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Bozeman, MT – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Montana is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE). To be considered for funding in the current cycle, producers and landowners should apply by Oct. 27. “NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners implement conservation practices that improve their environme...
Grasshoppers have continued to wreak havoc in Richland County and the surrounding areas. They have damaged both cropland and rangelands, with varying severity depending on the area. Cropland grasshopper damage has varied from defoliation to loss of field edges to total crop loss. Crop yields can be more directly affected as grasshoppers begin clipping off wheat heads. Producers have had to apply multiple insecticide applications to attempt to slow the progression of damage. Unfortunately, the...
Bozeman – For agricultural producers around the state, forage plants are a key element of cattle grazing as well as helping maintain soil nutrition, preventing erosion and providing a food source for wildlife. Now, funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture, or NIFA, will let a Montana State University scientist begin exploring how those crops respond to changes in water availability. Andrew Felton, College of Agriculture's Department of Land R...
Bozeman, MT, June 29 Agricultural producers in Montana who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting should make an appointment with their U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) service center before the applicable deadline. “Many USDA programs require producers to file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline,” said Maureen Wicks, Montana State executive director. “Once planting is complete, call your local FSA office to make an appointment to report your acreage. Our FSA staff...
Bozeman, MT - Agricultural producers and landowners in Montana interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments can find many possibilities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP). This option offers conservation benefits similar to others, like General and Grassland CRP, but also offers unique flexibility and several program choices. “Creating sound conservation and climate-smart options for the agricultural community are top pri...
Washington - On Thursday, June 22, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the United States and the Republic of India have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization. Furthermore, India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. ag products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts, and apples, marking a big win for Montana Agriculture. “These tariff cuts will restore and expand market opportunities for U.S. agricultural producers and manufacturers. Montana is currently t...
Bozeman, MT - Agricultural producers and landowners in Montana interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments can find many possibilities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP). This option offers conservation benefits similar to others, like General and Grassland CRP, but also offers unique flexibility and several program choices. “Creating sound conservation and climate-smart options for the agricultural community are top pri...
Fifteen years ago, the United States Senate unanimously approved the designation of a "National Pollinator Week" in June to address the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. This year's Pollinator Week is June 19-25 and appropriately, pollinators are the focus of a special segment of the annual Froid Research Farm Field Day set for Thursday, June 22 from 1-5:30 p.m. Registration is at 12:45 p.m. During that special segment, field tour participants will be introduced to the many...
The Froid Research Farm Field Day is back and this year’s event features a special presentation on native bees and other pollinators in agricultural systems, along with a special Beekeeping 101 workshop for those interested in adding honeybees on their farms. Grasshoppers, their biology and management, are also a topic of discussion as is new research underway on field pea. Learn about all of these topics and more at the annual Froid Research Farm Field Day on Thursday afternoon, June 22, beginning at 1 p.m. The event is hosted by the S...
Grasshoppers have started to hatch and now is the time to begin scouting your crops and rangeland. Grasshopper Life Cycle In the fall, adult grasshoppers deposit their eggs in the soil where they overwinter and begin to hatch from May-July. Juvenile grasshoppers develop through five nymphal instar stages (30-40 days) before developing into an adult with fully formed wings. Adults live for 40-60 days. There are a few species of grasshoppers that overwinter as nymphs; however, these species are...
Grasshoppers have started to hatch and now is the time to begin scouting your crops and rangeland. Grasshopper Life Cycle In the fall, adult grasshoppers deposit their eggs in the soil where they overwinter and begin to hatch from May-July. Juvenile grasshoppers develop through five nymphal instar stages (30-40 days) before developing into an adult with fully formed wings. Adults live for 40-60 days. There are a few species of grasshoppers that overwinter as nymphs; however, these species are not economically damaging. Management The majority...
The Froid Research Farm Field Day is back and this year’s event features a special presentation on native bees and other pollinators in agricultural systems, along with a special Beekeeping 101 workshop for those interested in adding honeybees on their farms. Grasshoppers, their biology and management, are also a topic of discussion as is new research underway on field pea. Learn about all of these topics and more at the annual Froid Research Farm Field Day on Thursday afternoon, June 22, beginning at 1 p.m. The event is hosted by the S...
Bozeman, MT, May 10 - USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has provided additional flexibilities and further enhanced disaster recovery assistance provided by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) in response to needs expressed by livestock producers in the Western U.S. who have experienced significant feed, forage, animal and infrastructure loss from preexisting, long-term drought conditions further compounded by u...
