunities, but, for the most part equipment has been parked. There are several stories of people trying to push the envelope a little too much and winding up with tractors and equipment stuck in fields.

The wet weather and snow has been somewhat detrimental to our cattle herds as well. A blizzard that occurred on April 30 lead to the loss of several calves by several ranchers.

Voles and Pocket Gophers running rampant

2011-04-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Now that the snow has melted and grass can actually be seen, many people are reporting damage to their pastures and home lawns from both voles and pocket gophers. For options regarding control of both of these pests, here are some good sources.

When it comes to controlling voles (a.k.a. field mouse, meadow mouse), here is some great information.

For pocket gopher identification and control, click here.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION-Due to the products being improperly used and causing illness and death in some instances, fumigants (Fumitoxin, Phostoxin) are no longer labeled for use in residential areas. Use of these products in residential settings is not only potentially very dangerous but is now illegal.

Since you can't get in the field anyway...................

2011-03-31T08:16:00.001-07:00

And it appears as though things are not going to change for the next couple of weeks either, now is as good of a time as any to be thinking about your private pesticide applicators license. If you are currently licensed in Eastern Montana, your license is due to expire on December 31 of 2011. In order to make sure that you are eligible to receive a new license after this one expires, you must have 6 continuing education credits.

If you are not sure how many credits you have, there is an easy way to check.

Go to https://app.mt.gov/pest/index?_flowExecutionKey=_c503DAE2E-EE7F-4B6B-B0B9-5888FB43E7F4_k447DF3C9-4199-BC19-6C90-928E4F80B89E enter your pesticide license number and the next screen that pops up will be a screen with your name at the top and a listing of how many credits you have.

If you do not know what your license number is, you can go to http://services.agr.mt.gov/Pesticide_Applicators/, enter your name, and it will tell you what your number is.

If you have 6 credits or more, there is nothing that you need to do at this time. If you have not accumulated your 6 credits, there are a couple of options that you have.

If you are only 1 or 2 credits short, you have the option of getting credits online by passing a quiz or two. For complete details on how to do this, visit http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/PAT/OnlineCredits/index.html

2. If you need more than 2 credits visit
http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/PAT/2011/Region4.html for a list of programs
that are being offered in Eastern Montana where pesticide points will be given. You will
want to check this site and the Northeastern Montana Ag Crops blog site periodically
throughout the year for upcoming programs.

The last thing that I would say is don't panic. As the year progresses, there should be ample opportunities for those much sought after pesticide points.

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)

2011-03-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

With the recent weather conditions and flooding risks that are predicted, livestock producers will want to make sure and keep accurate records of death losses, and, if there are losses due to extreme weather conditions (extreme cold, floods, and diseases caused by weather issues are just a few), make sure that the deaths are verified by a third party.

The reason for this is that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) office can provide a Livestock Indemnity payment for losses that occurred due to these events. Losses must be in excess of normal death loss rates and, as I mentioned above and cannot stress enough, must be verified by a third party not associated with the operation (a veterinarian, or someone from the FSA Office are your best bets).

To be eligible for a payment, losses must be reported to the FSA office within 30 days of the day the loss occurred and a request for payment must be made within 30 days of the end of the calendar year. I am sure that this post raises more questions than it provides answers so I would encourage you to contact your local FSA office for more details.

Ag Risk Management Seminar and Pulse Day

2011-02-10T13:48:00.001-08:00

Winter season is meeting season for many agricultural producers. Unfortunately it is also cold/snowy season (especially this year) and sometimes limits the ability to attend meetings. Hopefully, though, these two meetings coming up will see more favorable conditions for travel.

AG RISK MANAGEMENT SEMINAR-Sidney, February 16 & Glasgow February 18
Duane Griffith who is MSU Extension's farm management specialist has been helping local agents across Montana conduct seminars for both farmers and ranchers. The Ag Risk Management Seminar will provide information, tips, and strategies to allow farmers and ranchers to make educated decisions when it comes to managing risks on their operations.

The focus of this seminar is to explain what options producers have, whether it be insurance, government programs, marketing, or combinations of each, to help alleviate some of the risk involved in producing crops and livestock. Both programs will consist of a morning session geared towards crop producers and an afternoon session that will focus on options for livestock producers.

For more information about the seminar in Sidney, contact the Richland County Extension Office. To find out details regarding the meeting in Glasgow, contact the Valley County Extension Office.

11TH ANNUAL MON-DAK PULSE DAY- February 17, Williston
The 11th annual Mon-Dak Pulse Day will be held Thursday, February 17 at the Airport International Inn in Williston, ND. There is a full day of presentations all related to helping producers grow pulse crops. A complete schedule and poster can be found by clicking here.

For producers who need them, 3 Private Pesticide Applicator points and/or 2 Commercial Pesticide Applicator points can be obtained for Montana licensed applicators.

Sorry for the hiatus

2011-01-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

With the winter season definitely upon us and snow piled in every knook and cranny available, there is not much happening in the agronomic sector of Richland County these days. While looking at the piles of snow everywhere is not my idea of entertainment, some comfort can be taken in the fact that, eventually it will melt and hopefully most of that moisture will be absorbed by the ground and available in the early spring when needed.

To help take our minds off of snow and replace those thoughts with good agricultural-related information, producers should plan on attending the MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show. Ag Days will take place on January 13 and 14 at the Richland County Event Center located on the Richland County Fairgrounds. Thursday's lineup of speakers will be geared more towards our ranching friends while Friday's topics will focus on crop production, soil health, and weather.

I will not go into great detail regarding the schedule, but encourage you to check out the web site above. Ag Days will surely be a great event with a vast array of products and services displayed in the trade show area and great information disseminated during the educational sessions.

