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Bozeman - A research team led by faculty in Montana State University's College of Agriculture received $5.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy designed to explore camelina, an oilseed with the potential to be an alternative biofuel and multi-use crop. The MSU team, led by Chaofu Lu, Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology professor, will work with collaborators nationwide in administering total funding of $11 million to take a systems-level approach to assessing camelina...
Agriculture is the backbone of the MonDak region and it's time to celebrate this year’s harvest with The Roundup's 17th annual Harvest Festival Oct. 23 -Nov. 2. Make It With Sugar Whip up your tastiest creations Friday, Oct. 23 and bring them to Yellowstone Marketplace, 102 N Central Ave. between 9-10 a.m. for a chance to win a $50 prize from area merchants. Cooks also receive a 5 lb. bag of sugar for each entry. The Peoples Choice winner will win a $100 gift card. Enter in cakes, cookies, pies, candy, breads and rolls, and other. The expert j...
North Dakota producers need to be vigilant about keeping Palmer amaranth, a particular noxious weed, off their land, according to North Dakota State University Extension specialists. This weed has been found in new North Dakota counties every year since 2018, and 2020 was no exception. One source of introduction in 2020 was through contaminated grain screenings. Samples pulled from a pile of sunflower screenings detected up to 1,000 Palmer amaranth seeds per pound of screenings from one source....
President Trump and USDA Secretary Perdue have announced a second round of aid through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Up to $14 billion will be used to help farmers devastated by the economic disaster caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost $10 billion from the first CFAP provided much-needed support to livestock, dairy, non-specialty and specialty crop producers throughout the country. Some farmers were initially left out of CFAP, and although the program was expanded to include more commodities, aid was only made available...
Great Falls, MT- COVID-19 has disrupted the agricultural sector in a variety of ways. The pandemic has exposed a break in the food supply chain that was compounded by the loss of foreign trade, low farm gate prices, and multinational packing plant disruptions. This pandemic also highlighted the importance of access to rural broadband and rural healthcare. Montana Farmers Union held a series of town halls with Senator Tester along with candidates for governor, U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate where they discussed the effects of the pandemic on...
Bozeman - Celebrate Agriculture, an annual weekend-long event held each year by Montana State University’s College of Agriculture, has been scheduled to take place virtually Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14. The weekend, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, will include many of the same elements as an in-person event, as well as some new virtual programming. Scholarship winners and donors will be honored, as will past recipients of the college’s Outstanding Agricultural Leader award, which has recognized more than 80 people sinc...
The Montana State University Eastern Agricultural Research Center has been harvesting sugar beet plots since Monday, Sept. 21. Chengci Chen, MSU EARC superintendent and cropping systems agronomist, explained that harvest has been going smoothly for the center thus far. The weather conditions from this year have affected harvest in both a positive and negative way. "The dry and warm weather makes harvesting easier for us. However, the abnormally warm weather in September is not ideal for sugar...
The Oliver County 4-H range judging team placed first in the senior division of the North Dakota 4-H and FFA range judging contest at Center. Team members are Breanna Hosman, Hebron; Olivia Klein, Max, and Reanna Schmidt, Katie Frank, Breanna Vosberg and Rylee Hintz, Center. Hosman received the Head of the Herd Award as the top-scoring individual in the 4-H division. The Oliver County team is coached by Rick Schmidt. The team will represent North Dakota at the National Invitational 4-H Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma in the spring of 2021....
Helena, MT – The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is currently recruiting for open positions on its Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage Advisory Council. The following council terms are currently vacant: • Certified Weed Seed Free Forage Producer (Eastern Region) • Certified Weed Seed Free Forage Producer (Any Region) • Outfitter’s or Guide’s Organization • Certified Weed Seed Free Forage Producer (Central Region) • Western County Weed District Representative • Eastern County Weed District Representative • Forage Product Processor Members o...
This year's harvest has been challenging for many farmers across the MonDak region. "It was a tough year from the outset - farmers were either struggling to get into the fields to get planted, or they got planted and things just dried out really quickly," stated Dr. Clair Keene, area extension specialist/cropping systems NDSU Williston Research Extension Center. Keene explained that it has been an abnormal year for growers because of how the weather has been throughout the season. "At the...
Rainfall ranks as one of the most important factors that influence ranchers' management decisions, according to North Dakota State University Extension specialists. This year is no different. Parts of North Dakota are experiencing severe dry weather while others have adequate to plentiful moisture. This situation drives management of native pasture, crop residue and cover crop acres. Typically, even with good moisture at this time of the year, the nutritional value of native pasture is in declin...
Bozeman - A Montana State University Extension specialist has been recognized for her outstanding community engagement efforts and youth programming by the American Society of Animal Science. Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension beef cattle specialist, is based in Miles City. Van Emon serves the beef producers of the state by traveling to all 56 Montana counties. She meets ranchers and community members and tailors her research projects as an associate professor in the MSU College of Agriculture's...
