Sorted by date Results 716 - 740 of 1219
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) North Dakota State Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Aaron Krauter reminds farmers and ranchers that they have until Aug. 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and/or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2016 crop year. “Producers have already elected ARC or PLC, but they must enroll for the 2016 crop year by signing a contract before the Aug. 1 deadline to receive program benefits,” said Krauter. “Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office to schedule an appoi...
In order to comply with Farm Service Agency (FSA) program eligibility requirements, all producers, including livestock producers, are encouraged to visit their local FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline. The 2016 Acreage Reporting/Crop Certification Deadline is July 15, 2016 for Spring Seeded Alfalfa Seed, Forage Seeding, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Fruit (except cherries), Vegetables, Christmas Trees, and all Spring-Seeded Crops and any other crops not required to be reported by...
The MSU Eastern Agriculture Research Center Extension held its annual field day on June 30 in Sidney. Research scientists and agronomists presented the findings on ongoing studies and also discussed issues important to local producers. Research topics pertaining to sugar beet, pulse crop, wheat and barley production and seed varieties were presented. Strategies to defend against pests and invasive weeds were also discussed....
Diverse crop rotations are not a new concept, but their benefits are being rediscovered. Dr. Audrey Kalil, Plant Pathologist at the Williston Research Extension Center and Dr. Don Tanaka, retired USDA-Agricultural Research Service Soil Scientist will be speaking on various benefits of diverse crop rotations at the NDSU- Williston Research Extension Center’s Dry Land Field Day on Thursday, July 14. Kalil’s presentation will focus on research investigating diverse crop rotation’s ability to manag...
In order to comply with Farm Service Agency (FSA) program eligibility requirements, all producers, including livestock producers, are encouraged to visit their local FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline. The 2016 Acreage Reporting/Crop Certification Deadline is July 15, 2016 for Spring Seeded Alfalfa Seed, Forage Seeding, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Fruit (except cherries), Vegetables, Christmas Trees, and all Spring-Seeded Crops and any other crops not required to be reported by...
A wide variety of topics were covered during the dryland field day presented by the Sidney ARS and MSU EARC on Friday. Phil Bruckner, professor/wheat breeder from MSU Bozeman, presented the feature presentation on the EARC stops by discussing varieties of winter wheat. Bruckner said that officials expect to see high levels of winter kills at the locations in Sidney and Williston. "It's good for a research standpoint, but not so good if you're growing wheat," Bruckner said. He notes varieties...
The Agriculture Development Council and the Montana Department of Agriculture have announced a change to the Growth Through Agriculture application deadline schedule for the upcoming fiscal year. This year there will only be one funding deadline for the GTA program: Sept. 15. In order to maximize the amount of funding available to agricultural companies, and in line with the directives of the Main Street Montana Project, the Council and the Department have determined that hosting only one funding deadline will aid in cutting program costs...
Area producers have two opportunities to learn more about dryland agricultural research underway in this area as well as demonstrations of a cross-slot drill and a new subsurface irrigation system at two annual dryland field days to be held on June 23 and 24. The Froid Research Farm Field Day is on June 23 and the joint Sidney ARS/MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center dryland field day is set for June 24. Details for both events are as follows: Froid Field Day – June 23 The 2016 Froid Research Farm Field Day is June 23, from 1-5 p.m., and i...
A three-inch rain storm in the area during the early part of May wasn’t the best thing for some eastern Montana sugar beet growers. “It gave us false moisture,” Duane Peters, agricultural manager at Sidney Sugars, explained. “Our ground was so dry. The rain just soaked in.” The result was that replanting was performed at more than 1,400 acres in the region. “We had various problems,” Peters said. He also mentioned growers faced the challenges of cutworms and springtails. He explained spr...
Helena – The Montana Department of Revenue mailed 2016 livestock per capita fee bills this week. Payment is due by May 31. Livestock owners can pay online at ReportYourLivestock.mt.gov or by mail with a check. The 2015 Legislature changed the payment due date from November 30 to May 31 to decrease the time between livestock reporting and payment. March 1 was the deadline for livestock owners to report livestock they owned as of February 1. If owners already paid their 2016 fees when they reported their livestock, they will not receive a b...
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide a new financing option to help farmers purchase portable storage and handling equipment. Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Elanor Starmer announced changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program today during a local and regional food roundtable in Columbus, Ohio. The loans, which now include a smaller microloan option with lower down payments, are designed to help producers, including new, small and mid-sized...
Montana State University Extension recommends that producers now applying urea fertilizer (46-0-0) protect it from volatilization loss (ammonia loss to the air) by sub-surface banding, incorporation into the soil by tillage or a half-inch of water in a single event or through the use of urease inhibitors. The standard recommendation for banding nitrogen fertilizer was historically to band it about two inches below seeding depth, or three to five inches below the soil surface – before packing. With increased no-till practices and application o...
ARS talk moves to Thursday; features soil health discussion “We do not inherit the earth from our ancesters, we borrow it from our children.” ARS Soil Scientist Maysson Mikha takes this Native American Proverb to heart in her research focusing on building soil health and sustainability in the Great Plains region through improved management practices. Soil health reflects the soil’s ability to function as a dynamic living system that can support plant growth, promote animal production and health, sustain human needs, and preserve and/or impro...
