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