Sorted by date Results 1731 - 1755 of 2265
Dr. Jan Knodel, NDSU Extension Entomologist, recently reported finding a relatively uncommon insect, cereal leaf beetle, feeding on barley and winter wheat in three new countries of North Dakota. These insects were found at the North Dakota Research Extension Center at Minot, in Burke County near Flaxton, and in Renville County near Mohall. Adults and larvae both feed on the leaves of cereal crops with the larvae being responsible for a majority of the damage which looks like elongated windowpan...
Montana farmers and ranchers can purchase state hail insurance at Department of Revenue Property and Assessment county offices until August 15. With crop values high, now is the time to evaluate crop insurance needs. Montana state hail insurance is designed to cover basic crop inputs and, for many farmers, supplements crop insurance offered by private companies. All of the commonly grown crops in Montana are eligible for state hail insurance. The Montana Legislature recently increased coverage limits under the program. However, the law takes...
Agricultural production is in full swing in North Dakota, and flowering field crops or weeds in the field are important food sources of many species of pollinators, including honey bees and native bees. Bees are attracted to blooming field crops, such as canola and sunflowers, and even weeds, such as dandelions, wild mustard, white clover and goldenrod, in the field for nectar and/or pollen. Remember if you need to spray a flowering crop with insecticide or any other pesticide, please read,...
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...
Searching for the longhorn beetles of Montana has transformed Charles Hart into a night stalker who pursues his prey with nets, traps and a crowbar. The 33,000 mile quest over three summers has also turned the Montana State University graduate student into a published author and demonstrated that undergraduate research can foster success, said MSU entomologist Michael Ivie. Hart was an MSU undergraduate in biology when he joined the Montana Wood-Boring Insect Survey, a joint effort of the...
Don Kress, professor emeritus at Montana State University, has received the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Fellow Award in honor of his research in the beef industry. Kress received the award July 9 at the ASAS national awards program in Indianapolis. Kress was recognized for improving the beef industry through the study of genetics and breeding. He studied the genetics of a variety of traits under Montana range conditions, including calf growth rate, cow size, cow milk production,...
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,...
An ATV and lawnmower pull will again be a feature of the MonDak Harvest Fest held by the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture on August 24th. This event will be held at the grandstand arena of the Richland County Fairgrounds in Sidney, MT. Classes will include ATVs under 500cc, 500 to 700, over 700, steering wheel class, along with lawnmowers. A specific pulling sled designed and provided by Marvin Varner of Terry, MT will offer the challenge for anyone wanting to compete. Entry fees and a purse will be awarded to the top finishers...
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...
Last week, an industry colleague forwarded to me an article that criticized corn-based ethanol on a number of fronts. Among the article’s major criticisms was that corn-based ethanol uses more energy to produce than it delivers, a very powerful claim that resonates well, true or not. To investigate the issue, scientists often calculate a fuel’s energy return on energy invested, or EROI. The arithmetic is simple because it’s just energy output divided by energy input. However, the results can vary greatly depending on the data and assum...
Lee Pourroy, Parts Manager of Tri-County Implement Inc., in Sidney, MT., is pictured with his new 2013 RAM pickup truck that he won at the CNH Parts & Service EXPO dealer event held earlier this year. At the bi-annual dealer event, more than 5,000 dealers, suppliers and CNH employees were introduced to the newest products and business initiatives from Case IH and its after sales unit, CNH Parts & Service. Every registered dealer had a chance to win prizes, including a RAM pickup truck, as part of a random drawing. Mark Reed of CNH parts and...
Seth Indergard, son of Stacey & Kelly Indergard, Sidney MT. is teamed up with his team roping partner Hayes LeMieux, son of Mary & John LeMieux, Manning ND. The two qualified 3rd at the North Dakota State High School Finals in Bowman ND in team Roping. Only the top 4 placers at state get to go to National High School Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo July 14-20. This is quite an accomplishment as they went in to state sitting in 9th and had to really rope well to make it. The boys are freshmen in high school and friends....
Alfalfa is the second most important crop in Montana after small grains, and alfalfa weevil is the most serious pest of alfalfa in the High Plains region. The USDA Agricultural Research Service in Sidney has been monitoring weevil populations since 2009, and last year (2012), represents the first year in which economically damaging levels of weevils were observed in irrigated fields in the Yellowstone and Missouri river valleys, according to Tatyana Rand, a Research Entomologist with the...