This article highlights the evolution of glyphosate (Roundup, RT3, and other generics)-resistant Russian thistle in Montana. Russian thistle (Salsola tragus L.), a native of southeastern Russia, is one of the most problematic broadleaf weed species in the dryland no-till cropping systems of Montana and the U.S. Great Plains. It is a summer annual weed belonging to the goosefoot family that reproduces by seed. Russian thistle commonly invades dryland crop production fields, irrigation canals, roadsides, railroads, ditch banks and other...
Agriculture Week, March 13-19, is a time to celebrate agriculture in classrooms and communities across the country. The 2016 theme is “Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet.” Ag statistics show that farmers have used careful stewardship that has spurred a nearly 50 percent decline in erosion of cropland by wind and water since 1982. Farmers and ranchers are still looking for ways to improve their stewardship. The latest buzzword in agriculture is “soil health” which covers planting as well as grazing practices. “Think about soil as a whol...
Reynolds Market will be holding a beef cutting demonstration as part of Ag Day on Friday, March 4th, at 11:00am at the Richland County Fair Event Center. This is the first year that Reynolds will be taking part in Ag Days, giving people a better understanding of the processing aspect of the beef industry. “Farming and ranching are huge part of Eastern Montana and have been the backbone of our business,” said Department Manager Josh Reynolds. Reynolds, who is the fourth generation to be inv...
Williston Economic Development (WED) has announced it will be a major sponsor of the 63rd National Hard Spring Wheat Show Feb. 2-4 in Williston. The long-running Wheat Show brings experts and exhibitors to Williston to share cutting-edge information with producers. WED will have a booth at the event showcasing its programs that benefit agricultural business opportunities. Farming and ranching has historically been the leading industry in northwestern North Dakota; although in recent years, it has shared the media spotlight with the booming Bakk...
Sidney resident Karli Johnson just returned from three days in Great Falls as part of REAL Montana (Resource Education and Agriculture Leadership). For Karli and other members of REAL Montana Class II, this was the third seminar in their two-year educational program. The focus of the seminar Jan. 14-16 was "Crop Production Economy & Issues". Class members heard from experts on Montana's role in domestic and global agricultural markets, rail transport, public policy, the Farm Bill, GMOs, and the...
USDA’s Risk Management Agency today announced that producers in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota can insure Carinata by written agreement under the canola and rapeseed insurance plans. Producers must submit a written agreement request to their insurance company by the March 15 sales closing date. Crop insurance provides protection against a loss in production due to natural perils, such as drought or excessive moisture. A written agreement is a document designed to provide crop insurance for insurable crops when coverage or rates are u...
Experts from the Montana State University Extension Service have identified glyphosate-resistant Conyza Canadensis, also known as marestail or horseweed, in northeast Montana. The discovery is concerning given how easily this species can disperse in the wind. According to Timothy Fine, Extension agent in Richland County, and Fabian Menalled, MSU professor and Extension specialist in cropland weeds, marestail with up to a five-fold increase in resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient of Roundup and other herbicides, has recently been...
Montana Pork Producers Council (MPPC) invites Montana pork producers to attend the annual meeting January 21, 2016, at the Mansfield Civic Center in Great Falls. By design, the event coincides with the MAGIE Ag Expo for producer convenience. The theme is “Leading with Integrity” focusing on the subjects of marketing & contracts, as well as animal and human safety. John Uecker of USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Program will provide guidance to producers negotiating contract terms with their packers, in regards to the program’s regulations and rul...
Building soil quality isn’t an easy task on the semi-arid prairies of Montana and North Dakota or neighboring Saskatchewan, Canada. But that hasn’t stopped Jered Axten, an enterprising dryland farmer at Minton, Saskatchewan, from working with “Mother Nature to improve soil health” on his farm. Axten will be in Sidney Fri. to discuss the techniques he uses to improve profitability on his dryland operation “by caring for our soil and reducing our dependence on synthetic inputs.” He is the opening speaker in the USDA-Agricultural Research Se...
The NDSU Extension Service in McKenzie County will host a workshop Jan. 15, 2016, for cow-calf producers, particularly those who are new to beef cattle production. This daylong cow-calf management school will cover forage production, cow nutrition, grazing management and the Veterinary Feed Directive through a combination of presentations, activities and problem-solving exercises. The program, held in the McKenzie County Courthouse in Watford City, will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. central time. Presenters and their topics are: * John...
The Montana Department of Agriculture announced the following public meeting notices for the month of January. More information and public notices can be found on the department’s public notices website, agr.mt.gov Pulse Advisory Committee Meeting: Tue., Jan. 19, 2016 1 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Conference Call Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council: Thur., Jan. 21, 2016 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Conference Call...
In agricultural circles pulse crops may be discussed without batting an eye. However, when most Montanans are asked what a pulse crop is they might say, ‘What are pulse crops?’ Pulses are annual leguminous crops such as lentils, beans, peas, and chickpeas. After 2016 was declared International Year of Pulses by the United Nations and Montana, again, led the nation in pulse production, the Montana Pulse Advisory Committee & Specialty Crop Block Grant Program are making a pitch to Montana consumers to integrate more pulses into their diet. “Fo...
