Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 131
While natural insecticides made up of disease-causing soil microbes have been successfully tested against pest grasshoppers in the lab and greenhouse, their success has not always translated to the great outdoors. Why not? Sidney Agricultural Research Service scientist Stefan Jaronski will answer that question during his special BrownBagger presentation this Thursday, Jan. 30, at the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney. The talk is open to the public and runs from noon to 1 pm. The lab is located at 1500...
The USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney will open its 12th winter Brown Bagger series at noon on Friday, Jan. 17th with a special “science travelogue down under” by NPRAL Plant Ecologist Erin Espeland. The event is open to the public. Dr. Espeland’s research is focused on restoration of disturbed lands in semiarid regions of the Great Plains and her talk will focus on the ecology of southwestern Australia and problems in restoration there following a recent visit to that co...
For centuries, mankind has battled insect pests with varying levels of success, and today is no different. While the advent of new chemical controls in the past century has aided management, concern for its impact on the environment and other desirable species means scientists are still searching for better, safer and more effective options, some of which even include turning a pest into a product. Come discover new high-tech options emerging to manage age-old insect pests, and others not so lofty (like eating them!) in the second of two...
Large scientific concepts like evolution and molecular biology (DNA) may seem far removed from our everyday lives, but in agricultural research those ideas have become invaluable tools in the scientist’s arsenal. And not just high tech tools harnessed in the modern age, but everyday tools that have been used for more than a century. Come discover the secrets of evolution and DNA this Thursday (Nov 14) at 7 pm in the first of two special, family-friendly talks planned by the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in S...
The USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with two special talks and related activities to be held at the lab on successive Thursday evenings, Nov. 14 and 21st. These family-friendly talks, presented in plain language and designed for upper elementary students through adults, will not only touch on science’s contribution to agriculture in the past 50 years, but also look ahead to new frontiers in the future. The presentations will also explain broad scientific concepts a...
The results are in! Altogether, more than 230 area residents, businesses, schools and government agencies recycled just over 21 Tons (42,049) of e-waste at this year’s “E-rase your E-waste” events, organizers reported last week. This is the fifth year in which the annual total collected has exceeded 20,000 pounds of e-waste, bringing the county’s overall collection total for the past nine years to more than 154 Tons! “Things went very well again this year,” Jackie Couture, Co-Chair of the E-rase...
Last chance this year to clear out all those outdated and obsolete electronic items cluttering your closets. This weekend, the Richland County “Erase your E-waste” program is hosting its regular fall weekend collection event on Friday and Saturday, Sept 6 and 7th and once again it’s FREE for all area participants! This event will be held at the Richland County Shop, 2140 W. Holly, across from the fairgrounds in Sidney from 3 pm to 7 pm on Friday and 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday. (Please note, the county shop is available for drop offs during event...
With summer waning and school underway, it’s time to do a little fall cleaning and we’d like to help. The Richland County “Erase your E-waste” program is hosting its 9th annual fall collection event on Friday and Saturday, Sept 6 and 7th where area residents are invited to recycle their old, obsolete electronic products in an environmentally friendly fashion……for FREE! The collection event is being held at the Richland County Shop, 2140 W. Holly in Sidney, across from the fairgrounds...
Alfalfa is the second most important crop in Montana after small grains, and alfalfa weevil is the most serious pest of alfalfa in the High Plains region. The USDA Agricultural Research Service in Sidney has been monitoring weevil populations since 2009, and last year (2012), represents the first year in which economically damaging levels of weevils were observed in irrigated fields in the Yellowstone and Missouri river valleys, according to Tatyana Rand, a Research Entomologist with the...
Two special workshops are planned as part of the 2013 Sidney ARS Dryland Field Day set for this Friday from 9 am to noon, including a special sprayer calibration workshop, as well as a recap of the March 5th “Pipeline Reclamation Workshop” held in Sidney this past winter. A free lunch is provided. The sprayer calibration workshop will be conducted by Richland and Roosevelt County Extensions Agents Tim Fine and Ann Ronning, and participants can sign up for two commercial or private applicator pesticide points for attending. ARS Plant Eco...
Three special presentations, two workshops and a report out of Washington, DC, are planned as part of the 2013 Froid Research Farm Field Day set for this Thursday at 1 pm. First up is a discussion by Outlook area farmer Gordon Stoner, who as past president of the Montana Grain Growers Association, has been participating in the debate on the new Farm Bill heating up in Congress. He will share his insights on the debate and other ag issues in this update from DC. His presentation will be followed by two special workshops, the first a sprayer...
Two back-to-back dryland field days highlighting research being conducted at farmsites near Froid and Sidney are on tap for Thursday and Friday, June 20th and 21st.This year’s lineup for the two annual tours includes several shared topics, so if you have to miss one event, you can still catch much of the information at the other. Joint Field Day Talks: Headlining both events are two workshop presentations, the first a sprayer calibration workshop for local producers and the second a brief recap of the March 5th “Pipeline Reclamation Wor...