For more information and details regarding Ag Days, give the Richland County Extension Office a call at 406-433-1206.

The grain may be in the bin, but you're not out of the woods yet

2010-12-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

There may be a field of corn or two here and there that may need to come off yet, but for the most part, all of the crops grown in Richland County are either in the bin, in the bunker, or delivered to their final destination. If you have grain that you are storing on your farm, I would encourage you not to forget about it. You may consider periodic checks on your grain just to make sure that everything is exactly as it was when you first put the grain in there. More than likely, you will not have issues if the grain was properly dried an aerated but it is better to find out now rather than wait until you start to unload it for delivery.

Speaking of grain bins, I would encourage you to come and check out the trade show at the MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show on January 13 and 14. Not only will there be quite the line up of agricultural products displayed, but there will also be some excellent agricultural and livestock talks given over the two day period. For more information, click on the link above, or give me a call at 406-433-1206 or send me an email.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the headlining entertainment for this year's event. If you are planning on coming to Ag Days, make sure and get your tickets for the Thursday evening banquet. A delicious beef dinner will be served and you will be entertained by none other than Baxter Black. Tickets are on sale now but quantities are limited.

Much to be thankful for as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches

2010-11-24T14:17:00.001-08:00

Producers in Richland County have a multitude of reasons to be thankful this season. Harvest (at least the portion of it that is finished) was great, things went smooth for the most part, and the weather was fairly cooperative.

I am thankful to our producers and for our producers and really appreciate all of your efforts in providing a safe, wholesome, product for our dinner tables.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for the week of November 7

2010-11-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Ag Activities- I am not ready to say that we are completely finished with harvest as there are still a few fields here and there that have crops in them, but I think that I can safely say that we will be finished by Thanksgiving. I think the word "tremendous" could be used to explain this years harvest and I look forward to seeing the final reports.

Fall tillage and some fertilizer application are other activities that are keeping producers busy at this time of year.

Weather- While I usually talk about harvest reports as being a mixed bag of results, I would use that phrase to explain the weather these past couple of weeks. We have gone from moderate temps with little to no breeze to rain, to blowing snow, then back to moderate temps again. So far for the month of November, the weather stations have reported anything from little to no precipitation to an inch and a half.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for the week of October 24

2010-10-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

Except for corn for grain, soybeans, and some safflower here and there, harvest is complete!! For the most part, producers enjoyed a very timely and productive harvest, thanks to everything falling in line for a great year.

I believe that all of our winter wheat is in the ground now and a majority of that has emerged and is off to a good start. Moisture to get the wheat plant started was not an issue but the cold weather we received earlier this week may have caused some damage to emerging seedlings, time will tell.

Weather-The first measurable amount of snowfall fell earlier in the week. However, the snow fell before we experienced our coldest temperatures (lows around 0 in some parts) so hopefully it provided some insulation.

NOAA Releases Winter Weather predictions

2010-10-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center has just released their Winter Outlook for the 2010-2011 winter season. To sum up the report, the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Plains regions of the U.S. are expected to see a colder and wetter winter this year.

To read the report in it's entirety, visit http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101021_winteroutlook.html

Crop/Weather report for the week of October 17

2010-10-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Harvest- Although I am not prepared to say that we are completely finished with our small grains harvest at this point, I would say that we are about as close as can be. For the most part, farmers have completed their harvest but there is still a patch here and there that needs to be taken in. While it is still preliminary and purely word-of-mouth, what I have heard are reports of above average yields with below average protein levels. Although, as can be said about most years, there are also reports of below average yields and higher protein levels.

Sugarbeet harvest is also in the wrap-up stages. This being the first year for me actually seeing sugarbeet harvest I have nothing to compare it to. With that being said though, there are several people who have mentioned that this year's harvest has been tremendous.

Safflower harvest is probably over the 75% mark, corn harvest for grain is just in the beginning stages, and I have not seen any soybeans that have been combined yet.

Weather- Conditions this week have been just about ideal once again for harvest and any other field work activities (fall tillage, herbicide applications, etc...) that are underway. Over night temperatures in the 20's and 30's have led to daytime highs in the 50's and 60's. It does not appear like this will be the pattern for long, though as highs next week are only predicted to be in the 40's.

Tips to help ensure that what you take out of your bin is similar to what you put in it!

2010-10-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

A few people have inquired about options for temporary storage and while this does not deal with that issue it does bring up a point that, if people are looking for temporary storage structures then their permanent structures must be full. So the question becomes how do you manage the grain in your bins so that, when you go to pull it out next year, it's as close to the same condition that it was when you put it in there this year.

To help with answering these questions, here are a few links to some web sites with some very useful information.

The first is from the Montana Department of Agriculture and can be found at http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/Reference/FumSeed.pdf

The second is from the Extension Service out of the University of Minnesota and is located at
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC5947.html

Crop/Weather report for the week of October 10

2010-10-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Harvest- We have had another great week of harvest. Crops are continuing to come off as quickly as possible. With the excellent grain prices, most people are not too concerned with storing grain and are taking their crops to the elevators as fast as they will let them.

Sugarbeets- Beet harvest continues to run fairly smoothly as well. Just like last week there have been days where harvest had to be halted due to warm temperatures but, for the most part beet harvest is running smooth and I would guess that we are over the half way point at this time.

Planting- There are still some folks who are getting their winter wheat seeded. According to the Montana National Ag Statistics Service, (http://www.nass.usda.gov/mt) winter wheat planting is about 88% completed in our region. For those who got their wheat in early, conditions have been just about ideal for emergence and establishment and it does not look like this trend will end anytime soon.

