Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 114
The 2014 National Hard Spring Wheat Show has taken on a different look with the incorporation of NDSU’s Best of the Best in addition to several other keynote speakers and the ever-popular Bread Fair for area 5th grade students. The Best of the Best will offer some of the leading issues facing today’s wheat growers. For example Dr. Fabian Menalled, Extension Crop Weed Specialist of Montana State University, will share the latest information on herbicide resistant Kochia and other weeds, sta...
Dr. Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension Entomologist, recently reported finding a relatively uncommon insect, cereal leaf beetle, feeding on barley and winter wheat in three new countries of North Dakota. These insects were found at the North Dakota Research Extension Center at Minot, in Burke County near Flaxton, and in Renville County near Mohall. Adults and larvae both feed on the leaves of cereal crops with the larvae being responsible for a majority of the damage which looks like elongated windowpan...
Dr. Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension Entomologist, recently reported finding a relatively uncommon insect, cereal leaf beetle, feeding on barley and winter wheat in three new counties of North Dakota. These insects were found at the North Dakota Research Extension Center at Minot, in Burke County near Flaxton, and in Renville County near Mohall. Adults and larvae both feed on the leaves of cereal crops with the larvae being responsible for a majority of the damage which looks like elongated...
Last year I devoted part or all of my weekly column describing trees that are found in this area. A couple of readers suggested I do the same for shrubs and smaller trees. Recently a wonderful lady who is enthused about promoting shrubs that bare edible fruits asked for information about chokecherry. She reminded me that, like her, there are many new people now living in this area who know very little about plant life adaptable to northwest North Dakota and northeast Montana. So, my lead-off...
This past week I had the opportunity to drive through the eastern two-thirds of the county. The countryside has a beauty we do not see often. On the negative, the number of acres planted exceeded my expectations. It looks like there will be a few more acres of corn to harvest this fall, anyway, I hope so. The last time we gave corn a good try on the non-irrigated acres, the summer and fall did not produce enough heat units to make corn again. Compared to wheat, we know that the above ground...
Weed resistance to popular herbicides is a growing concern amongst those of us involved in producing crops for the world’s growing population. I have not heard many crop growers in this region share resistance problems but kochia resistance to glyphosate (Roundup) and fluroxypr (Starane) is moving westward. Just a few years ago high levels of resistance were documented in southern Minnesota. Last year, there was widespread concern in eastern North Dakota that glyphosate was not killing k...
Planting a tree correctly and following recommended practices for early care are extremely important in giving the tree a good start. Besides selecting the right tree for the environment it is very important to plant it at the proper depth. The root collar should be just above the soil layer. The root collar is at the bottom of the main stem which slightly flares out just before the roots begin. When planting trees there is a rhyme that goes as follows: plant too high the tree will die; plant...
As I write this column (May 21) the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network reports there have been approximately 200 accumulated insect degree days in the Williston and Stanley area. This data has some implications as to when we can expect adult alfalfa weevil emergence which is around 250-300 degree days. Degree days are calculated by averaging the high and low temperatures of each day and subtracting the base of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on day time temperatures, it is possible...
The optimum plant population for corn production has been increasing in recent years. Much of the gains in corn productivity have been attributed to higher populations and corn hybrids that are adapted to these higher populations. Also, in drought prone areas, high populations are needed to reach maximum yield. Based on data from research conducted at NDSU and by other regional entities, plant population in drought prone areas with an expected yield of less than 100 bushels per acre, should be...
Spring is here and new homeowners are very enthused about beautifying their new home with trees, shrubs and a lawn. Developing a home landscape plan can be fun but requires a lot of hard labor and patience as plants, especially trees, grow to maturity. When it comes to trees for new home yards and farmsteads we tend to prefer those that grow fast. Years ago, we looked to the Siberian Elm to fulfill growth expectations. Many were planted in field shelterbelts, around farmsteads and homes. It...
Livestock manure has value. It can provide valuable nutrients to crops grown on land where it is applied. However, the exact amount of nutrients can be highly variable. According to data archived at the NDSU Soil Testing Laboratory the nitrogen content of manure from beef cattle ranged from 6.7 to 64.8 pounds per ton. Similar ranges were also found for phosphorus and potassium. These variations in nutrient content are associated with diet, age and storing practices. With such variation in...
Spring must be coming. Anyway, the thought of green grass is on the minds of many people. When is a good time to plant grass to establish a new lawn? What should I seed and should it be fortified? These are frequent questions this time of year. Let’s start with the first question – When is a good time to use Kentucky blue grass as the base species with maybe a sprinkling of fescue which tends to be more shade tolerant. I encourage homeowners to plant the grass just as soon as daytime tem...
Weeds have long been a challenge to farmers attempting to efficiently produce food products and maintain profitability. At first the only options of controlling the moisture robbing pests were tillage and hand labor. Approximately 50-60 years ago the agriculture community was introduced to herbicides that would attack the weeds, mostly broadleaf, but not harm the crop. Since then, weed control practices have drastically changed. For most crops, farmers rely very little on tillage as the primary...
