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.