Weather-Cold(er) overnight lows followed by days in the 60's and 70's have been about the norm. Most of the county did receive measurable rain on Friday night/Saturday morning and another shot Monday night/Tuesday morning. The rain that fell certainly helped to get winter wheat up and going but was not enough to be too much of a burden on harvest and planting.

Crop/Weather report for the week of October 3

2010-10-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Harvest- With the recent string of nice days, crops have been coming out of the fields at quite the fast pace. Producers are definitely in the "winding down" phases of harvesting small grains, if not completely finished. To date, I have not seen any corn taken off for grain and the little amount of soybeans that are out are still fairly green.

Sugarbeet harvest has started in earnest and my guess is that we are about 35% complete with that. The issue for our beet growers has been unfavorable weather conditions in that it has been too warm. To help prevent spoilage, the sugar plant has stopped harvest in the early afternoon just about every day this week. Producers that are capable of doing so, are starting in the wee hours of the morning and harvesting until it gets too warm. The next couple of days are not forecasted to be too warm so my guess is that a large quantity of beets will be pulled out of the ground the remainder of this week and into next.

Weather- As I type this post, it is a comfortable 65 degrees outside with a little bit of rain drizzle. Not at all indicative of what this week has been like. Highs this week have been in the high 70's to low 80's without any rain. While this has helped our wheat, durum, barley, and oat guys get a considerable amount of crop harvested, as I mentioned above, it has not been beneficial to our beet growers.

Crop/Weather report for the week of September 26

2010-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Harvest- With the tremendous weather conditions we have experienced this week, harvest has ramped back up. I would hate to even guess how many acres of crops came off so far this week and how many more will by the end of the week. Barley, oats, and durum wheat are all but finished. Safflower harvest has started in earnest and there has been a huge gain in spring wheat harvest. If conditions stay as they are, we should be wrapping up spring wheat harvest by this time next week. Issues with the wheat crop continue to be that the crop is yielding very well but protein levels are still fairly low.

Sugarbeet harvest has started as well. We are just in the infant stages, but there will be a considerable amount of tonnage harvested in the coming weeks. The crop continues to look really good and expectations are still very high for the sugar harvest season.

Corn silage and hay continue to be cut but these practices are wrapping up as well. There was a better-than-average alfalfa harvest this year as many people were able to get 3 cuttings without using much in the way of irrigation to do it.

Weather- As I stated above, weather conditions have been tremendous. Highs in the mid-to-high 70's and low 80's have been the norm this week with no rainfall. There is a slight chance for some rain next week but we will have to wait and see if this plays out.

Crop/Weather report for the week of September 19

2010-09-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Weather- By reading the weather report for this week, one can probably guess what the crop report will be like. The best two words to describe this week's weather are wet and cold. We have received some rainfall just about every day of the week so far and, up until today, temperatures have been on the colder side, low to mid-50's. Things are supposed to turn around by the end of this week with warmer temps and less precipitation and it looks like next week will be better too.

Crops- Not much has happened as far as harvest is concerned. Some silage was taken off earlier in the week but by the middle of the week field conditions were too bad in most of the county to continue cutting.

Some winter wheat has been planted but I do not believe there is too much of it in the ground and we are starting to get on the late side for this. If you go by the Montana State Unversity Extension's wheat production guide, it recommends that winter wheat be planted early enough to allow for 4-6 weeks of growth before going dormant. I am not a predictor of weather so I cannot tell you exactly when the dormant season will begin but if you look at the calendar 4-6 weeks from today will put us at the end of October/beginning of November. I wouldn't want to wait much longer if I were putting winter wheat into the ground. There is potential to do a dormant seeding of winter wheat but I do not know what the success rate of that practice is for this area.

Crop/Weather report for week of September 12

2010-09-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Harvest- Harvest continues to creep along. I still feel that we are a but further along than what the Montana state averages are, but maybe not as far along as I had initially thought. Weather conditions the past couple of weeks have not been conducive to getting many acres combined. When it is fit, farmers have been out and some of our safflower crop is starting to come off but we just have not had a string of acceptable days to be able to make much more progress in harvesting our crops.

Corn silage has began in earnest and silage is being put up as quickly as trucks can get it from the field to the storage structure. Second cutting hay has all but wrapped up and third cutting has started but weather conditions have all but stopped it for the time being.

Sugarbeets- Hail storms late last week did cause some damage to some sugarbeet acres in the valley. Fortunately, the damage was fairly minimal and should not cause too much loss in tonnage.

Weather- As I am typing this on Friday, September 17, the temperatures are in the high 30's to low 40's and snow has fallen a good portion of the day. As I highlighted above conditions all this week have not been all that great as we have seen colder temperatures and rain showers most of the week.

Planting- As far as I know, there has not been any winter wheat planted yet. Ground has been worked and my assumption is that much of the intended winter wheat acreage is ready to be planted, we are just waiting on the fields to dry out some.

Crop/Weather report for week of September 5

2010-09-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Harvest- In my opinion, and from what I've seen, Richland County seems to be ahead of the state averages for crop harvest. According to the report published by the USDA last week (for the week ending September 5), barley was only 58% harvested, spring wheat was 38% completed, and durum wheat was 22% finished.

I feel that we are more in line with the 5 year average which is 81% of the barley harvested, 82% of the spring wheat harvested, and 68% of the durum crop out of the field. We probably have not reached the 82% of our spring wheat being harvested but we are closer to that number than we are to the state average of 38%

Sugarbeets- Our sugarbeet crop continues to look very good. Over the past couple of weeks aerial applicators have been kept busy with what I am assuming are fungicide applications. A fairly significant storm blew through last night and brought with it some hail but I don't know that it will have a lasting effect on the crop.

Corn- We are fast approaching the optimum time for chopping corn for silage. I believe that some producers have started already but have not seen any chopping being done yet. For those trying to determine when to chop, I would suggest reading this article.

