Sorted by date Results 1646 - 1670 of 2265
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...
Richland County Ag Days will take place 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. 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...
This past growing season came with several issues for growers from getting the crop planted in dry conditions to wet conditions causing some disease issues. Crop rotation and diversity are considerations producers must think about while managing their farm operation. One of the biggest question marks in irrigation is how to achieve consistency in crop management and yields along with maintaining quality. To address some these questions, an irrigation workshop has been developed emphasizing research taking place in the region and specific...
Richland County is enriched with a vast number of farms that are also located in the irrigated valley along the county’s eastern boundary. Throughout Richland County the majority of the land is agricultural. Over the years many parcels or lots were created using an agricultural exemption from Montana’s subdivision laws. Why? Because an agricultural exemption is a quick and easy way to divide off a parcel. However, to use the agricultural exemption, agricultural covenants are placed on these parcels. Agricultural covenants are placed on the par...
There is perhaps no state that can boast more Western grit, gumption and panoramic nostalgia than Montana. It is a place known for its vast open spaces, abundant natural beauty and time-kept appreciation for the ways of yesterday. From the wooden homesteader cabins and barns dotting the wind-blown prairie to the remnants of bygone farming equipment, its rural setting can captivate home-grown farming community folk and city slickers alike. And for those who call the Treasure State home, it’s d...
A two-day workshop covering a variety of topics related to crop production in Montana will be held Jan. 2 and 3 at the Burns Technology Center at Montana State University. Guest speaker at the 2014 MSU Crop and Pest Management School will be Daren Mueller from Iowa State University, editor of the book “Fungicides for Field Crops,” published in 2012 by the American Phytopathological Society. The Crop and Pest Management School will also include a panel discussion on corn as a potential crop in Montana. Eleven MSU staff members from four dep...
The life of a bull is not simple because, for the most part, his life is somewhat confrontational. The other day while reviewing the bulls, two of the bulls still were sparring for dominance. They have been out of the pasture for almost two months, but they still seem to find the energy to spar. Too often, bulls are penned and the rest of the fall activity goes on, so we forget to check on the bulls. However, the Dickinson Research Extension Center evaluates bulls critically following breeding. Bulls that have a high risk of not passing next...
The Ag Department at Williston State College is getting ready for the 4th annual Carcass Challenge. Students in the program take calves donated from area livestock producers to Hovde Feedlot in Arnegard, feed them the same rations, and weigh and process them monthly and study the data. When they are ready to be processed, they are brought to Prairie Packing and sold as quarters, halves, or wholes. The proceeds fund the Ag Ambassador program. The Ag Ambassador program helps communicate the importance of agriculture in our area. “Students i...
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...
Harvest Festival Artwork Winner Dani Berry, a 4th grader at East Fairview School, was the winner of The Roundup's Harvest Festival artwork contest. She received her artwork, nicely framed by Ribbon & Rail, and a collection of fun art supplies. Harvest Festival Drawing Winner Steve Smart of Sidney was the happy winner of the $500 Farm & Home Supply gift card courtesy of The Roundup. Smart registered at Eagle Country Ford during the recent Harvest Festival....
A new report released today during a teleconference by Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) shows how regulatory systems are failing to protect residents and communities from the harmful effects of oil and gas development. The report, Watered Down, identifies and examines the dangers to water quality posed by oil and gas production in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. “Our members, mostly rural ranchers and farmers, are being showered with pollutants, running dry of safe water, and watching crops in the fields their g...
I recently mentioned that consumers should begin watching the price of E85 and E10 as we enter a period where fuels with higher blends of ethanol could have a lower cost on an energy equivalent basis. Prices are now within a few cents at my regular gas station in Fargo, and there is at least one station in town where E85 is sold at a significant discount, which is more than enough for one to go out of his or her way to fuel a vehicle. How long this situation persists depends on a number of...
Western North Dakota communities received $170,650 in grants from Farm Credit, including five grants for worthy community projects to support cities and towns impacted by oil and mineral exploration and production. “North Dakota is now the second largest oil producing state in the United States, bringing both opportunity and challenges to the towns and cities in western North Dakota. These grants represent our commitment to investing in the needs of these communities through the Rural Community Grant Fund,” said Bill York, CEO of AgriBank. Agr...
The Roundup held its annual Make It With Sugar contest Friday, October 25 in conjunction with Harvest Festival. Reese and Ray’s IGA was the gracious host for the event. Thank you to everyone who entered- the judges had a really hard time choosing the winners. Thank you also to all the businesses that provided prizes, to Sidney Sugars for providing “expert” judges, and to Reese and Ray’s IGA for allowing us to have the contest in their deli. Anne Babb, Savage, was the happy winner of the People’s Choice Award, a $100 Reese & Ray’s IGA gift ca...
Bruce Nelson, state executive director for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Montana, urges Montana honey producers who want to purchase 2013 coverage through the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to do so before the sales closing date of Dec. 3, 2012. NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields/grazing loss, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to normal disasters. Honey is the only 2013 Montana NAP crop with a Dec. 3, 2012 sales closing date. All other NAP crops (except...