Changes in federal grazing and harvesting rules on prevented-planting acres could help North Dakota livestock producers in select counties replenish forage supplies, or at least offset shortages in perennial forage production, according to North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialists. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow producers to graze, hay or cut cover crops on prevented-planting acres beginning Sept. 1. Counties included in the change are: Barnes, Benson,...
The Montana Farm Bureau applauds Congressman Gianforte (R-MT) for his co-sponsoring of two important bills for livestock producers: The Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants (RAMP-UP Act) and the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act. MFBF has been actively pursuing legislation and other actions that will improve cattle markets for producers in Montana and the rest of the country. “One huge problem in Montana is a lack of livestock processing capacity,” stated MFBF National Affairs Direc...
The Richland County Fair is an event where youth and their families gather to showcase educational project work, learn through evaluation and make lifelong connection with others. Richland County 4-H members look forward to the fair every year. It is a time to celebrate their accomplishments for the year. This year we will still be celebrating the many accomplishments of the youth, but it will be a lot different. Due to COVID-19, the public Richland County Fair and Rodeo was cancelled, however,...
Sarah Helmuth, Lambert Hi-Litters 4-H Club member, has been participating in 4-H for ten years. "I was born into 4-H! My brother is ten years older than me, so when I was born, he was busy participating in 4-H it is definitely a family thing," stated Helmuth. Throughout her time in 4-H, she has competed in many local and state events and has shown many animal and indoor exhibits. "Some of my favorite projects are my breeding projects because I get the reward of showing my animals at the fair,...
Although only 14 years old, Marett Schieber has a strong history of earning top 4-H livestock honors at the Richland County Fair. Marett became involved in livestock judging about six years ago with the support of her parents, Gary and Laura Schieber. In that first year, Marett was selected for the reserve champion novice sheep showmanship award. She followed that up by having her market hog earn grand champion honors in 2016. She then won the grand champion award for novice swine showmanship....
Third-year member and secretary of the Yellowstone Valley Trailblazers 4-H Club, Karley McPherson, has been working hard preparing for the upcoming Richland County 4-H market animal show and sale. This year she is showing a market steer and hog. "This is my third year showing a steer and my first year showing a pig. I have really enjoyed showing my steer, so I am really excited to show my pig this year," said McPherson. She also participates in several indoor projects, including photography and...
After years of working on his uncle's ranch in Wildrose, ND, Kevin Holten, Executive Producer of Special Cowboy Moments, knew that there was more to life than stacking and hauling tons of hay bales every summer. "I grew up in Wildrose, ND, and I started working on my uncle's ranch when I was eight years old, so I have done all of those not-so-fun jobs. I have hauled millions, I think, of bales in my day and it is probably stacking and hauling hay bales that prompted me to go to college because...
As of the beginning of July, Steve Rosenau has been named Sidney Sugars, Inc. chief operating officer. In Rosenau's new position; he oversees all agriculture and factory operations and grower-related activities. Rosenau has been involved with the American Crystal Sugar Company for many years and has held various positions, including corporate controller, business development manager,financial analyst, factory manager, pproduction superintendent, and process engineer. Rosenau stated, “My whole professional career has been American Crystal S...
Bozeman - A new video from Montana State University Extension shows the impact and causes of soil acidification and offers Montana farmers management options to prevent, adapt to or correct acidic soil, which can lead to heavy yield losses. "Soil acidification is an emerging issue in Montana, where low soil pH has traditionally not been a concern," said Clain Jones, MSU Extension's soil fertility specialist and professor in the MSU College of Agriculture's Department of Land Resources and Enviro...
Farmers and ranchers feed our state, our nation, and in fact, our world. You work long hours to provide essential resources for us all, and in these challenging times, I want you to know that USDA is here to support you and your operation through our Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP. Whether you farm one acre or many more, grow food for local markets or big supply chains, CFAP can help. We’re accepting applications through Aug. 28 and encouraging producers to apply now. In Montana, we have already approved 7,642 applications and d...
Jennifer and Addison Morken found the little tractor last week at High Caliber Sports. They won $100 in Chamber Bucks in The Agriculture is Everywhere Promotion sponsored by Tri-County Implement. Make sure you look for the tractor at participating businesses this week to win $100 in Chamber Bucks. Participating stores include The Merge, J'z Fashion, Sidney Mercantile, Johnson Hardware and Furniture, Meraki Boutique, Mimi's Kitchen, Party Central, Tri County Implement, MT Bare Cave and High...
Bozeman - Family legacies are often more than just property or money left behind in a will. They may include family values, memories or hopes that the dying may wish to pass down for younger generations. According to Montana State University Extension educators, individuals can create what is called an ethical will, in addition to an estate plan, to express those values and pass them on to surviving family members. According to Wendy Wedum, MSU Pondera County Extension agent, and Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist, an...
Farm Succession Planning is now one of the services offered by the Trust Department at First State Bank & Trust. As a Certified Farm Succession Planner, Heidi Olson has the tools to help Ag producers design a succession plan to transition the family farm or ranch business, whether it be to family members of the next generation or to determine a clear plan on how to divide and sell assets per the wishes of the farm owner(s). She facilitates conversations with farm clients to create specific goals and implement plans in accordance with the...
