The MSU College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station invite members of the public to attend MSU's agricultural research center field days across Montana this summer. (MSU photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez)
The public is invited to attend free annual field days across Montana to tour and learn about the people, places and projects involved with agricultural research at Montana State University's College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station or MAES.
Seven research stations across the state and a local Bozeman campus farm will each host a field day this summer. Field days include facility tours, explanations of research projects and results and a chance for citizens, producers, legislators and agribusiness representatives to speak with MSU scientists and Extension agents.
Darrin Boss, head of MSU's Department of Research Centers and superintendent of the Northern Agricultural Research Center and the Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center said the statewide field days are an opportunity for MSU share its diverse agricultural and natural resources research with the people of Montana.
"Agriculture is (the) highest-producing industry in Montana," Boss said. "Unfortunately, as a population, we're growing further away from food production. I would encourage all producers, agricultural allied industries and local community members around the state to attend one of our field days, even if you're not directly involved with agriculture. Field days are a great opportunity to see how the researchers at MSU to are assisting the producers of Montana through locally adapted research, so that Montana can continue to produce the highest-quality livestock, grain and horticultural products that feed the world."
Boss said the field days also provide opportunities for agricultural students to engage with the public and for students of the MSU campus in Bozeman to travel to and learn about MSU's research centers.
Summer 2018 field days include:
Southern Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, June 19: The field day begins at 3 p.m. and includes dinner. The center is located at 748 Railroad Highway in Huntley. 406-348-3400.
Northern Agricultural Research Center, Thursday, June 21: The field day begins at 3 p.m. with tours before and after dinner. The center is located about seven miles southwest of Havre on U.S. Highway 87. 406-265-6115.
Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, June 26: The field day begins at 11:30 a.m. and will include lunch. The center is located at 9546 Old Shelby Road in Conrad. 406-278-7707.
Northwestern Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, July 10: The field day begins at 2 p.m., with dinner following the tour. NWARC is located near Creston on State Highway 35. 406-755-4303.
Central Agricultural Research Center, Thursday, July 12: Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and doughnuts. The field day starts at 9 a.m. and includes lunch. The center is located 2.5 miles west of Moccasin on U.S. Highway 87. 406-423-5421.
The MSU Arthur H. Post Agronomy Farm, Friday, July 13: The Post Farm will begin tours at 8:30 a.m. followed by lunch. The Post Farm is located eight miles west of Bozeman on U.S. Highway 191. 406-586-6819.
Eastern Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, July 17: The field day begins at 9 a.m. and will include lunch. The center is located one mile north of Sidney on State Highway 200. 406-433-2208.
Western Agricultural Research Center, Thursday, July 26: The field day starts at 4:30 p.m. with dinner at 5 p.m. and tours following. WARC is located at 580 Quast Lane, Corvallis. 406-961-3025.
MAES comprises agricultural research of on and off-campus MSU faculty. The research centers are strategically located across Montana to allow research with different soil types, elevations, climate zones and landscapes, and a local advisory council guides the research at each station. The federal Hatch Act of 1887 authorized every national land-grant university to establish an agricultural experiment station, with research reflecting the university's curriculum and state needs. The Smith-Lever Act authorized the Extension Service in 1914. MSU College of Agriculture, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension have been cooperatively serving the land-grant mission and the Montana public for the past 100 years.
For more information about the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, visit http://agresearch.montana. edu/maes.html. For more information about the station's research centers, visit http://agresearch.montana. edu/researchcenters.html.
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