Sorted by date Results 26 - 41 of 41
The 129th Montana Stockgrowers Association Convention and Trade Show, held at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings, December 12-14, drew record crowds from the ranching community from across the state. The three-day convention featured a number of speakers to help ranchers learn more about available management tools, as well as outlooks on the current status of cattle markets, industry trends, environmental and wildlife issues. Members also had the opportunity to discuss and vote on resolutions that guide policy activity for the...
Hydroponics is a combination of two Greek words, “hydro” meaning water and “ponics” meaning labor. It is a method of growing plants using a mineral solution in water, without using soil. Research has proven soil is not required for plants to thrive. When a plant root is placed in a mineral nutrient solution or in an inert medium, such as gravel, mineral wool, expanded clay, coconut husk or pebbles, it will grow at a rate of 30-50 percent faster than plant roots planted in soil and will produce a...
Projected crop budgets generally show some return to labor and management for 2014, although the price of most crops declined significantly in 2013 and are not expected to improve, according to Andy Swenson, North Dakota State University Extension Service farm management specialist. A reduction in total costs per acre provides a slight cushion to the impact of lower crop prices. “The overall decline in costs was accomplished because of a 20 to 25 percent decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer prices and lower fuel prices,” Swenson says....
Many families have been in Richland County for 100 years or more. Is yours one of them? The Richland County Centennial Committee wants to recognize family farms and ranches that will be at least 100 years old in 2014 during the big Centennial celebration weekend this coming June. To apply, please come to a Centennial Farms & Ranches workshop at the MonDak Heritage Center on Tuesday January 21, at 6:00pm. Worksheets and research helpers will be on hand for the workshop. To learn more and download the short application worksheet, visit our...
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 todays wheat growers. For example Dr. Fabian Menalled, Extension Crop Weed Specialist of Montana State University, will share the latest information on herbicide resistantKochia and other weeds, status a...
Learning to do. Doing to learn. Earning to live. Living to serve. Ask any local National Future Farmers of America Organization student the FFA motto and it will effortlessly roll off their tongue. For 75 years that mantra has served as the backbone of a local, state and national organization that strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by teaching them leadership through agricultural education. The Sidney High School Chapter of the FFA will celebrate 75 years in January...
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department have reopened the Coyote Catalog to connect coyote hunters and trappers with landowners who want fewer coyotes in their areas. The Coyote Catalog is an online database similar to the one the Game and Fish Department uses to connect deer hunters with farmers and ranchers. “We’ve had a lot of success matching deer hunters with landowners,” said NDGF Director Terry Steinwand. “We hope the Coyote Catalog works out just as well.” NDDA officials estimate...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 31 counties in North Dakota as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by multiple disasters that include spring snowstorms, significant rainfall, unseasonably cool spring, frosts and freeze damage, flooding, ground saturation, severe thunderstorms, hail damage, high winds, weather-related insects and diseases, and mid-summer drought conditions that began Jan. 1, 2013, and continues. Those counties are: Benson, Grand Forks, McLean, Pembina, Bottineau, Grant, Mercer, Pierce,...
The other day I stumbled upon a piece of food-related literature my husband bought for me several years ago. It caught his eye on a newsstand. In an article that included compelling pictures, an eyewitness reported the furry and ferocious Bigfoot’s amazing weight loss. The creature apparently dropped from 800 pounds to 650 pounds by eating more berries, getting more physical activity, log rolling on a swamp and consequently, wrestling alligators. Did I mention that my husband has a unique sense of humor? Unfortunately, there was not an o...
With the ever-growing databases and improved techniques and computer applications to access the data, reviewing records of old bulls to access the current genetics within the herd aids in understanding the herd. As the year wraps up, the process of buying a bull picks up. New bulls are great, but what about the old bulls? Although one wants to keep lots of openness when reviewing new bulls, the truth be told, there is a wealth of information available on most bulls that probably is not well...
Montana State University Extension has released two new publications, one to identify weed seedlings and one to answer frequently asked questions about herbicides and noxious weeds to help Montana’s farmers and ranchers keep weeds in check. The first publication, “Weed Seedling Identification Guide for Montana and the Northern Great Plains,” includes descriptions of seedling shape, leaf arrangement, attachment and surface, as well as identification tips and a picture of the mature plant. “Many weed identification tools focus on conspicuous trai...
Don Greytak calendars are on sale now. Don Greytak, a pencil artist from Havre, Montana showcases his work in these great calendars. Greytak’s portraits illustrate rural life and a down home way of living. The profits from these calendars will benefit the Montana 4-H Foundation. The Montana 4-H Foundation serves as a non-profit corporation that continually supports the state wide 4-H program, which allows youth and leaders to participate in many life changing experiences through the 4-H program. The calendars can be purchased at local f...
The North Dakota State University Extension Services has updated the Crop Compare program, which is a spreadsheet designed to compare cropping alternatives. The program uses the direct costs and yields from the 2014 projected crop budgets for nine regions of North Dakota, but producers are encouraged to enter the expected yields and input costs for their farm. The user designates a reference crop and enters its expected market price. Depending on the region, a broad selection of nine to 18 crops are compared. The program provides the prices...
Katelyn Dynneson can see it perfectly in her mind. The brilliant strands of white and colored lights. The misty steam of her horses’ breath against the frigid night air. She can hear the loud ringing of jingle bells dangling from their torsos, intermixed with Christmas music blaring from IPods connected to makeshift sound systems. What better place for two draft horses to pull an old style wagon than a parade during one of the most festive times of the year! She plans to showcase her team of h...
Bull selection only requires that one understands or at least appreciates the EPD values and trends within a breed. Buying bulls is like making soup. You put in a bit of this and a bit of that and in the end, you have good soup. Likewise, a piece of this and a piece of that and you assemble a good bull. Unlike the soup you make from scratch, the bull already is made, but you have to find him. Ultimately, the bull will supply half the pieces for your next calf crop. So what are the pieces? Just like soup, every spoonful should be complete and...
This year’s 3rd annual Cowboy Christmas Event was held in “The Well” on the campus of Williston State College (WSC) on Saturday December 7th. The event was put on by the WSC Agriculture Department. Vendors were set up to sell goods from 3pm-9pm in the Well, where the general public could go shopping. Those vendors in attendance were Rodan + Field Skin Care, Sophia Ann, Rusty Nail Creations, Glass Fusion Art, TERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils, Veema Nutrition, Courtney Jacob...
