Sorted by date Results 691 - 715 of 1219
Cattle producers will have an opportunity to learn how expected progeny differences (EPDs) can help them buy the right bulls for their operation during workshops the North Dakota State University Extension Service is holding this winter. The Buying Bulls by the Numbers workshops will be held Dec. 9, and Jan. 20 and Feb. 3, 2017, at NDSU’s Dickinson Research Extension Center. The same workshop information will be presented at the North Dakota Beef Commission offices in Bismarck on Dec. 16, and Jan. 3 and Feb. 10, 2017. The workshops will focus o...
A naturally occurring bacterium discovered by Montana State University has been registered for commercial use and sale by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its impressive plant-disease fighting capabilities. This is the first time MSU has had a technology registered by the EPA for commercial use, a significant milestone in the university's research and technology transfer history. Canada has published an intent to register the bacterium for use and other countries are expected to foll...
This series of sessions to help farm and ranch families pass their businesses on to the next generation will start next week Tuesday, November 29, in Watford City, and will continue on December 1 and 6. Each of these meetings, of which attendance is highly encouraged, will be held from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm CT at the NDSU Extension Service/McKenzie County Office at 205 6th Street NW in Watford City. “The program will prepare you to envision, communicate, plan, write and shape the legacy of your f...
With harvest over for most, now comes the time to haul and sell your grain. Many operations have to have grain bins and a handling system as heading straight to the elevator isn’t an option, for many reasons. With the cooler temperatures among us, and precipitation soon to be coming in the form of snow below are some tips from North Dakota State University Extension Service Engineer, Dr. Kenneth Hellevang. Natural Air Drying; In-bin air-drying becomes inefficient as outdoor air temperature d...
Three Montana Farm Bureau members participated in Senator Jon Tester’s Farm Bill listening tour October 17 in Billings. Tester is holding listening sessions to hear farmers’ hopes and concerns for the new Farm Bill. Montana Farm Bureau Vice President Hans McPherson, who served on the livestock panel, said one of the difficulties livestock producers have is simply asking for help. “Livestock producers aren’t inclined to visit FSA offices to fill out forms. They aren’t in the habit of signing up for programs and completing reports. When ther...
Selecting fertilizer rates for yield and quality will depend in part on this past summer’s rains and the amount of this year’s residue, according to Clain Jones, MSU Extension soil fertility specialist in the MSU College of Agriculture Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. According to the National Weather Service, some parts of Montana received well-above average rainfall this year, leading to high yields with higher than average plant residue and good soil water for the coming growing season. However, other regions had lowe...
USDA N.D. Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director (SED), Aaron Krauter announced that approximately 57,000 N.D. FSA farms that enrolled in safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will receive financial assistance for the 2015 crop year. The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns. “These safety-net programs provide help when price and revenues fall below normal, unlike the p...
Glendive, MT is home to a new pulse crop receiving and transportation facility, established by ITC International Inc. Based out of Canada, ITC International Inc. provides a diverse range of pulse crop products to 20 – 25 markets, and partnered with the Montana Department of Agriculture and Mid-Rivers’ Community Resource Specialist Kathy McLane, to establish the pulse crop facility which opened August 8, 2016. Additionally, they worked closely with MSU Extension, BNSF Railway, and local pro...
The 2016 Bovine Connection will be held Tuesday, Nov. 29th, at the Culbertson Saddle Club in Culbertson, MT, and they are looking for supporting sponsors. The Bovine Connection was formed by MSU Extension, NDSU Extension, and industry leaders and focuses on benefitting cattle producers in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota. They provide livestock operators with current information, an opportunity to listen to experts in their field, and a great networking opportunity. This...
The 2016 MSU Pest Management Tour is designed as a last chance opportunity for private applicators to obtain recertification credits before the January 1deadline in PAT region 4 (eastern MT). Each program will offer 3 private applicator recertification credits for attending either the morning or afternoon sessions. A private applicator may also wish to attend both sessions to accumulate 6 recertification credits. Commercial/government applicator credits will also be offered. Day 1, Monday October 3 Glasgow, MT: Cottonwood Inn, $15 fee at door,...
With 4-H sign-ups right around the corner, what better way to inform people about the organization than to talk to someone who has been and continues to be involved? Seth Prevost has been a member of the 3 Buttes 4-H Club for eight years and has taken on projects such as breeding beef, steers, lambs, woodworking, cooking, speech and demonstration, and small grains. Prevost initially decided to join because his brothers and sisters had been involved with 4-H, but also because he's always liked...
R-CALF USA seeks a quick end to Beef Checkoff lawsuit. R-CALF USA’s lawsuit alleges the government, represented by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the USDA, is operating the Beef Checkoff in a manner that violates the U.S. Constitution. According to the lawsuit, the Beef Checkoff, which compels producers to pay $1 per head every time cattle are sold, is a federal tax that funds the private speech of the Montana Beef Council. The group states that the council’s private speech is objectionable because it promotes the message that there is...
