The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

October is a Great Time to Order Shelterbelt Trees The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery (MCSN) will be receiving orders on October 1st 2022. Rocky Mountain Juniper is the most popular windbreak species and sells out quite quickly. If you are int...

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...

Six 4-H and FFA Youth Meet Excellence Criteria for Livestock Carcass Quality The 2022 Chouteau County 4-H and FFA livestock carcass contest took place at Pioneer Meats in Big Timber. A total of 60 Chouteau County animals were evaluated for carcass qu...

September Horticulture Management 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...

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...

Thanks to our Chouteau County 4-H Club Organizational Leaders and FFA Advisors Before the Chouteau County Fair begins next week, Chouteau County Extension thanks our 4-H organizational leaders for guiding and preparing our 4-H youth through...

Top Yielding Winter Wheat Varieties for Chouteau County MSU Agricultural Research Centers have one test plot for winter wheat in Chouteau County which is managed by MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) north of Loma. A special thanks to...

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...

Hailed out and emerged volunteer wheat should be sprayed immediately after harvest Information for this article was taken from a Kansas State University Press Release, which was released in 2020. Producers often wait several weeks after harvest befor...

CUTTING HAY FOR HORSES – WATCH OUT FOR POISONOUS BLISTER BEETLES Several blister beetle species feed on alfalfa, including the ash-gray blister beetle, black blister beetle and striped blister beetle. Adult blister beetles are easy to recognize...

Winter Canola Research at Montana State University Decision time is fast approaching for winter canola seeding. Genetic technology has improved and some producers in Montana are having success with winter canola. Dr. Perry Miller, Cropping Systems...

A Special Thanks in Advance to our Chouteau County 4-H Fair Superintendents 4-H is the youth development program of our nation’s Cooperative Extension System and USDA. Cooperative Extension serves every county and tribe in the U.S. through a...

How Farmers, Gardeners and Insecticide Applicators Can Reduce Risks of Honeybee Injury When Spraying for Grasshoppers Because of the increase in grasshopper pests this year and last year, many folks are spraying insecticides to save their crops and...

Adam Sigler (MSU Extension Water Quality Specialist), Marley Manoukian (MSU Extension Agent in Richland County) and Megan Van Emon (MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist) have written a useful resource for livestock producers. This MontGuide is...

According 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 populations this year could be...

2022 Knees Area Field Day is Scheduled for July 13 MAES-MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) and MSU Extension are hosting a field day in the Knees area on July 13th at 9:00 a.m. Dr. Jamie Sherman (MSU barley breeder) will share...

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 shady areas. • Kentucky...

Creeping Bellflower is a Persistent Weed in Montana Lawns Creeping bellflower is an herbaceous creeping perennial in the Harebell family. Native to Eurasia, it has become widely naturalized in North America. Initially introduced as an ornamental, thi...

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in states throughout the central and western United States including Montana. Although avian influenza is a highly contagious disease to domestic poultry, there are no apparent risks to...

Insecticide-Resistant Alfalfa Weevils Found in Bighorn County Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist) informed Extension that the alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) has developed resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in Bighorn County. He also put...

A Few Facts about Dimilin 2L Insecticide for Grasshopper Pest Management If we continue to have drought conditions, grasshopper pest populations will explode this spring. One insecticide available is Dimilin 2L. Below are a few facts about Dimilin...

Notes from Master Gardener Classes in Big Sandy and Fort Benton The Master Gardener class (Level 1) began in Fort Benton and Big Sandy on the first week of March and will finish the last week in April. A total of nine are taking the class in Fort...

Initial Private Applicator Pesticide Training in Stanford MSU Extension Judith Basin County will be offering a Private Pesticide Applicator Initial Training on April 21, 2022 in Stanford. The training will take place at the Stanford City Hall located...

Drought Persistence and Cattle Decisions from the MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Unfortunately, the drought continues to persist throughout Montana and relief is not forecasted. The current drought map has 92% of Montana in a drought, with...