The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Keep an eye out for Grass Tetany Grass tetany is a metabolic disease of cattle associated with grazing lush, green pasture. The condition is caused by low blood concentrations of magnesium, which is a required mineral for cattle. When pastures are...

The Chouteau County Soil Moisture Survey was started by Judee Wargo in 1993 to assist farmers with determining recropping potential on cereal grain stubble. After 25 years, the Chouteau County Extension Office continues to compile data for...

Information from this article comes from Dr. Peter Kolb (MSU Extension Forester). Dr. Kolb will be presenting on tree management in Fort Benton at the Memorial Ambulance building at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 4th. The public is welcome to attend....

Seventh Annual Chouteau County Agriculture Day for 4th and 5th Graders The seventh annual Chouteau County Ag Days for 4th and 5th graders will take place at the Chouteau County Fairgrounds on April 25, 2019. All 4th and 5th graders in Chouteau...

Peter Kolb (Montana State University Extension Forester) will be teaching gardeners about tree trimming, tree disease management and tree insect pest management on Thursday, April 4th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Chouteau County Memorial...

Montana State University Entomologist will be presenting to Gardeners in Fort Benton Laurie Kerzicnik (Montana State University Associate Extension Specialist and Insect Diagnostician) will be teaching gardeners about Insect Identification on Thursda...

New Montguide on Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation (BSE) The single most important component of a successful breeding program is using fertile bulls that have passed a bull breeding soundness evaluation (BSE). Each bull is expected to contribute to...

Winter Fertilization Facts Fall and winter broadcast application of urea (46-0-0) continues to take place on various winter wheat farms across Chouteau County. The major concern of broadcasting urea is nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization....

Night Feeding or Daytime Calving Information for this article was taken from the February issue of the Cow Sense Chronicle written by Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. We’ve all experienced that middle-of-the-night calving...

Golden Triangle Herbicide-Resistance Meetings February 19, 2019 in Conrad and Fort Benton Golden Triangle MSU Extension agents will be hosting herbicide-resistance meetings on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, in both Conrad and Fort Benton. A special...

Keeping House Plants Healthy During the Winter Many houseplants suffer in winter from too little light. Houseplants need sufficient light to photosynthesize and make sugars and other carbohydrates. Even a south-facing windowsill may not provide...

Management Methods for Cows during the Calving Season Managing cows to rebreed as scheduled is an important practice during the calving season. Below are a few good management practices to remember from the Cow-Calf Management Guide Section CL115....

Golden Triangle Herbicide-Resistance Meetings February 19, 2019 (Six Commercial or Private Pesticide Credits Available) Golden Triangle MSU Extension agents will be hosting herbicide-resistance meetings on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, in both Conrad...

Winter watering is important to evergreens during thawing periods Winter desiccation can be very hard on evergreen trees. Dry soil in winter often cannot replace the moisture trees lose to the cold dry winter air. The symptoms of winter damage and...

Montana’s Next Generation Conference January 25-26 Registration is now open for Montana’s Next Generation Conference, which will take place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25-26, in Shelby. The conference will focus on business planning for the farm...

Two Upcoming Winter Beef Symposiums near Havre The Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) near Havre, in conjunction with Hill and Blaine County Extension, will host two beef symposiums in January. The first meeting will take place on...

Gardening tips for the Winter Season January is a time to promote healthy trees and house plants. MSU Extension has a few important recommendations for the cold winter months. • Poinsettias do best when house temperatures are consistent and placed...

2019 Golden Triangle Cropping Seminar Thanks in Advance to MaxAg for Sponsoring Lunch at the Seminar in Fort Benton Montana State University Extension will host a free, annual cropping seminar series January 7-11 in Fort Benton, Stanford, Havre,...

Targeted Livestock Grazing to Suppress Cheatgrass Cheatgrass, or downy brome (Bromus tectorum), is an annual, invasive grass reproducing solely by seed. Cheatgrass is a prolific seed producer forming dense monocultures and decreasing biological...

Holiday Lesson: Christmas Tree Care There are many “tips” to caring for a Christmas tree that propose to make it last longer or stay greener. In truth, all a tree really needs to maintain freshness is adequate water. This is easily done by using...

Grain storage inspections should begin close to Thanksgiving Inspecting grain bins for pests on or before Thanksgiving is a great rule of thumb for Chouteau County producers. The Lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica is one of the most injurious be...

Annual weed out competing Cheatgrass was recently found in Lewis and Clark County Ventenata (Ventenata dubia (Leers) Coss. Family: Poaceae) is commonly known as wiregrass or North African grass. Ventenata is a non-native winter annual grass that has...

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 is sold out quite quickly. If...

Paraquat mitigation measures approved by EPA Information for this article came from Cecil Tharp, MSU Pesticide Education Specialist. The complete article is located at http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/documents/mt-pesticide-bulle...

Attention Big Sandy Producers: In an effort to provide greater outreach to Big Sandy producers, Barbie Martin at the Big Sandy Conservation District is now certified to do nitrate testing on hay. Thanks to Barbie and the Big Sandy Conservation...