Each month, Montana WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and a community of support from both experts and peers to more than 16,000 moms and children. Nationwide, WIC serves more than 7 million people. Montana WIC participants say they would recommend WIC to their friends, and when asked what they value most about WIC, more than 75% say they value the nutrition information and appreciate the support from WIC staff. As the nation’s most successful and cost-effective public health nutrition program, WIC is d...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a disease carried by wild birds and affects domestic birds. Avian influenza is caused by the influenza Type A virus (influenza A). The virus is shed in the feces and respiratory secretions of infected birds and is able to survive for weeks in cool, damp environments. While the transmission rate from animals to humans is low, it is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be shared between species. There have been several detected cases in wild mammals,...
The first annual Eastern Montana Women's Conference was held March 31 and April 1, in Sidney. It was by the Montana Farmers Union. All attendees were invited to tour the Eastern Ag Research Facility on Thursday. Friday night dinner with keynote speaker Courtney Kibblewhite, spoke on the Western Culture and the Stories that Shape Us. "Stories have power. Especially, the stories we tell ourselves, we have to tell the stories to our next generation. Let's focus on the silver linings. What are you...
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota State Board of Animal Health met last week and amended the policy for the suspension of poultry/bird events. Effective immediately, following a detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), comingling events such as poultry and bird shows, sales and swaps will only be prohibited in the affected county, unless the 10 km control zone extends into an adjoining county, in which case, that county will also be restricted. If no new cases emerge in 30 days after a detection, the suspension will be a...
Approximately 100 Sidney Sugars employees attended a meeting held in conjunction by Richland Economic Development and the Sidney Job Service on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the MSU Extension Office, Sidney. “Normally, the Job Service would take the lead on something like this, but because of the great partnership we have, the Job Service did what they do best and then allowed me to bring other resources in,” said Richland Economic Development Corp. (REDC) director, Leslie Messer. During the two...
FARGO, N.D., March.9, 2023 – Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2023 crop year have until March 15, 2023, to elect and enroll a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in crop prices or revenues. “The Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs provide critical financial protections to many American farmer...
Katelyn McCullock, Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) director and senior agricultural economist, will be speaking at the MonDak Ag Days & Trade Show March 2 and 3. LMIC is a non-profit cooperation between land grant universities, USDA and industry partners that was established in 1955 to collect data for market analysis that is made available to participants, and support Extension efforts. This is beneficial as it reduces the time, energy and resources each state would have to put...
Washington - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a simplified direct loan application to provide improved customer experience for producers applying for loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The simplified direct loan application enables producers to complete a more streamlined application, reduced from 29 to 13 pages. Producers will also have the option to complete an electronic fillable form or prepare a traditional, paper application for submission to their local FSA farm loan office. The paper and electronic...
The MonDak Ag Research Summit was held Thursday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Richland County Event Center. Researchers from the Eastern Ag Research Center and USDA-ARS in Sidney, as well as the Williston Research Extension Center again came together in a joint event to discuss topics of current interest to growers in the MonDak region. Several researchers from the three research centers each had a poster on display featuring additional research topics. Along with the tables put up by the...
Bozeman, MT - A late October winter storm brought widespread precipitation to many SNOTEL stations in Montana. That snow was within one to two weeks of the typical snowpack onset and earlier than the fall of 2021, which was nearly a month late in some locations due to an unseasonably warm and dry fall. “Other good news is that November and December brought cool and wet weather, above normal precipitation, and snowfall across most of Montana. The result was a good start to the snowpack accumulation season and currently all major rivers basins ha...
(Sidney, MT) - Jan. 12 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Tammy Lyseng in Richland County reminds foreign persons with an interest in agricultural lands in the United States that they are required to report their holdings and any transactions to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “Any foreign person who acquires, transfers or holds any interest, other than a security interest, including leaseholds of 10 years or more, in agricultural land in the United States is required by law to report the t...
Bozeman - Survey results have shown Montana State University researchers that farmers and ranchers throughout Montana and the West experience, on average, a medium level of stress, which could impact their sleep, physical health, mental health and/or relationships, according to Michelle Grocke, MSU Extension health and wellness specialist and, MSU Department of Health and Human Development assistant professor. Agricultural stress can be caused by a range of issues, she said, including commodity...