Weather- As I mentioned above much of the county got hit with a fairly substantial storm just last night. As much as 2 inches of rain was reported in the Sidney area,but like all storms in this area, some spots did not receive much rain at all. This whole week has been fairly cool and wet so not much has been happening agriculturally.

Time running out to register for Eastern Montana Waste Pesticide Disposal Program

2010-09-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 3rd is the final day to register with the Montana Department of Agriculture, for their waste pesticide disposal program. The form can be downloaded here.

Collection points and dates for the program are:

Chinook-September 14
Plentywood-September 15
Miles City-September 16
Billings-September 17

The waste pesticide disposal program is a way for the MDA to make sure that expired, unused, and/or unwanted pesticides get properly disposed of. Cost for the disposal program is $0.50 per pound but the first 200 pounds are free.

Optimum Time for Fall Weed Control

2010-09-02T09:15:00.001-07:00

This article was taken from the most recent NDSU Crop and Pest Report.

Now is the time to begin applying herbicides for the control of winter annual weeds, simple perennials such as curly dock and dandelion, biennials such as biennial wormwood, and in some cases cool-season perennial weed species. This is especially true for no-tillage fields, but also for those fields receiving tillage other than moldboard plowing. For fields in which tillage is planned, apply herbicides at least 5 days prior to tillage. Herbicides may be applied within a few days of crop harvest or until the soil is frozen. Based upon research across the Midwest, the most consistently effective control of dandelions is obtained with fall herbicide applications. The best way to drastically reduce or stop seed production of winter annual species is with fall herbicide applications or effective fall tillage. It is always better to apply herbicides in the fall under less than ideal conditions, than to wait until spring to achieve marginal control of these types of weed species, especially dandelion.

The most effective fall herbicide treatment with the most cropping flexibility next spring is an application of glyphosate at 0.75 pound acid equivalent/acre (lb ae/A) [Roundup at 22 ounce/acre {oz/A} or glyphosate products containing 3.0 lb ae/gallon at 32 oz/A] plus 2,4-D ester at 0.5 lb ai/A. The addition of 2,4-D is most important for dandelion control and will antagonize glyphosate's activity on Canada thistle and perennial grass species. Another herbicide option, would be the addition of Valor at 2 to 3 oz/A to the glyphosate plus 2,4-D mixture. Fall applications including Valor will be most beneficial west of the Red River Valley where spring rains are not consistent enough to properly activate Valor. Activation of Valor is almost certain with fall applications in the drier areas of the state. Preliminary studies with fall-applied Valor have shown potential to control or suppress weeds such as kochia, seedling dandelion, canola, and chamomile. However, NDSU and Valent are conducting additional research to determine proper timing of application of Valor and efficacy on spring-emerging weeds. Valor should only be applied in no-tillage fields and any substantial soil movement next spring during planting will reduce the effectiveness of Valor on spring emerging weed species. Read the Valor label and follow the crop rotation guidelines when applying Valor in the fall. Only certain crops can be planted in the spring following fall-applied Valor.

Jeff M. Stachler
Assistant Professor - Sugarbeet Weed Science
NDSU and University of Minnesota

Crop/Weather report for week of August 22

2010-08-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Weather- For the most part, weather continues to be ideal. We have enough dry, warm days to allow for crops to get harvested but still counter that with sporadic rain showers that continue to help our later maturing crops along.

Harvest- A vast majority of the durum, spring and winter wheat, and barley has been harvested. Yield reports for these crops continues to remain very good but protein readings are down somewhat. Most of the second cutting alfalfa is completed and tonnage remains very good.

Other crops- Sugarbeets in the irrigated valley continue to look very good. The outlook for sugar beet harvest is very positive. Both irrigated and dryland corn are doing well also. I have not seen any corn taken off for silage as of yet but it would not surprise me if there was some that has been cut.

Pests- I have noticed fields where there have been some weed escapes. Although not a major weed problem, there are quite a few sugarbeet fields with volunteer corn plants scattered throughout. A great article on scouting for glyphosate resistant weeds and for roguing out weeds in sugarbeets can be found here.

I have now been collectiong army, pale western, and dingy cutworm moths as part of a monitoring program for MSU since the beginning of August. The site that I have placed the pheromone traps is a dryland site just north and west of Sidney. I have collected moths for two weeks now and, have yet to catch any army cutworm moths. I have caught a few pale western cutworm moths, but not enough to cause much concern.

My biggest catches to date have been dingy cutworm moths. The first week I caught 13 of them and this week there were another 25 in the trap. So what does this mean? For this year's crop it does not mean much of anything. These numbers should be used as a guide and a notice that when planting next year, some consideration should be given to scouting for dingy cutworm larva.

Crop/Weather report for week of August 8

2010-08-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Harvest- For our small grains and some of our pulse crops, harvest has started and continues to gain momentum. I have heard a few very good reports from coffee shop talks regarding the barley harvest and even some good numbers on some dryland durum acres. I hesitate to include numbers because it is all word of mouth but I think we will see some very good yields, test weights and hopefully protein numbers when it is all said and done.

Forages-Second cutting alfalfa is really looking good and some of our grass hay acreage will start to be cut and baled as well. Producers are very optimistic that they will have ample amounts of hay to get them through the winter months.

Irrigated Crops- Sugar beet producers and processors continue to predict a very good sugar beet harvest this year. Our irrigated corn fields are beginning to tassel and I am optimistic about silage tonnage and grain yield in these fields as well.

Weather- We continue to get timely rains and good crop-growing/harvesting/and hay cutting weather. Subsurface soil moisture is not be an issue at this time as some of our later maturing crops continue to grow.

