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The ditches are drained and it's time for paperwork and construction at Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project (LYIP) according to project manager James Brower. The accounts are being finalized, with personnel going through last year's audit and preparing for this year's. Staff has just finished verifying water assessment dues and new property owners. That information is given to the county courthouses so they can send out water assessments. In addition to routine maintenance, LYIP crews will be...
Amanda Radke, blogger, author, Ag advocate and fifth-generation rancher from Mitchell, SD., will be the guest speaker on January 9th, 2014 at the Ag Days banquet in Sidney, MT. Radke grew up on her family’s purebred Limousin cattle operation in SD and is currently active in the day to day operations along side her husband Tyler and her parents. She became active in advocacy for the U.S. beef industry at a young age and continued her passion at South Dakota State University, where she obtained a...
Ag Days is undergoing a transformation to keep the area’s premier Ag event fresh and exciting for exhibitors and the public. The traditional two day show is being condensed into one day, Thursday, January 9, 2014. Organizers plan to kick off the day with the Chamber breakfast and then go right into the educational sessions which will focus on agronomic topics and livestock production. There will also be a tour, whether actual or virtual. The Richland County Fair Event Center will be filled with exhibitors from a wide area featuring the best i...
Ag Days is undergoing a transformation to keep the area’s premier Ag event fresh and exciting for exhibitors and the public. The traditional two day show is being condensed into one day, Thursday, January 9, 2014. Organizers plan to kick off the day with the Chamber breakfast and then go right into the educational sessions which will focus on agronomic topics and livestock production. There will also be a tour, whether actual or virtual. The Richland County Fair Event Center will be filled w...
What makes a premium calf? There are six steps to placing premium calves that excel on the market: superior genetics, sound management, preconditioning, tag identification and certification, plus a good marketing strategy. The order of the steps is not as important as doing the steps. The first point is superior genetics. Calves are a product of a producer’s genetic program. The days have long passed when producers simply eyeball and guess what the genetic package is. The appropriate mix of growth and carcass genes that are achieved through p...
The Dickinson Research Extension Center had three pens of yearling steers. One pen (A) was harvested when the steers were 18.1 months old. The next pen (B) was harvested when the steers were 21.4 months old and the last pen (C) was harvested when they were 22.1 months old. The world of beef revolves around the steer because it is the principle product of a beef production system. The efficiency of a beef production system is perceived to be based on rapid growth with an early harvest. Is that true? Having personally assumed that for years,...
The other day, I stopped at a convenience store to fill my vehicle with gas. A nationally produced canning book with a colorful, attractive cover beckoned me. I plucked a book from the shelf and quickly paged through it as I awaited my turn in line. The author talked about “great-grandma’s recipes” and provided recommendations for canning based on yesteryear. I am interested in food history, so that aspect caught my attention. Unfortunately, the processing times for several foods would not be considered safe by today’s standards. If my great-g...
Cotton candy. Hot dogs. Folks tempting you to step right up and win a prize. Youth chaotically running with tickets in hand from one ride to the next. Shrills, screams and genuine laughter. Must be fair time! For McKenzie County Fair Board members and volunteers, its crunch time as they are busily preparing for the annual fair taking place at the fairgrounds east of Watford City July 11-13. This year’s theme is “Wild, Wild West.” General admission is a $5 button good for all three days. Some of the entertainment highlights include a rodeo, carn...
Cotton candy. Hot dogs. Folks tempting you to step right up and win a prize. Youth chaotically running with tickets in hand from one ride to the next. Shrills, screams and genuine laughter. Must be fair time! For McKenzie County Fair Board members and volunteers, its crunch time as they are busily preparing for the annual fair taking place at the fairgrounds east of Watford City July 11-13. This year’s theme is “Wild, Wild West.” General admission is a $5 button good for all three days. Some of the entertainment highlights include a rodeo, carn...
Plans are coming together for two annual dryland Field Days to be held in Froid and Sidney in June. The 2013 Froid Field Day, which is co-sponsored by the Roosevelt and Sheridan County Conservation Districts and Extension Offices, along with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Lab (NPARL) in Sidney, will be held on Thursday, June 20, with the Sidney ARS Dryland Field Day following on Friday morning, June 21. That event is also co-sponsored by the S...
In 2012, Farm Credit Services of ND sponsored a wide variety of activities in the local communities we serve. As part of our ongoing commitment to these communities we contributed over $120,000 in sponsorships to various organizations, programs and events in our business territory. “We take pride in participating in local community events and working closely with the people whose efforts make their communities so successful,” says Claude Sem, CEO. “Our Pat-NOW program keeps interest rates low for our customers which in turn provides them with...
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...
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...
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...
