The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Dr. Jane Mangold to Speak at Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association The Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association annual meeting will take place on Thursday, November 11th at 3:00 p.m. at the Club House in Fort Benton. A social will...

Managing horticultural landscapes and house plants in November is important for healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau County gardeners. • Apply protective mulches to perennial beds. • Use a...

Fall Management of Cheatgrass in Fallow Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), also commonly called downy brome, is a problematic weed in winter wheat and in rangeland throughout Montana. Cheatgrass typically germinates in the autumn, overwinters, and...

The following article and study were completed by Ben Hauptman, MSU Extension Granite County. In summer 2020 the active ingredient indaziflam (RejuvraTM) was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use on rangelands, CRP, and natural...

Fall is a Great Time to Order Shelterbelt Trees The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery (MCSN) is already receiving orders for shelter belt plantings. Rocky Mountain Juniper is the most popular windbreak species and sells out quite quickly. If you...

2021 Pesticide Waste Disposal program will be in Central Region in September The 2021 Montana Department of Agriculture waste pesticide disposal program will take place in Central Montana. The first collection event will take place in Havre on Septem...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing the interim decision (ID) for the pesticide paraquat dichloride (paraquat) finalizing new, stronger safety measures to reduce exposure. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act...

Emerging Winter Wheat, Grasshopper Pests and Systemic Seed Treatment The following information was prepared by Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist). Emerging winter wheat can be particularly vulnerable to damage by grasshoppers. The larger...

Due to the extended drought in Montana, water availability in many areas is severely limited. Reservoirs have dried up and are becoming covered in weeds. Montana State University Extension educators are cautioning livestock managers to evaluate weed...

Horticultural Tips for August Below are some rules of thumb when tending vegetables, lawns, flowers and trees during the month of August. • Renovate strawberries by mowing a minimum of every three years. Some people mow their strawberries every...

Foraging worker ants sometimes enter homes in search of food, and if they find an indoor food source, the workers will leave chemical trails for other workers to follow. Food found either indoors or outdoors is carried to the nest to feed the...

Top Yielding Winter Wheat Varieties for Chouteau County MSU Agriculture Research Centers have three test plots for winter wheat in Chouteau County. Research plots are managed by MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) south of the...

A Special Thanks in Advance to our Chouteau County 4-H Fair Superintendents 4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for a career tomorrow. 4-H programs...

The 2021 Montana Department of Agriculture waste pesticide disposal program will take place in Central Montana. The first collection event will take place in Havre on September 21 followed by Great Falls on September 22, Lewistown on September 23,...

Because of the increase in grasshopper pests this year and last year, many folks are spraying insecticides to save their crops and landscapes. The following article comes from the University of Nebraska and is available at: https://bit.ly/3vQPhuz....

The following overview of blue green algae poisoning in livestock was written by Rachel Endecott (Former MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist). Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) are photosynthetic bacteria that live and grow in aquatic environments....

For those who struggling wiAccording to Laurie Kerzicnik (Montana State University Entomologist), grasshoppers continue to be an issue for several areas in Montana. Grasshopper infestations will continue to extend into the fall. High grasshopper popu...

New Montguide Available on Codling Moth Management for Apple Tree Owners FFor those who struggling with worms in apples, a new Montguide called Backyard Guide to Codling Moth Management is available from the Chouteau County Extension office. Below...

The Montana State University College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station have announced the dates for their annual agricultural field days, which will return as in-person events after being hosted virtually in 2020. “We are s...

Lawn Management Information The Master Gardener program provides research based information for gardeners. Below are a few notes taken from the turf management portion of the program. • Rough bluegrass is probably the best grass in Montana for...

MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) and MSU Extension in Phillips, Blaine, Chouteau and Liberty Counties will be hosting several field days this year. These field days highlight the work being done on Northern Agricultural Research...

Outdoor Range Management Tour at Lost Lake Ranch County Extension is sponsoring an outdoor range management class at the Lost Lake Ranch on Tuesday, June 8 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Dr. Jeff Mosley will address a variety of topics including range...

As we begin spring management of our horticultural landscapes, here are a few reminders for the month of May. • Graft fruit trees from mid -April to early May. • Abort crab apple fruit with ethephon or naphthaleneacetic acid. • Prune lilacs...

1. Why did we see high populations of grasshoppers in Montana in 2020? Favorable weather conditions have promoted grasshopper pest populations. In 2019, a cool wet spring delayed hatching which resulted in high percentage hatch survival rates. In...

2021 Montana Drought Series for Livestock Producers in Havre Montana State University Ranch Management Systems Team in collaboration with local MSU Extension agents have put together a series of workshops to address potential strategies to reduce the...