Crop/Weather report for week of July 18

2010-07-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

Weather- The week started off fairly dry with temps in the high 80's to low 90's and some fairly humid conditions. Thursday brought storms and varying amounts of precipitation throughout the county. The rest of the week and into next week it looks like we will return to high 80's, low 90's and slight chances of rain.

Crops- Crops around the county, for the most part, continue to look good. There has been some barley harvested and reports sound good. I hesitate to put yield and quality figures on here because there is so little harvested and any information I get is all second-hand.

Pests- I have received a few calls regarding grasshoppers this week. The issue now is size of the grasshoppers. As they get bigger, they are harder to control. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has a great grasshopper website which can be found here.

EARC Field Day set for Wednesday, July 28

2010-07-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

The MSU Extension Agricultural Research Center (EARC) will be holding their annual field day on Wednesday, July 28, beginning at 9:30 in the morning. Tours of the research plots will be given with talks focusing on research being done on:

Biofuels and biobased products
Sugarbeet and small grains
Irrigation
Dry Beans and Alternative Crops

Following the field day, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for the new EARC/Richland County Extension building and that will be followed by a steak fondue lunch. Pesticide credits can be obtained by both private and commercial applicators in attendance.

Crop/Weather report for week of July 18

2010-07-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Crops- Overall crops are continuing to do well. I overheard a comment about dryland corn looking almost as good as irrigated corn in areas of the county. Although I have not personally seen any harvest taking place, it would not surprise me if there were some peas and some barley that are being harvested or will be very shortly.

Our forage crop continues to grow well also and a few people have brought in oats that they will be harvesting for forages to check for nitrates. As of yet, we have not had a positive nitrate test and I don't think it will be a problem this year, but it does not hurt to check. For a great MontGuide on nitrates in forages, click here. Most of our alfalfa crop has had the first cutting taken off and grass hay is nearing that mark as well. Some of the alfalfa will be ready for second cutting shortly.

Weather- The week started out dry and hot and looked like it would continue through the end of the week. Thursday and Friday, however brought varying amounts of rain across the county. Totals ranged from a couple of tenths to an inch of rain, depending on location in the county. With the rain came cooler temperatures as well.

Pests- Still nothing major to report on pests in our crops. I did have a producer bring in some peas that he was going to cut as part of a forage crop and they did have some ascochyta on them. I have not seen any reports that the forage would be detrimental for cattle to eat but it did confirm that there is some ascochyta out there. Not at levels that I am overly concerned about, however.

Crop/Weather report for week of July 11

2010-07-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Crops-Crops continue to progress well. This week we accumulated a great number of heat units and the crops continue to grow well. Much of the hay crop has been cut but there is still some that is being taken off.

Weather-Weather this week has shifted back to more normal conditions. Not much natural rainfall fell last week and little to none this week so many of our crops under irrigation are starting to receive water from that source.

Pests-Still not much to report in the area of diseases, insects, and weeds. I have seem some ascochyta on some of our pulse crops and a little bit of fusarium here and there but nothing major. Grasshoppers continue to be an issue that producers have questions about but I haven't personally seen much damage, will be keeping an eye on that.

Crop/Weather report for week of June 27

2010-07-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Crops-County-wide crop progress continues to move along well. Much of the spring wheat crop is at or approaching the boot stage and looks to be doing very well. I have received a few calls about forage barley and when to cut it for a hay crop. The short answer is to cut at the early dough stage. Waiting until after will increase protein some but will cause a decrease in tonnage. A good portion of the hay crop got cut and most of it baled prior to the recent round of showers and storms. However, there is still some hay down and hay that needs to be cut that may have to stay in the field until the weather system has moved through.

Weather-The beginning of the week we saw conditions perfect for hay production and accumulation of heat units for our growing crops. The end of the week has brought storms and wind but it looks like we are almost finished with this batch. Currently the prediction is for warmer/drier weather to finish this week and for this to continue into next week.

Pests-Still not much to report on the pest front. With that being said, I would encourage scouting of your wheat fields for scab. Especially in areas where it has been found in previous years.

Rasmussen Dryland Field Day Re-scheduled for July 8

2010-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Due to the recent wet weather, the Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney has had to re-schedule their dryland field day, which was originally scheduled for today, Friday, June 25. It will now be held on Thursday, July 8.

Held at the Rasmussen plots north of Sidney, the field day will begin at 9:30 and conclude around 12:30 or 1:00 in the afternoon, with lunch provided. Topics that will be covered include: Grasshopper outlook and management; Row configuration and planting density impacts on dryland corn; Safflower and annual legume production; and much more.

Pesticide points will be available for both private and commercial applicators. No registration is necessary but if you would like more information, contact Beth Redlin at the NPARL at 406-433-9427.

Crop/Weather report for week of June 20

2010-06-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

Crops- In a vast majority of the county, crops continue to look really good. Although localized spots did receive hail and/or wind damage from the storms early in the week, as a whole, our crops are doing good. Much of the barley crop in the valley is starting to or has headed out and many producers are taking advantage of the recent break from rain and storms to get their hay crop cut.

Weather-As mentioned in the crops report, we did receive some hail damage early in the week. Although it did not cover a wide area of the county, the areas in the northern part of the county that were hit did see some fairly significant damage. Most of the county received rain from different showers that moved through the area. According to data from the weather station project, rain totals for the month of June ranged anywhere from 1.7 inches to 9.5 inches with a majority of the stations in the 2-3 inch range.

It appears as though there are chances of more rain events through the end of this week but the rest of the month, right now anyway, looks good as far as weather is concerned.

Pests-Still no major reports of pest problems. I have done some scouting and have not found anything that concerns me, yet. I urge our producers to continue your scouting efforts.