Montana State University’s College of Agriculture is seeking nominations for outstanding agricultural leaders to honor during its 2013 “Celebrate Agriculture!!” on Oct. 25-26. “The weekend is about sharing ideas and developing relationships,” said Jeff Jacobsen, college dean and director of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. The College of Agriculture annually presents Outstanding Agricultural Leaders awards to those who have exhibited outstanding leadership in Montana public service, as an agricultural producer, industry advocate, ag...
A beekeeping workshop for beginners will be offered Saturday, August 24 in Billings. The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Yellowstone County Courthouse. Participants will learn how to buy bees and equipment, establish a new beehive, register their hives, conduct yearly hive maintenance, prevent pests and harvest honey and wax. They will also taste some varietal honey types and look at hobby-scale honey harvesting equipment. Cost of the workshop is $25. Those who want to attend should make out a check or money order to MSU and...
Agri Industries hosted an open house and ribbon cutting July 17 to celebrate their expansion....
The Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture held its annual Ag Appreciation Golf Tournament July 8. 1st Place Team, Sponsored by Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project 2nd Place Team Sponsored by 1st Bank. 3rd Place Team Sponsored by XTO Energy The team prizes were provided by Dr. Laqua at Yellowstone Chiropractic, Cowboy Crane Service, and Mark Voll representing Zoetis....
Join in on the fun and support your local ranchers and farmers by sponsoring the 12th Annual Ag Appreciation Golf Tournament which will be held on July 8th. The event is organized by the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, which is in the process of getting sponsors lined up for the event. Sponsorships are available at three different levels: $50 golf cart sponsorship, $150 hole sponsorship or $200 team sponsorship. The $50 sponsorship includes signage to promote business, while the $150 sponsorship allows business to have...
The Annual Field Day at the Montana State University Eastern Agricultural Research Center (MSU-EARC) in Sidney, MT, will be held Thursday, July 18. The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and rolls, greetings and introductions at 9 a.m. followed by the tours at 9:20 a.m., as well as a sponsored lunch at 12 noon. There will be a number of guest speakers during the tour. Dr. Jerry Bergman, Director NDSU Williston Research Extension Center will speak about safflower varieties and production; Chet Hill, ag diversification extension specialist,...
The MonDak Ag Showcase is an annual public event showcasing and promoting the Mon-Dak region as an ideal place for new agricultural businesses and development. The event also promotes the irrigation development and potential in the region, as well as the crop diversity taking place on dryland conditions. The event is hosted to promote the region as a viable ag producing region on various crops and livestock and to showcase the current and potential ag processing located in the region. Some of...
Hans Schneider, currently living in the Netherlands, will join the Montana State University faculty and be both superintendent and associate professor of plant pathology at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney, pending approval of the Montana Board of Regents. Schneider will assume his duties on July 15, thus he will participate in the Eastern Agricultural Research Center Field Day on July 18. Schneider will develop a field-oriented research program that focuses on integrated disease management in pulse crops, sugar beets, and...
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring encourages farmers, ranchers, pesticide dealers and applicators, government agencies and homeowners to bring their unusable pesticides to any of the 12 Project Safe Send collections in July. “This is a simple and non-regulatory program to help people safely and legally get rid of unusable pesticides free of charge,” Goehring said. “Over the past 20 years, thousands of people have brought more than three million pounds of these chemicals to Project Safe Send collection sites.” Project Safe Send accepts old,...
Richland County 4-H clubs are holding fundraisers to earn money to build a new food booth at the Richland County Fairgrounds. The fundraising efforts are already underway and they include selling brand boards, memorial plaques and various other fundraising events conducted by the 4-H clubs in the area. The brand board fundraiser consists of a square foot (12 inch by 12 inch) board on which area ranchers can place their personal brand. Each brand costs $50 and will be displayed at the 4-H food booth. The memorial plaques are sheets of stainless...
Barrel racing instructor Judy Myllymaki held a two day clinic at the Rice Ranch arena near Fairview on June 1 & 2. Myllymaki, a former school teacher, has been involved in the sport of barrel racing for over 35 years and has conducted teaching clinics for over 25 years. She is a National Finals Rodeo Qualifier, a Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Champion, a Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finalist, a Dodge National Circuit Finals Qualifier, participated in Multiple Futurity Championships and has won more...
Sidney native Jade Brunsvold won the title of Miss Southeastern Montana Rodeo Queen at a pageant held during the Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City in May. Brunsvold returned to the Miles City pageant after winning the Miss Southeastern Montana Teen Rodeo Queen title in 2012. Brunsvold, a 2013 Sidney High School graduate, lives on 25 acres near Crane, MT with her parents, Mary Jo and Lance Brunsvold. Brunsvold has grown up with her three horses Scotch, Jo Jo and Dakota. An equestrian by nature,...