In recent years North Dakota crop producers have been offered at least one new active ingredient per year for weed control. For 2011 it was saflufenacil, commonly known as Sharpen. It has become a popular herbicide for use in chickpeas, field pea, small grains and other crops. Sunflower growers can use it as a harvest aid/desiccant. In 2012 Bayer released thiencarbazone. It is a relative of flucarbazone (Everest 2.0) and propoxycarbazone which is contained in Olympus and Rimfire Max. Thiencarbaz...
In recent years North Dakota crop producers have been offered at least one new active ingredient per year for weed control. For 2011 it was saflufenacil, commonly known as Sharpen. It has become a popular herbicide for use in chickpeas, field pea, small grains and other crops. Sunflower growers can use it as a harvest aid/desiccant. In 2012 Bayer released thiencarbazone. It is a relative of flucarbazone (Everest 2.0) and propoxycarbazone which is contained in Olympus and Rimfire Max. Thiencarbaz...
Recently a cattle producer asked about the term “drop credit” as it related to beef value. Drop credit (or drop charge) is the value of nonmeat items such as blood, meat, hides, fat, bones, hair, etc. The term is also applied to pork values. Today’s drop credit for a steer or heifer is approximately $14 per cwt. live weight. Much of this value is influenced by energy prices and those parts of the animal carcass which provide energy by-products such as tallow. The weighted average price of choic...
The farm management team at North Dakota State University has released its projected crop budgets for 2013. The budgets for each crop are in a pamphlet form which includes spring wheat, durum, malting barley, corn grain, oil sunflowers, canola, flax, field peas, oats, lentils, yellow mustard, safflower, buckwheat, millet, chickpeas, winter wheat, and rye. Except for oats, all the budgets listed for northwest North Dakota show positive returns to labor and management. Corn, yellow mustard, chickp...
A few weeks ago I wrote about corn being one of the most profitable crops for northwest North Dakota according to the recently released 2013 crop budget of North Dakota State University. Then Rick Bieber of Trail City, South Dakota spoke during the Wheat Show explaining how corn and the crops worked so well in his no-till cropping system. He gave corn a lot of credit for his farm’s profitability. Also, about this time, I received research reports of Williston and Minot and found two-year d...
A few weeks ago I wrote about corn being one of the most profitable crops for northwest North Dakota according to the recently released 2013 crop budget of North Dakota State University. Then Rick Bieber of Trail City, South Dakota spoke during the Wheat Show explaining how corn and the crops worked so well in his no-till cropping system. He gave corn a lot of credit for his farm’s profitability. Also, about this time, I received research reports of Williston and Minot and found two-year d...
The 60th National Hard Spring Wheat Show is now history. I may sound a bit prejudiced by saying the line-up of speakers was outstanding starting with Jolene Brown, who is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and ending with Rick Bieber, a self-spoken farmer who has taken his farm rags to riches. Jolene is an exciting public speaker with a vast amount of experience working with farm families who desire to pass the farm’s legacy from one generation to another. One of her many statements w...
Plans for the 13th annual MonDak Pulse Day are now complete. It will take place on Wednesday, February 20 at the Airport International Inn in Williston beginning at 8:30 am CST with registration. One of the featured speakers will be Dr. Rosalind Buckert, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Some of her research is to study whole plant and field responses of crops (particularly pulse crops) to nutrients, water, and weather. In her research, she is working to understand and improve yield...
During this year’s Wheat Show wheat growers of Williams County will gather to elect a county representative to the North Dakota Wheat Commission. This election is scheduled to take place Tuesday, February 5, 3:45 at the Airport International Inn. County representatives from Burke, Divide, McKenzie, Mountrail, Renville, Ward and Williams counties will meet at a later date to select a wheat grower to represent this area on the seven-member board of the North Dakota Wheat Commission. Dustin J...
“The Top Ten Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business” is one of two topics that Jolene Brown, a family business consultant, will address during the National Hard Spring Wheat Show on Tuesday, February 5. Jolene is an award winning communicator who has spent many hours sitting around kitchen tables and family business meeting rooms. She has learned what works and what doesn’t. During her first presentation she will discuss the following: 1)The top ten assumptions that create major problems for i...
Some of 16 experts scheduled to speak during this year’s National Hard Spring Wheat Show will include representatives of four commodity groups who work hard to make sure there is profitability in providing the crops they represent. All are scheduled to report to area producers on Tuesday afternoon, February 5. Doug Opland and Deanna Weise, President and Executive Director respectively, of the U.S. Durum Growers Association will share efforts of that organization to maintain the dominance of that...
Up until the break of the new century the U.S. beef industry could set its watch on a 10 year market cycle. In other words, producers could expect market lows to be 10 years following the previous market highs. Such things as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), major drought throughout large sections of the Midwest, competition from rising crop values and an aging group of ranchers have all contributed to a major reduction in the number of mama cows across our nation. USDA data from 2011...
