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Montana Department of Agriculture Director Ron de Yong announced the selection of Collin Watters as the new wheat and barley bureau chief. This position also serves as the executive vice president of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. Official duties begin on January 27, 2014. “It is an honor to announce that Collin Watters will be the new wheat and barley bureau chief,” said Director de Yong. “With the department since 2005, Collin comes with an extensive background and familiarity of Montana agriculture, serving as the agriculture marke...
The 2013 survey summarizes more than 4,800 reports from farmers and ranchers, aerial sprayers, elevators, custom harvesters and other custom operators. The North Dakota State University Extension Service has released the results of the latest custom farm work rate survey. The publication, “Custom Farm Work Rates on North Dakota Farms 2013 by North Dakota Farming Regions,” is available at county Extension Service offices. This publication also is available on the NDSU Extension Service farm management Web page at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/farmmanag...
Join NDSU Area Extension Specialist/Cropping Systems, Greg Endres on Tuesday, February 4th at 3:20 pm as he'll be covering the way to successfully add soybeans as a rotational crop with wheat. Endres is a native of Minnesota. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in plant science from North Dakota State University. He began employment with the NDSU Extension Service in 1983 and has worked since 1990 as area extension specialist/cropping systems at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center....
A free 2014 calendar featuring wheat pests of Montana is now available at Montana State University and MSU Extension offices around the state. Titled “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” the calendar shows Pesticide Education Specialist Cecil Tharp on the cover with a noxious weed in his mouth and his hands at his sides, holding his weapons against weeds and insects. Among the “good” – featured in January, April, July and October – is MSU’s Schutter Diagnostic Lab which processes more than 2,000 samples every year to identify diseases, ins...
The NILE Scholarship program funded by the NILE Foundation, is now accepting applications for scholarships for the 2014-2015 academic year. Since 1990, the NILE has awarded scholarships to deserving FFA and 4-H students that have been actively involved in their respective programs and communities, excelled in the classroom, and participated in NILE events. “New this year are the Joe Fouts Memorial 4-H and FFA Scholarships. Awarding this scholarship to both a 2014 graduate and 4-H member as well as a graduating FFA member is truly an honor. All...
The conference will focus on prospects for cover crops and soil health improvements. North Dakota State University’s Carrington and Dickinson Research Extension Centers and the Northern Crops Institute on the NDSU campus are sites for the live broadcast of the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health at 9 a.m. CST on Feb. 18. Attending the nationwide broadcast of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)-sponsored conference in Omaha, Neb., is free of charge. The broadcast is open to anyone who is interested in h...
Montana State University Extension has a new research bulletin on glyphosate-resistant kochia. The guide outlines best management practices and herbicide recommendations for growers, and it is available from MSU Extension at no cost. “Glyphosate-resistant Kochia in Montana,” gives an introduction to kochia weed biology and helps readers understand the development and spread of the evolutionary weed, and the best practices to contain and manage herbicide-resistant weed populations. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, known as Roundup, or...
In recognition of its importance to the state’s economy and to its own mission, Montana State University is elevating its dean of the College of Agriculture to a vice presidential position within the university. The change came in the context of assessing the position as the university conducts a national search for a new leader for its College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. “We made this change with input from representatives of Montana’s agriculture industry,” said Waded Cruzado, MSU president. “Agricu...
This is an opportunity to connect with and learn from the experts about the regulations, the science behind the issues and reclamation approaches on oil development. The second annual North Dakota Reclamation Conference is set for Feb. 24-25 at the Astoria Hotel and Suites in Dickinson. The theme for this year’s conference is “What is Successful Reclamation? The Regulation, the Science and the Application.” “This is an opportunity to connect with and learn from the experts about the regulations, the science behind the issues and reclama...