Crop/Weather report for week of June 13

2010-06-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Crops- Crops in the valley and dryland areas both continue to look very good for the most part. I have seen field of barley that are starting to head out and other fields that will be soon. There was some alfalfa that I saw being cut over the weekend but I haven't been back to see if it got baled prior to the recent showers/storms.

Weather- The beginning of the week was perfect for cutting hay, spraying, and hopefully folks got whatever planting they needed to do completed. The middle and end of the week is looking like a bit of a different story. Strong storms brought various amounts of rain to different areas of the county. By the end of the week, things are supposed to be back to normal, however.

Pests- By looking at the fusarium head blight risk assessment tool website, it appears as though we are still at low risk for fusarium head blight (FHB). However, it has been my experience and experts much more educated than I have said that wet, humid conditions coupled with flowering are perfect environments for FHB to establish itself. Scouting for FHB should be conducted in the coming weeks.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for week of June 6

2010-06-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Weather-Spotty showers continue to be the norm for this week. Several fields in the valley have areas of ponding water. It could be an interesting year for crop diseases if these conditions continue.

Crops- I feel that I can safely now say that, for all intents and purposes, we have finished seeding in the county. I am sure that there are still a few acres here and there that are unfinished but not too many.

Pests- Weeds and weed control continue to be our most significant pest problem. Unfortunately, the issues lately have been that when it is not raining, it is too windy to spray. With that being said, I have noticed more fields getting sprayed now that seeding is wrapping up. The tell-tale signs of Wild mustard can be seen in many fields throughout the county as it is blooming now.

Timing Restrictions for Postemergence Herbicides in Corn

2010-06-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wet field conditions have delayed some spray applications. A great reference for weed control in corn and weed and corn size restrictions, refer to this article from Bob Hartzler at Iowa State University.

Richland County Crop/Weather report for week of May 30

2010-06-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Weather-Soil conditions in much of the county remain soggy. Some sever storms brought rain to much of the county last week and more rain came before soils had much of a chance to dry out.

Seeding-Not much progress has been made in areas that have not been seeded yet. While most of the crops are in the ground there are still quite a few acres that have not been planted yet. The hope is that the end of the week will bring drying conditions and producers will be able to complete spring seeding.

Weeds-Weather conditions have not been conducive to weed control either, but unfortunately, have heavily favored weed growth. If it does dry out enough to get into fields, producers are going to take the opportunity to finish seeding and weed control will have to wait until seeding is finished. I would not say that we are at a critical juncture for weed control, but it is fast approaching.

Crops report for Richland County

2010-05-27T13:55:00.001-07:00

For the most part, producers have switched from planting mode to crop protection mode. I did have an opportunity to get out to the southwestern portion of the county and in both the irrigated and dryland areas, the crops are coming along well.

I had an interesting question from a producer who was seeing some weird growth on his spring wheat planting. The picture below is what he was seeing and is attributed to cold temperatures occuring as the wheat leaf was developing and the leaf gets trapped in the sheath.

The problem is more aesthetic than harmful and should not affect yield.

The recent wet conditions have the potential to create a few problems. The first being that many of our crop diseases prefer moist, humid conditions. If you have fields with some disease history, you should probably consider doing some crop scouting in the coming weeks. The second issue raised with our recent weather pattern is that, because soils have been too wet, some producers have not been able to get their herbicides applied in a timely manner. I would not go as far as to say that there are a great deal of weed escapes out there but as the rains continue to fall, the weeds will continue to grow and there is a potential for weeds to get out of hand.

Soil Temp, not necessarily crop stage, crucial in determining spray timing for Rizoctonia Crown and Root Rot of sugarbeets

2010-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

According to research conducted by Barry Jacobsen, plant pathologist at MSU, farmers should monitor soil temperatures to decide when fungicide treatments should be made to prevent infection of Rizoctonia Crown and Root Rot on their sugarbeet crop. According to Barry, "research over the past 9 years demonstrates that Quadris applications for Rhizoctonia Crown and Root Rot control should occur when soil temperatures at the 2-4" level average (high and low for the day) is 60-70 degrees Farenheit."

With the recent warm weather and readings from various weather stations, Richland County is in this range. For the complete article, log onto the Plant Diagnostic Information System web page, select Montana and Richland County.

Spring Planting report

2010-05-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Farmers in Richland County have taken advantage of the recent superb weather conditions and have planted a majority of their spring crops.

As of yet, I have not seen or heard of any major problems affecting stand establishment. I have noticed a good "crop" of dandelions in fields while doing "windshield surveys". Although dandelions are certainly not the only weed species that we have to deal with, they are fairly pesky and persistent. For a great article on dandelion control, I would encourage you to visit the NDSU crop and pest report for this week.

As Crop Season Progresses, Watch Ag Alerts for Updates

2010-05-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Producers are encouraged to visit the Plant Diagnostic Information System (PDIS) web site throughout the growing season to keep abreast of possible disease, insect, and weed issues in our area. PDIS is maintained by Kansas State University Extension and has Ag Alert updates for every state in the nation.

To view updates for Richland County, go to http://www.pdis.org/AgAlerts/Overview.aspx the scroll down to find Montana in the box labeled State and Richland in the box labeled county.

Richland County seeding on hold

2010-05-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

While the spring planting season got off to a great start, due to weather conditions, we are currently on hold. Much of the valley area has been planted and producers were getting a good start on the dryland areas when rain, cold temperatures, and even a dusting or two of snow moved in.

From data gathered by the weather stations, soil temperatures have dropped into the 40-45 degree range at just about all depths that are measured and soil moisture ratings are rating moisture either at the saturated or adequately wet levels. So far for the month of May, rainfall received by the weather stations has ranged from 7 tenths of an inch at both the Poplar Bridge and Fink road stations to 2 inches at the Girard location.

