Growing Degree Days

I realize it's been a month since something has been posted to this blog, but with the winter that we've had and are continuing to have, there has not been much, agronomically speaking, happening in the past month.  I don't know why I didn't think about this before, but there is no better way to demonstrate this than by using Growing Degree Days (GDD).

Understanding that some of you know what GDD's are and some do not, I will not bore those that do know with a lengthy explanation of what GDD's are and how to calculate them.  I will, however, provide a link to a website that explains it much better than I could anyway.  If you do not know what GDD's are or how to calculate them, Iowa State has a great website that explains it fairly well.  This can be found at http://agron-www.agron.iastate.edu/Courses/agron212/Calculations/GDD.htm.  There is also an app that you can get for your smart phone that will figure it out for you.  I have not used this app so I will not provide a link to it but if you search for it, it should be fairly easy to find.

So anyway, back to my main point, at this website (http://uspest.org/wea/) you can click on the state you are looking for and find GDD's for various locations around the state.  So I went and clicked on one of the stations in Sidney and set the parameters for the minimum and maximum temperatures for corn growth and development (50 F and 86 F, respectively) to see how many GDD's were accumulated as of today.  So far this year, we have accumulated a whopping 10.1 GDD's as opposed to 191.9 accumulated by this date last year.

Of course GDD's are just one way to show why nothing is happening agronomically yet this spring.  Even if we had accumulated more GDD's plants cannot grow if they are not in the ground and field conditions so far this spring have not allowed for much of any tillage or planting.

Happy National Ag Day-Thank you Farmers and Ranchers for all that you do

Another year has passed and it is time to once again recognize our farmers and ranchers for all of the hard work and effort that they put into making sure that we have a wide selection of foods to choose from when we’re sitting at a table and wondering what’s for dinner.  So, first and foremost, let me just say thank you to those of you who are reading this and are directly responsible for making sure that we are all getting fed.

In case you were not already aware, this week is Ag Week and specifically, March 19 is Ag Day.  Ag Week and Ag Day are dates specifically set aside to recognize our dwindling agricultural population for all that they do for the rest of the world.  We all like to eat and have clothes to wear and these tasks just would not be possible were it not for their efforts.  Personally, I think there should more than a week set aside to recognize these hard-working individuals but most of them probably wouldn’t care to be recognized at all because that is just the kind of humble, hard-working people that they are.
 

The problem with humble, hard-working people is that they just go about their jobs tending to their work and for the most part, let the problems of the rest of the world fall off of their backs while they are out trying to make a living.  While this practice was fine before the age of 24/7 news media and attention paid to anyone who is willing to speak up about anything (factual or not), that just is not the case in our society today.  Unfortunately, if you just go about your work and choose not to get involved in the back and forth debates about your craft, you are seen as having something to hide or someone who simply does not care.

So someone must speak up for our hard-working, humble folks and I guess that is the reason that the national Ag Day and Ag Week were created, so that hopefully factual information about how our food is produced and the people who produce it can be proclaimed.  So I want to take this opportunity to do my part and hopefully try and dispel some myths about our current  agricultural production practices.

Probably the most mis-leading “facts” that are constantly being thrown around about agriculture production in the United States is that it is not a system built on sustainability.  Opponents of the way we grow our food and textiles would tell you that we use way too many natural resources, we are not good stewards of the land, and that we’re not “green” enough.  To those people, I would offer these facts.

1.       If our farmers were using the same production practices to produce corn in 2008 as they used in 1931, we would need an additional 490 million more acres to produce the same amount.  That is 120 million MORE acres than what is included in our largest state, Alaska.
 

2.       In 1997, it took a beef animal 606 days to grow from birth to slaughter and in 2007 that number was down to 482 days, a savings of 124 days per animal.  This means that each animal is eating 124 days less of feedstuffs, drinking 124 days less water, and taking 124 less days of waste off of the poop pile.

3.       In 1960, one farmer fed about 26 people.  Today, that same farmer will feed 155.

And these are just a few of the more interesting tidbits that I could find. 
So be sure that you say thank you to your local, humble, hard-working, sustainable food producer today.  And really, you don’t have to wait until Ag Day or Ag Week to do so, I’m sure he or she would appreciate the recognition any day or week of the year.

MonDak Pulse Day to be held in Williston Feb. 20

If you currently grow, or are considering growing pulses, you will not want to miss the annual MonDak Pulse Day at the Airport International Inn in Williston.  Details can be found below.

