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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...
Spring is finally here and in anticipation for the fish biting the USDA Forest Service, Dakota Prairie Grasslands, the City of Watford City and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department want you to grab your fishing rod and chair for the 9th Annual Children’s Fishing Derby. Meet at the Watford City Youth Fishing Pond, Saturday, June 8, just east of the Watford City football and track field. Children ages 13 years and under are invited to toss a line in the pond. Registration begins at 9 a.m. All registrants must be accompanied by a r...
Agricultural producers have until June 7, 2013 to sign up for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE). The SURE program is part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). Under the 2008 Farm Bill, SURE authorizes assistance to farmers and ranchers who suffered crop losses caused by natural disasters occurring through September 30, 2011. The 2011 SURE program provides benefits for farm revenue losses due to natural disasters that occurred during the 2011 crop year. SURE is available to eligible producers on...
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...
Agricultural producers have until June 7, 2013 to sign up for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE). The SURE program is part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). Under the 2008 Farm Bill, SURE authorizes assistance to farmers and ranchers who suffered crop losses caused by natural disasters occurring through September 30, 2011. The 2011 SURE program provides benefits for farm revenue losses due to natural disasters that occurred during the 2011 crop year. SURE is available to eligible producers on...
Following an invitation, Stefan Jaronski who is a Research Entomologist with the USDA-ARS NPARL in Sidney, conducted a two week workshop on developing microbes for use as natural pest control agents in Ecuador. During his time in Ecuador, Jaronski showed attendees the whole process from selection of candidate microbes (viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes), through mass production, to application and inset pest management. The workshop consisted of 10 labs and 10 lectures, each of which lasted...
Savage FFA completed and delivered a new recycle shed for Richland County. It is located at IGA parking lot in Sidney. It replaces an older shed with issues. Richland Opportunity Inc. selected this site for its heavy use and a high traffic area of the county. The funds for this project were made possible through a National FFA Learning to Serve Rural Youth Development Grant. The grant is financed by the USDA-National Institute (NIFA) for support of service-learning projects across the nation....
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...
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today reminded farmers and ranchers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. Vilsack also announced the restart of sign-up for continuous CRP, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, the Highly Erodible Land Initiative, the Grassland Restoration Initiative, the Pollinator Habitat Initiative and other related initiatives. Sig...
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia today encouraged farmers and ranchers to enroll for the 2013 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) before the deadline. Producers who wait until the last minute to sign up could face increased waiting time in FSA county offices. “We understand that producers have gotten busy, but they can’t forget to visit their county office and sign up for DCP or ACRE,” said Garcia. “Just as farmers and ranchers plan their spring...
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...
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...
The new, “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.” consumer advertising campaign is premiering this month, bringing the recognizable tagline to older millennials and Gen-Xers. The new campaign, funded by the beef checkoff, will feature sizzling beef recipes, juicy details about essential nutrients and the voice of one of Hollywood’s most promising new talents. “This campaign builds upon the core benefits that only beef offers - its great taste and 10 essential nutrients. While most folks just look at bee...
At the final Brownbagger session at the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney on April 5, Upendra Sainju, soil scientist from the Laboratory, spoke about his study on greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and how they are affected by various management practices. In particular, Sainju looked at emissions in dryland malt barley production from 2008 to 2011. Sainju stated that 6 to 14 percent of the total man-made greenhouse gases are produced by agricultural...
USDA Montana Farm Service Agency reminds producers of several important upcoming deadlines. For more information regarding FSA programs and/or loans, contact your local county FSA office located in 48 USDA Service Centers across Montana and visit us online at www.fsa.usda.gov/mt. Upcoming 2013 Dates and Deadlines: May 1: USDA Claims Filing Deadline for Hispanic & Women Farmers and Ranchers (For claims assistance, contact: 1-888-508-4429 and/or www.farmerclaims.gov.) May 14: Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Managed Spring Grazing Period Ends...
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...
Every five years, various sectors of the US government update a technical report on the foreseen climate changes and the challenges it may present. The USDA was asked to evaluate the impact in regards to agriculture. Dr. Robert Srygley, insect ecologist with the Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney, was a contributing author on the 2013 report. Dr. Srygley, during a lunch session on March 22, presented the public with an overview of predicted climate changes and its possibl...
Throughout my tenure as State Executive Director for the North Dakota Farm Service Agency (FSA), I have met several small and beginning farmers and ranchers, military veterans and disadvantaged producers interested in making a living in production agriculture. For many, the high cost of purchasing land and equipment can be prohibitive, compelling newcomers and those struggling against odds to take risks to finance their dreams by relying on credit cards and personal loans with high interest rates. I am keenly aware, too, that the average age...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch its “StrikeForce” initiative in 10 additional states, including South Carolina. The primary goal of the StrikeForce initiative is to increase partnership with rural communities and leverage community resources in targeted, persistent poverty areas. Vilsack noted that through the StrikeForce initiative, USDA will do more to partner with local and state governments and community organizations on projects that promote economic development and...
Senators want Canada to update trade policy, pay farmers a ‘fair price’ Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus want America’s top trade officials to make sure Canada gives Montana wheat growers a fair shake come harvest time this summer. Tester, a dryland farmer, and Baucus, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and chairman of the Senate committee that oversees international trade, recently told U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that Canadian officials are using outdated wheat gradi...
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) is applauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule to modify certain provisions of the country of origin labeling (COOL) program. USCA leadership says the proposed rule would modify the labeling provisions to require origin information about where each of the production steps occur and would remove the allowance for the commingling of muscle cuts. The rule was published in the March 11, 2013 Federal Register and can be viewed at www.federalregister.gov/public-inspecton. Com...
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...