The crops that have been planted are up and are continuing to look good and grow well. We have experienced lows in the low to middle 30's but, from what I've seen, the temps were not low long enough to produce damage to new seedlings.

If there is some seedling damage being spotted, I would be happy to investigate.

North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) a wealth of information

2010-05-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

A new link that was just recently added under the heading "links to other agricultural sites" on this blog will take you to the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) web site. From this site, not only can you receive weather data, but you can also choose various crops grown in the area and get more information about them.

For example, if you were to click on barley, you would find information on the growing degree days accumulated for your area and a tool to predict the growth stage of the plant. Other crops on the site also have disease prediction models, insect infestation predictions and an area where you can create an account and use an irrigation scheduler. To find NDAWN's web site, go to http://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu.

Minimum Soil Temps for Various Crops and Weeds

2010-04-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

by Keith Brown, Divide County North Dakota Extension Agent

The minimum soil temperatures for germination of various crops are as follows: 40° for spring wheat, durum, barley, canola, mustard, safflower, field peas and lentils; 45° for oats, chickpeas, and sunflowers; 48° degrees for flax, and 50° degrees for corn, soybeans and dry beans. The optimum soil temperatures for rapid germination and emergence are about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the minimum temperature for a specific crop.

While it is most desirable to wait until the soil warms to near optimal temperatures to seed, we seldom have that luxury. Most of the crops that we seed in this area are cool-season crops, which on average yield better when seeded early. Plus, as farms have gotten larger, we really need to take advantage of any available planting windows to get everything seeded on a timely basis. This generally means that we need to start seeding when soil temperatures are closer to the minimum than the optimum for germination.

When seeding into soils at or near the minimum germination temperature for the crop, consider the use of basic seed treatment products. Seed planted into cooler soil will take longer to germinate and emerge, which means that it will have greater exposure to soil pathogens. Seed treatment will help provide protection against these pathogens, which can reduce stands due to seed rots and seedling blights. It will also help protect the seed or seedling if we run into adverse conditions following seeding which further delays emergence, such as cool, wet spell or a late spring snow storm.

Weeds that are considered cool-season that emerge with minimum soil temperatures of 35-40° include winter annuals such as prickly lettuce, shepherdspurse, frenchweed and annual weeds such as kochia, wild mustard, wild buckwheat, russian thistle, common lambsquarters, and wild oats,. Early emerging perennial weeds are Canada thistle, quackgrass, and absinth wormwood. Weeds are considered warm-season that emerge with minimum soil temperatures above 45° or higher include wild sunflower, cocklebur, marshelder, ragweeds, biennial wormwood, redroot pigweed, foxtail species, nightshade species and lanceleaf sage.

Planting season rolling along

2010-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Planting season in Richland continue is continuing at a good pace. Many producers have taken advantage of the great weather we have had and have planted quite a few acres. Although not always favorable, weather conditions have been such that planting is progressing and we are still receiving timely rains to help get the crop established.

As of today, I have not heard of seedling/emerging problems with the crop and a vast majority of the acres that were seeded early have emerged and are looking good.

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

I know when most people think of Earth Day, they do not generally think about farmers and ranchers celebrating it. However, since Earth Day is all about conserving resources and promoting good stewardship, there is not a better group to look to when looking for people that should be applauded for their efforts.

So thank you to our farmers and ranchers on this Earth Day. I appreciate all that you do to protect our natural resources and I certainly appreciate the food that you produce for us.

Seeding has started!

2010-04-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

SEEDING-
It is still early yet and soil temperatures are still a bit on the cool side, but seeding has started in Richland County. There are still several acres left to plant but we have started.

WEATHER-
Late Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week brought varying amounts of precipitation. Data gathered from the Conservation District and Extension Office weather station project showed that rainfall amounts were varied, especially on Tuesday. Monday only saw ranges from no rain recorded to .03 inches while Tuesday varied from .06 to .4 inches. Wednesday's totals were in the .01 to .09 range.

SOIL TEMP AND MOISTURE-
Although only recorded in two spots at this time the soil temperatures range between 39 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil moisture is another story. The measurements taken at the Brorson site, north and west of Sidney have moisture Centibar Readings generally in the 30-60 range throughout the soil profile. The Rosaaen School site, north and west of Lambert, has Centibar Readings in the 0-10 range throughout the soil profile.

As a generalization, Centibar Readings in the 0-10 range mean the soil is pretty well saturated while the 30-60 range indicates that they could use some moisture.

Want to see how your yields compared to National/State/County Averages?

2010-03-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which is a division of the USDA, has a very good and interactive web site that anyone can access to get a wide variety of reports. A sampling of information you can obtain from this site is crop progress reports; average yields for crops in the United States, Montana, or Richland County; national, state, and county rankings in specific crops and much more.

There is so much valuable information included on this site that it would be hard to list all of the reports you can find. To access the site, simply log onto http://www.nass.usda.gov/. Once there you will want to click on the data and statistics tab and the reports are fairly easy to find from there.

Weed Control Guides and Weed Identification Resources

2010-03-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

As temperatures start to warm up and the mind turns to planting season, you may be thinking about your pre-plant weed control options. To help with decisions on which products to use and when, I have several copies of the 2010 North Dakota Weed Control Guide available for anyone who would like one to come in and pick up. If you would like one, come in and see me or send an email to tfine@montana.edu and I will do my best to get one to you.

For a complete list of weed identification sites and weed control issues for Montana, please visit http://www.ipm.montana.edu/CropWeeds/index.htm

Farm Management web site helps in making many decisions

2010-03-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Decisions regarding what to plant, how much to rent acreage for, whether to buy or lease equipment and the like are almost always the most difficult decisions for a farmer/rancher to make. To help make those decisions just a little bit easier, a web site has been created with downloadable software that producers can manipulate to input numbers that are unique to their operation.