The Montana Department of Revenue’s Property Assessment Division mailed out property reporting forms earlier this month, and livestock owners should already have received their forms. “If you own livestock in Montana, you’re responsible for reporting the number owned and should receive a reporting form,” said Christian Mackay, executive officer for the Montana Board of Livestock. Livestock owners simply fill the form out by reporting the number of livestock owned on February 1 and return it to the local Department of Revenue office in the cou...
On Jan. 9 the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals held its oral arguments on the COOL lawsuit. In this lawsuit, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and its meatpacker friends are fighting to get rid of COOL. R-CALF USA along with SD Stockgrowers Assn., Food & Water Watch and Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) are interveners in the case to help protect COOL. During the oral arguments, a number of issues only raised by R-CALF USA and its partners were discussed. The battle of COOL is not over and everyone’s help is needed to...
Did you miss our workshop earlier this week? No problem! You can still download Centennial Farms & Ranches forms from the MonDak’s website. If you run into any trouble filling it out, give us a call. Once complete, please submit to the MonDak. We want to recognize Richland County’s Centennial Farms & Ranches during the Centennial Celebration June 13-15! Mark your calendar!...
Richland County Ag Days will take place Thursday, January 9, 2014. Kick off the day with a KEYZ 660 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. Thursday morning’s speaker is Dr. Hanson, who will speak on “Farm Business Ownership, Family Succession and the Transfer of Business Management to the Next Generation”. His talk will start at 8:30 a.m. and conclude about noon. Friday, January 10, Richland County Exten...
Mark Henning is the Area Agronomist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service Area (NRCS) office in Miles City, MT. He works with producers in eastern Montana to improve their soil health by using tools such as cover crop mixes, crop diversity, no-till and grazing.He views improving soil health as the foundation for helping farmers and ranchers improve their operations and overcome challenges, which means core problems have to be addressed versus only treating symptoms. Mark is currently...
At the age of six, Karen Redlin started gardening with her mother in their home garden. “Everyone had to work and be a part of the garden in our family,” she recalls. Five decades later, she integrates what her mother taught her years ago with what she believes is the best way to garden today; naturally. “I have always felt that chemicals alter the soil and the chemistry in our bodies. That is why I grow everything as naturally as possible,” she said. On Jan. 10, Redlin will be giving a seminar...
Agribusiness consultant, Bill Pelton, will be speaking on Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) on Thursday, January 9th from 1:30pm – 2:30pm. Pelton is a third generation ranch raised Montanan who has been in and around the industry all his life. He's been in the sales and marketing side of the industry since 1970. Pelton obtained a degree in Animal Science/Ag Production from Montana State University. He resides in Billings, Montana with his family where he owns and operates BILL PELTON Livestock, L...
Do you know where the meat in your child’s school lunch comes from? Does he or she know? With national-scale food distribution systems the norm, it can be difficult to know the place of origin of the beef or chicken served in school cafeterias. In Montana, a movement is underway to take the mystery out of meat by bringing more local livestock into the lunchroom. A new video produced by National Center for Appropriate Technology’s FoodCorps Montana highlights the burgeoning Beef to School movement that serves to connect students with Mon...
So You Thought You Were Buying the Family Farm - Guess Again! Dr. Ron Hanson, Neal E. Professor of Agribusiness at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be speaking on four topics Thursday morning Jan. 9 at Ag Days in Sidney: 1) You Can Buy Our Family Farm But Remember That I Still Own It 2) How Much Did Your Lawyer Cost Our Family Farm Estate? 3) What If The “What If” Actually Happens In Our Family? 4) Keeping Your Farm In The Family For The Next Generation-Is There A Plan? Dr. Hanson wil...
A new resource guide developed by Farm Bureau and the Farmer Veteran Coalition Partnership is now available. Farm Bureau and the FVC are working together to train beginning farmers, make equipment available to veteran farmers and help find farm ownership or employment opportunities for members of the military transitioning into the civilian workforce. “Through this partnership, I am optimistic returning veterans will learn how to continue their service to our country by helping feed its citizens, nourish its land and make its rural c...
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...
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...