As Ag Week is celebrated, we take a look at how agriculture got to where it is. It takes a lot of devoted and passionate individuals to keep everything going. The late Keith Steinbeisser, of Sidney, can be considered one of those ambassadors for agriculture. Steinbeisser’s love for agriculture was evident and his devotion brought his passion out into the community. He worked alongside Keith Dynneson to organize and plan the annual livestock judging contest that was held in conjunction with M...
In Northeast Montana, crop acreage can be as individualistic as the farmers that seed them. And because of that, special care has to be taken to ensure acreage is strategized and individualized to ensure the best fit for maximum growing potential. Ag Partners LLC, of Wolf Point, is not only in the business of supplying area farmers with the needed fertilizers, chemicals and crop protection products they need to get their seedlings off to a robust start; they also want to provide the best advice...
In Northeast Montana, crop acreage can be as individualistic as the farmers that seed them. And because of that, special care has to be taken to ensure acreage is strategized and individualized to ensure the best fit for maximum growing potential. Ag Partners LLC, of Wolf Point, is not only in the business of supplying area farmers with the needed fertilizers, chemicals and crop protection products they need to get their seedlings off to a robust start; they also want to provide the best advice...
On January 1, 2013, collections started for the new Tourism Business Improvement District. Guests of all the hotels in Sidney are assessed a $1.50 per night fee which goes to the TBID. There are state and federal exemptions, as well as exemptions for extended stays over 30 days. The TBID is run by the hotels, with Bryce Baker, Best Western Golden Prairie Inn as chairman; Brandon Taylor, MicroTel Inn & Suites as vice-chairman; Rachel Reed, Richland Motor Inn as secretary/treasurer; and board members Ray Johnson, Holiday Inn Express; Tami Roth,...
The 35th Annual Glendive Agri-Trade Exposition (GATE) will be held Feb. 8-9 at the Eastern Plains Event Center in Glendive. This premier ag-related exposition will again offer a forum for contacting hundreds of people, showing and sharing ideas, and visiting with friends, old and new. The 2013 GATE will also feature the 13th Annual Bull Show and the 8th Annual Stallion Show on Friday, February 8. The GATE will be open 9 am to 6 pm on Friday and 8 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Gateway Cowbelles will...
MonDak Ag Days went off without a hitch, even though the weather tried to prevent it. A few of the speakers didn’t make it to town, but the attendance was still decent. The trade show was buzzing with conversation, while next door there was concentration as everyone listened in to the presentations. Thursday evening brought a packed house, as the Banquet was sold out. Ken Overcast, with 9-year old fiddle playing granddaughter Molly Rose Halingstad, was a hit. There couldn’t have been a soul tha...
The annual MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show are this week, January 10-12 at the Richland County Fair Event Center. Ag Days will be offering many trade show displays to browse as well as a number of presentations. Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am, there will be presentations ranging from gardening and water rights, to farm and ranch insurance. Following that, starting at 5 pm will be the banquet with entertainment by Ken Overcast. Friday there will be a breakfast starting at 7 am, followed by presentations on roaming buffalo, grazing cornstalks, and...
Ken Overcast, singing and writing Montana cowboy, is this year’s entertainer at MonDak Ag Days. He will be performing the evening of January 10th, 2013. Tickets are available for $25 at the Richland County Extension Office, Stockman Bank, and Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. When talking with Overcast about his upcoming performance he stated, “We try to have a variety. We try to keep things rolling. I’ll tell stories, play music, a lot of music, and read some poetry. It doesn...
The annual MonDak Ag Days are coming up next week, January 10-12 at the Richland County Fair Event Center. Ag Days will offer educational sessions, trade show displays, and entertainment, with something to interest everyone. Starting out on Thursday, there will be a family program from 8:30 am until noon providing different gardening topics including square-foot gardening and raised beds, rainwater capture strategies, garden insects, bucket composting, and gardening in schools. From 12:45 until...
“Corn breeders have bred vastly different corn varieties for two specific purposes, namely grain and forage,” stated Dr. Doug Landblom, a research scientist at NDSU’s Dickinson Research Extension Center. He will be speaking at Ag Days on how to properly graze cattle with corn residue. He has BS and MS degrees in animal science from Montana State University. Originally a Montana native, he knows how drought can affect cattle and grazing. Dr. Landblom stated, “I am interested in ways to integra...
The annual MonDak Ag Days are coming up next week, January 10-12 at the Richland County Fair Event Center. Ag Days will offer educational sessions, trade show displays, and entertainment, with something to interest everyone. Starting out on Thursday, there will be a family program from 8:30am until noon providing different gardening topics including square-foot gardening and raised beds, rainwater capture strategies, garden insects, bucket composting, and gardening in schools. From 12:45 until...
