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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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

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.html.

USDA/ARS Webinars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.