There are too many spreadsheets to mention them all, but basically they fall under the categories of: Financial Management and Analysis; Machinery Management; Crop Production, Finance, and Marketing; Livestock and Forage Production, Finance, and Economics; Marketing; and Enterprise Crop Budgets.

All of the programs are free to download and use. To find them, visit http://www.montana.edu/softwaredownloads/

Recognition should be given to Duane Griffith, Extension Economic specialist, and the many other contributors for creation of the workable documents and web site.

Initial Pesticide Applicator Training

2010-03-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

On March 25, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, there will be a pesticide certification class for new applicators at the Nemont Friendship Room in Scobey, Montana. This will be an initial training for producers who are not licensed, as well as a chance for licensed private applicators to obtain 6 recertification credits. Commercial credits have been applied for, but confirmation of credits is still pending.

For more information, or to pre-register, please contact the Daniels County Extension Office at 487-2861 or email Nicole Winkler at nwinkler@montana.edu. A complete agenda may be viewed at http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/PAT/2010/Region4.htm l.

USDA/ARS Webinars

2010-02-26T13:26:00.001-08:00

The Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney, Montana, will host three webinar sessions in the coming weeks. Dates and topics include:

March 4 @ 12:00 noon-Dr. Daniel Papaj, Professor in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson will provide insight into the "Ecological and Evolutionary Perspectives on Learning in Bees and Butterflies".

March 25 @ 12:00 noon- Dr. Moran Segoli, a postdoctoral researcher and Jay Rosenheim, both from the UC Davis Department of Entomology will focus their webinar on "The importance of Predation in Shaping Desert Communities and Trophic Levels".

April 1 @ 12:00 noon-Dr. Alexandra Klein, a professor at the University of Luneburg in Germany will discuss "Can Wild Pollinators Contribute, Augment, and Complement Almond Pollination in California?".

All of these webinars are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Beth Redlin at the USDA/ARS in Sidney at 406-433-9427.

USDA/ARS Brown Bagger Series

2010-02-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

The United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Station's (USDA/ARS) Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL), located in Sidney, Montana has been hosting a brown bagger lunch series of informational topics and research updates for the public. While most of the sessions have concluded, there are still a few more that all are welcome to attend, they are.

Friday, March 12-Andy Roberts ARS Research Animal Scientist-Physiologist from the ARS Rangeland and Livestock Research Laboratory in Miles City will give a presentation on "Restricted feeding/limited diets in cattle."

Friday, March 19- an Irrigation "mini-workshop" will be held with Tyler Tjelde and Robert Evans. Tyler is the irrigation specialist at the Williston Research Extension Center and Robert conducts research at the NPARL in Sidney.

Friday, April 9- Robert Lartey, Research Plant Pathologist at the NPARL, will present "Influenza virus and Turnip vein clearing tobamovirus: Mystery of viruses resolved!"

There is no cost or registration required to attend the brown bagger series. All presentations will be held at the USDA/ARS in Sidney, beginning at 12:00 noon. For more information, contact Beth Redlin at 406-433-9427.

New Website launched to help with Farm/Ranch Transition

2010-02-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

The Center for Farm Financial Management, which includes Extension Agents and specialists from several states, has developed a web site to help farmers and ranchers create a plan to transfer their business to the next generation.

The Ag Transitions web site is maintained by the University of Minnesota's Extension department but, because the contributors to the Center for Farm Financial Management are located in various states across the United States, the information is applicable to just about anyone.

Farm estate planning is becoming an increasingly important topic for our farmers and ranchers and although this site may not provide every answer to every question you have, it certainly will be a good starting point. For more information about the Center for Farm Financial Management, click here.

Mon Dak Ag Days Survey

2010-02-03T14:55:00.001-08:00

We would like your help in our attempt to continually improve the Mon Dak Ag Days and Trade Show in Sidney. If you have attended the event in recent years, your honest and sincere responses to our survey would be greatly appreciated. You do not have to complete the entire survey, if only parts are applicable to you.

To access the survey, please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7G5Q3CG

National Hard Spring Wheat Show

2010-01-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

The 28th annual Bread Fair will take place in Williston on Monday February 1st, followed by the 57th annual National Hard Spring Wheat Show on February 2nd and 3rd.

The featured speaker for this year's event is Ron Hanson, Distinguished Professor of Agribusiness at the University of Nebraska. Professor Hanson will give a lecture discussing the issues associated with transitioning the family farm from one generation to the next.

In addition to the presentation mentioned above, there will be a variety of other workshops and presentations on a variety of wheat and agricultural-related topics and a trade show on the 2nd and 3rd. For a complete list of presentations, times, and locations, click here.

Winter Storm

2010-01-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

Blowing snow has closed roads and caused power outages across Sheridan County. Many homes in the country are without power as well as Antelope, Reserve and Medicine Lake. Crews are busy trying to repair the outages and are making good progress. The City of Plentywood had their main well down for over 24 hours, and water reserves were running low (this includes fire protection). It was finally repaired and brought back on line late this afternoon. Crews are to be commended.

Cattle are out of water with frozen lines and waterers. After a little research, I was able to find out that cattle do just fine eating snow. There is little or no performance drop from eating snow as a water source. The only thing I could find that might be a problem was a 2-3 day delay until they discover that they can actually eat snow!!

2009 Agricultural Reserach Updates Now Available

2010-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

The NDSU Research Extension Center in Williston and the MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney have compiled their research findings and the report is now available to you. Yield and variety trials on a wide array of crops can be found in this publication and it is available for free at your local Extension Office, some grain elevators, and some ag-product dealers throughout Northeastern Montana.