The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Sampling of hay is essential to livestock management. Hay sampling is best accomplished with a hollow core probe consisting of a stainless-steel tube and a sharp cutting end. The Chouteau County Extension office has a hay probe available for check...

The MSU Extension non-soil agricultural fumigation manual for private applicators (EB0229) is available at the Chouteau County Extension office. Many fumigants are classified among the most toxic pesticides currently available for use. Accidents are...

The annual Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association meeting will take place on Thursday, November 21th at 3:00 p.m. at the Vets Hall in Geraldine. A social will follow the business meeting at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:00. Please RSVP...

Should I spray Canada thistle this Fall? According to Tim Seipel, MSU Cropland Weed Extension Specialist, producers need to wait until it warms up before they spray. Hopefully, producers will get another window of good fall weather to get out and...

The article below is a portion of an article written by Peter Kolb (MSU Extension Forester). The article is available in full at the Chouteau County Extension office. The article explains the natural phenomenon of fall needle drop, insect management,...

Pre-seeding fertilizer tips for farmers Clain Jones, MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist Presented at the Montana Agricultural Business Association last winter in Great Falls. The majority of the presentation contained a variety of fertilizer...

Managing horticultural landscapes in September is essential to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau county gardeners. • The average first frost is September 15 (Carter), September 18...

The 2019 Chouteau County 4-H and FFA livestock carcass contest took place at Pioneer Meats in Big Timber. A total of 63 Chouteau County 4-H animals were evaluated for carcass quality by Mark King (MSU Extension Sweet Grass County). The purpose of...

Many Chouteau County producers research their winter wheat varieties in the spring and their spring crop varieties in the Fall. As a result, it is time to let producers know about a new malt barley called Buzz. Malt Barley is generally rejected when...

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that...

Managing horticultural landscapes in September is essential to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau county gardeners. • The average first frost is September 15 (Carter), September 18...

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 Knees, MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC)...

It is recommended to allow a minimum of 30 days between the last harvest and the first killing frost in the fall to allow alfalfa plants time for sufficient carbohydrate accumulation. It is important to know the average date of the first killing...

• Water trees three times a month in addition to watering your lawn. • Deep watering to a depth of 12” inches below the soil surface is recommended. Saturate the soil around the tree within the “dripline” (the outer edges of the tree’s...

Bobcat is a high yielding solid stem hard red winter wheat with improved yield potential relative to other solid stem varieties. The variety will be available for non-certified seed producers in fall of 2020. The variety was developed by Phil...

The following article was prepared by Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist). Alfalfa weevil is the key insect pest of alfalfa, causing variable levels of economic damage across Montana each growing season. Montana weevil populations are a bit...

Below are a few tips which will assist gardeners with summer management of their landscapes. Additional gardening information is available at the Chouteau County Extension Office located in the green building next to the courthouse. • Plants use...

Information for this article comes from Montguide MT 201806AG. Authors include Dr. Prashant Jha from MSU Southern Agricultural Research Center and a group of County Extension Agents from the Golden Triangle. The complete document is available online...

NARC will host their annual field day on Thursday, June 27th at 3:30 p.m. The event will take place at the research center south of Havre. NARC field day is unique from other field days because their research encompasses farming and ranching. A few...

Horticultural Questions and Answers for Upcoming Summer My ash, elm and caragana look dead. Should I cut my tree or shrub down right away and be done with it? On April 19, Fort Benton temperatures were as high as 76 degrees. On April 29, Fort Benton...

MAES-MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) and MSU Extension are hosting a field day in the Knees area on July 9th at 9:00 a.m. The site is located ¾ of a mile west of the intersection of Knees Church Road and Collins Road. John...

MSU Central Agricultural Research Center (CARC) and MSU Extension will be hosting a field day on the Highwood Bench on Wednesday, June 26, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The field day will take place approximately one mile east of the Long farm on 1221...

EPA Orders Measures to Protect Paraquat Applicators and the Public Due to increased human health concerns, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final decision regarding pesticide products containing the herbicide active...

Sudangrass is a viable forage alternative for Chouteau County Sudangrass is a good haying and grazing alternative for Chouteau County livestock producers. Sudangrass can be seeded and harvested with conventional equipment in normal crop rotations....

Cytospora Canker The fungal disease Cytospora canker is common in Montana and is most damaging on Colorado and Norway spruces. The first indications of Cytospora canker are dying lower branches with bluish-white-colored resin flowing from cankered ar...