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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...................

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.

1. 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.