60th Annual National Hard Spring Wheat Show

The annual Hard Spring Wheat Show will be held in Williston at the Airport National Inn on Monday, February 4 through Wednesday, February 6.

The event get started on Monday with area 5th grade students participating in the bread fair.  Then on Tuesday the educational sessions, photo contest, and trade show will begin.  There are several speakers lined up for the event, too many to list them all here, so instead I'll just provide a link to the brochure.

If you would like more information, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/williamscountyextension/wheat-show-brochure/view.

Ag Economics in Uncertain Times program to be held in Richey

On Monday, January 21, Dr. George Haynes, MSU Extension Agricultural Policy Specialist, will be in Richey, MT to provide producers with information related to the economics of dealing with the drought.  Along with this program, he will also present findings from research he has conducted related to the economic impact of the aging population in Montana.  Details related to each of the programs are as follows:

Agricultural Outlook and Drought Economics

Montana producers have realized the positive and negative impacts of weather events, droughts and floods, occurring in- and out-of-state over the past few years.  This presentation will examine the impact of the droughts and floods, consider the economic implications of short- and long-term decreases in revenue and increases in costs, discuss strategies for surviving these events and consider assistance programs designed to mitigate these economic impacts.

Montana’s Aging Population

Montana’s population is rapidly becoming one of the “older” states in the United States.  This presentation will examine the impact of an aging population, where the percentage of elderly is increasing and the percentage of working age adults and young people is decreasing.  The presentation focuses on changes in state expenditures on corrections, education and Medicaid and changes in property tax and residential income tax revenues.

This event will be held at the Stockman Bank in Richey beginning at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 21st.  Lunch will be provided.  For more information, contact Tim Fine.

Full Schedule for Mondak Ag Days and Trade Show

Here is the entire slate of speakers and topics for the educational programs at the MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10

• 8:30 Trade Show Opens
  
• 8:30-12:00 "Family Program"  How does your garden grow?
• Square foot and raised bed gardening......George Biebl
• Strategies for Capturing Rainwater..........Bill Iversen
• Garden Insects, the Bad and the Ugly.......Deb Waters
• Bucket Composting...................................Mike Dalton
• Gardening in Schools................................Anne McHale
  
• 12:45-1:45 Water Considerations (drilling wells, water depots, etc)
• John Reiten-MT Department of Mines and Drilling
• Denise Bigger-MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
  
•  2:15-3:15-Insurance Considerations for the Farm
• Jeremy Norby, Seitz Insurance
  
•  3:45-4:45-Understanding the EPA's SPCC rule
• Tim Fine, Richland County Extension Agent
  
• 5:00-6:00 Social
   
• 6:00-????  Dinner and Banquet featuring entertainer Ken Overcast

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11

• 7:00-9:00 Sidney Chamber of Commerce Breakfast
  
• 9:00 Trade Show Opens
  
• 9:00-10:00 Bison Panel (pointing out the pros and cons of allowing bison to freely roam)
• Arepresentative of the Malta livestock association
• Jim Posewitz, retired employee of MT Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks
  
• 10:30-11:15-Virtual Tour of the Pust Feedlot
• Doug Pust
  
•  11:30-12:30-Grazing Cornstalks
• Dr. Doug Landblom, NDSU Extension
  
• 1:15-2:15 Dealing with predators
• Jim Miller, Richland County Game Warden
  
• 2:30-3:30-Beef Quality Assurance
• Bill Pelton, MT Beef Quality Assurance
  
• 3:00 Trade Show Closes

Ken Overcast to provide entertainment at Mondak Ag Days banquet

Every year, the Mondak Ag Days and Trade Show holds a  banquet between the two days of the trade show and educational sessions.  This year, that banquet will be Thursday, January 10 and our featured entertainer for the banquet is Ken Overcast.  To quote Ken's website "Ken Overcast is the real deal.  In this day and age of plastic throw away everything, to find someone that is really genuine is a treat indeed.  While many in the performing arts tend towards honing and act that is saleable, Ken strives very diligently to just be himself.  His music, writing, and public performances are characterized by a down home connection that is indeed rare.  He is a third generation Montanan, and is truly making a mark on America's entertainment."

Tickets for the banquet, which include a social hour, beef meal and Ken's entertainment are $25 and can be purchased at Stockman Bank in Sidney, the Sidney Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, or the Richland County Extension Office.   Hope to see you there.