Ready to get started on your spring cleaning? Let us help! Area residents are invited to participate in our 9th annual “E-rase your E-waste” Spring Collection event May 10-11 where you can recycle your outdated electronic waste for FREE! This year’s event features two locations. First up, on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11, Sidney will host regular its e-waste collection at the Richland County Shop, 2140 W. Holly, across from the fairgrounds. Times for the Sidney event are 3 pm to 7 pm on Friday and 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday. On Saturday morni...
The Fairview Chamber is adding e-cycling to its annual spring cleanup day activities this year, in cooperation with Richland County’s E-rase your E-waste program. Saturday, May 11 has been designated as City Wide Cleanup Day in Fairview, according to Chamber organizers, with bins for regular trash available at the fire hall from 8 a.m. until noon. During that same time period, residents and businesses are encouraged to bring their electronic recyclables to the fire hall as well. Seniors or others requiring assistance in Fairview may call C...
It's spring cleaning time again…even if it doesn't feel OR look much like it…which means the Richland County "E-rase your E-waste" committee is gearing up for its annual collection events. There are, however, a few changes in this year's program. First and foremost is the addition of a new e-cycler, Yellowstone E-waste Solutions, out of Billings, MT, according to organizers. "We've opted to go with a new e-cycler this year, not because of any issues with our previous provider, but because we want to support development of a home-grown MT e-c...
The USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) final BrownBagger presentation for 2013 is set for this Friday, April 5, from noon to 1 pm. It features NPARL Soil Scientist Upendra Sainju, who will discuss “Life-cycle assessment of dryland greenhouse gas emissions affected by cropping sequence and nitrogen fertilization.” In particular, Dr. Sainju will look at dryland malt barley production, including the various management options used for measuring greenhouse gas emissions, soil C seque...
While U.S. agriculture and resource management have long histories of successful adaptation to climate variability, the accelerating pace and intensity of climate change presents new challenges to be addressed, according to a comprehensive report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last month. Updated every five years by congressional mandate, the technical report, entitled “Climate Change and Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation,” synthesizes the scientific literature on climate change effects and adaptation strategies for...
Does where the seeds you buy are grown affect how well they will grow for you? That’s a question Sidney Agricultural Research Service scientist Erin Espeland will answer during her BrownBagger presentation this Friday, Mar.1, from noon to 1 pm at the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney. “In animals, we know that maternal nutrition affects how their progeny grow: in other words, the maternal environment affects the characteristics of offspring.” Espeland, a plant ecologist with NPARL studying recla...
Rangeland reclamation is no easy task, and the need for more information on how to do it effectively is growing as the number of pipelines criss-crossing the open prairies of eastern Montana and western North Dakota continues to increase. To meet that need, a one-day workshop bringing together reclamation researchers, energy company representatives and ranchers and land managers to discuss the best methods for managing pipeline reclamation will be held Tuesday, March 5th in Sidney, MT. The workshop begins with scientific presentations in the...
Rangeland reclamation is no easy task, and the need for more information on how to do it effectively is growing as the number of pipelines criss-crossing the open prairies of eastern Montana and western North Dakota increase with oil and gas development in the Bakken. To meet that need, a one-day workshop that brings together reclamation researchers, energy company representatives and ranchers and land managers to discuss the best methods for managing pipeline reclamation is planned for Tuesday, March 5th in Sidney. The all-day workshop runs...
The USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) welcomes Dr. Gadi V.P. Reddy, the new Superintendent at Montana State University’s Western Triangle Ag Research Center, to Sidney this Thursday and Friday to meet ARS and MSU scientific staff, discuss possible collaborations, and present a Friday BrownBagger on Feb. 15th. A recent arrival to Montana, Dr. Reddy previously worked at the University of Guam’s Western Pacific Tropical Research Center where he was engaged in biocontrol of weeds and i...
Rangeland reclamation is no easy task, and the need for more information on how to do it effectively is growing as the number of pipelines criss-crossing the open prairies of eastern Montana and western North Dakota increase with oil and gas development in the Bakken. To meet that need, a one-day workshop that brings together reclamation researchers, energy company representatives and ranchers and land managers to discuss the best methods for managing pipeline reclamation is planned for Tuesday, March 5th in Sidney. The all-day workshop runs...
With only 13-14 inches of average annual rainfall, dryland farmers in the MonDak region need to know the best farming strategies for utilizing that limited moisture and improving nutrient use to sustain yields and remain profitable. Researchers with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney are studying new rotations and management practices to help make that happen and ARS Agronomist Brett Allen will share results from existing dryland research and upcoming new projects as p...
The USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL) in Sidney will open its 11th winter Brown Bagger series at noon on Friday, Jan. 18th with a special weather “preview” presentation by Dr. William Martin and Brad Mickelson with the National Weather Service Office in Glasgow, MT. The event is open to the public. Entitled “Near-Term and Long-Term Weather Possibilities in Northeast Montana,” the presentation will review current expectations for the weather and climate of Northeast Montana including...
Are you an avid gardener, already planning your seed beds for spring, but always interested in new ideas? Or are you a “newbie,” excited about the thought of growing your own fresh fruits and vegetables but unsure where to start? Then this year’s MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show is the place to be! The 2013 event on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 10-11, at the Richland County Fairgrounds Event Center includes a series of gardening talks to kick of this year’s programming schedule. From 8:30 am through n...