With severe and extreme drought expanding throughout the state the Montana Department of Agriculture wants to remind folks that the Hay Hotline is available to producers as an online tool to connect buyers and sellers of hay and pasture. The department maintains the Hay Hotline as a service to the agricultural industry, making it available with the expectation that all buyers and sellers will treat each other in an equitable and lawful manner. Visit the online tool at agr.mt.gov/agr/Producer/HayHotline/. The Montana Department of...
Agricultural Development and Marketing Officers (L – R) Marty Earnheart, Steph Hystad, and Treston Vermandel with the Montana Department of Agriculture held a public round table discussion on Monday, August 22nd at the MSU Extension Office in Sidney. The purpose of the meeting was to determine how development and marketing strategies could benefit agricultural businesses in the area....
America’s farmers and ranchers support free trade. And when you look at the numbers it’s not hard to see why. Between 2003 and 2015, U.S. agricultural exports to countries we have trade agreements with increased more than 136 percent - from $24.1 billion to $57 billion. During the same time period, U.S. ag exports to countries where we don’t have trade agreements (excluding China) only increased by 84 percent. 1. Trade agreements generate more ag business, a lot more. Farmers and ranchers do more business where the U.S. has established free...
For some time now, there has been steady chatter about labeling GMOs. Chatter is one thing, but uninformed chatter is quite another. With the recent GMO disclosure bill signed into law, a national QR code for foods produced with GM crops will be in the works. Personally, I dislike the idea that we, as Americans, have come to a point where the demands of a few outweigh science and common sense. But if a consumer really wants to know more about GMOs, information will soon be just a scan away. A QR code is perfect for streamlining this kind of inf...
R-CALF USA may be defined as a non-profit producer organization, but our work benefits anyone who eats meat and lives in an economy that includes agriculture. We’re more than a producer organization; we’re your organization! R-CALF USA believes that USDA’s action to allow raw Brazilian beef imports is purely political and terribly reckless. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement for the nearly simultaneous market reopening (the U.S. market to raw Brazilian beef and Brazil is reopening its market to U.S...
Hikmet Budak, Montana State University's first Montana Plant Sciences Endowed Chair, is among an international team of scientists that is now one step closer to producing durum wheat that boasts a higher protein content and grain quality. The 14-member team announced in a July 6 press release that it has successfully sequenced and mapped the genome, or complete genetic code of durum wheat. Durum wheat is a close relative of the widely grown bread wheat and is the source of semolina, the key...
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Bruce Nelson reminds Montana wheat producers that FSA Marketing Assistance Loans can help meet cash flow needs without selling commodities when market prices are at harvest-time lows. “In the current marketing environment for wheat, producers are encouraged to contact our office to learn more about marketing loans so that they can make the best choice for their farming operations,” Nelson said. Wheat producers who are eligible to obtain marketing loans may also be eligible for loan def...
Seventeen year old Taylor Schepens, daughter of Robert Schepens and Lacey Nevins of Sidney is excited to present her 4-H projects at this year's county fair to be held in Sidney, MT., August 3-6. With a lot of encouragement from her stepdad Matt Nevins and his family, at age 9, Taylor became a member of 4-H. Matt and his family had been previously involved with the group and knew it would be a great opportunity and good experience. Taylor's younger brother Trey also became a member when he was...
There's a new Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney, MT. Six weeks ago, Frankie Crutcher joined the research center from College Station, Texas. but is originally from Helena, MT. She has been a plant pathologist for almost ten years. Her main focus will be pulse crops and sugar beets but she has an interest in small grains such as wheat and barley. Frankie will be continuing her work on the different types of diseases these crops can...
Montana State University Extension beef cattle specialists will host summer meetings across Montana to help livestock producers understand a new ruling by the United States Food and Drug Administration concerning feed-grade antibiotics. The veterinary feed directive, or VFD, was developed by the USFDA and will impact how producers feed their livestock. The VFD impacts feed-grade antibiotics that are medically important, which are antibiotics used in both human and animal medicine. The VFD rule will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2017. In...
Last week I talked about a fungus called Fusarium Head Blights, also known as scab. But along with scab, another problem that is showing up in Williams County and surrounding areas is wheat midge. Wheat midge as an adult is an orange-colored, fragile, very small insect approximately half the size of a mosquito. Wheat midge has three pairs of long legs, a pair of oval wings, transparent and fringed with fine hairs. Two eyes are conspicuous and black. The eggs are elongated, whitish and very...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) North Dakota Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Aaron Krauter, today reminded farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers that they have until Aug. 1, 2016, to nominate eligible candidates to serve on local FSA county committees. “The August 1 deadline to submit nominations is quickly approaching,” said Krauter. “If you’ve been considering nominating a candidate or nominating yourself to serve on your local county committee, I encourage you to go to your county office right now to subm...
Montana State University has completed an agreement to license a new variety of hard red spring wheat to Montana-based Northern Seed, LLC. Licensing the variety to Northern Seed means that the the Montana-based research company will lead the market development, data collection and production plans for this new Clearfield line. "Northern Seed is a respected agribusiness that at every turn works to improve commercial seed by benefiting the grower and the environment," said Charles Boyer, MSU vice...
