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Cropping Q and A in March from the Chouteau County Extension Office • Why were wheat protein levels so low in many areas of Chouteau County in 2017? Clain Jones MSU Extension Fertility Specialist replied with the following: Generally, in Montana, we seem to get drought during grain fill which reduces yield, concentrating the amount of protein and Nitrogen in a smaller amount of grain, resulting in higher protein. While in 2017 we definitely had drought during grain fill, we also had it around flowering, which I think trumped the c...
The Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum The Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum will take place on April 17 and 18 at the Best Western GranTree Inn, 1325 N 7th Avenue in Bozeman. Attendees can register online at https://www.montana.edu/nutrition/. Educational Programs are listed below: • April 17, 11:00-12:30 – Registration • 2018 Weather Outlook • Madison Food Park Development – Todd Hanson, Norsman Group Consulting. • Alternative Forages and Economics – Emily Glunk, Extension Forage Specialist, Department of...
Private Pesticide Applicator Initial Training in Great Falls The MSU Cascade County Extension office will be offering a private pesticide applicator initial training in Great Falls on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Registration will begin at 8:30 at the Montana ExpoPark’s Paddock Club. The training will end with the Montana Private Applicator Certification exam around 5:30 p.m. Individuals must be licensed as a private applicator prior to purchasing and using restricted use pesticides on land that they or their employers own, rent or lease. For a...
Notes from Master Gardener Class in Fort Benton A special thanks to Mariel Stone (Level 3 Master Gardener) for her help and expertise during our master gardener trainings. The Master Gardener class (Level 1) began in Fort Benton on February 22. In the past few weeks we have covered soils, plant biology, and vegetable production. Notes from the class are below. • Do not work soil when it is wet. If the soil sticks to the shovel, wait a few more days. • The number one thing that kills our plants is TLC. Don’t over fertilize, don’t over trim, d...
Management Methods 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. • The above-average milking cow will need about 30 pounds of hay per day. • Ration balancing using the animal’s nutrient requirements and the nutrient composition of the feed resource should be used to determine appropriate ration. The Chouteau County Extension office has an excellent ration balan...
Soil Acidity and Soil Health Workshop in Fort Benton The Chouteau County Soil Acidity Working Group through the Chouteau County Conservation District, Big Sandy Conservation District, NRCS and MSU Extension has organized a soil acidity and soil health workshop at the Ag Center in Fort Benton on February 27, 2018. The Ag Center is located at 1205 20th Street. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The workshop will begin at 10:00 a.m. Most agricultural soils in Montana have near-neutral to basic conditions with surface soil pH 6.5 to 8. However,...
Toby Day will teach Level 1 Master Gardener Class in Fort Benton Toby Day (MSU Extension Horticultural Associate) will be teaching the first session of Master Gardener training on February 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Toby Day will provide an overview of the Master Gardener program, and educate participants on soils, nutrients and fertilizers. The class will take place at the Memorial Ambulance of Fort Benton building located at 810 15th Street. The first session will be open to the public and free of charge. The Level 1 Master Gardener...
Hoof Cracks in Beef Cattle Research based information for this article was compiled by Rachel Endecott (Former MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist). The complete article is available at http://www.msuextension.org/beefcattle/cowsensechronicle.html. In general, foot cracks are classified as either horizontal (transverse fissures) or vertical (sand cracks). The mildest form of a horizontal foot crack is known as a hardship groove, which is thought to be associated with disease, stress, or nutritional abnormality. A Canadian study of 6 different...
Soil Acidity and Soil Health Workshop in Fort Benton The Chouteau County Soil Acidity Working Group has organized a soil acidity and soil health workshop at the Ag Center in Fort Benton on February 27, 2018. The Ag Center is located at 1205 20th Street. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The workshop will begin at 10:00 a.m. Most agricultural soils in Montana have near-neutral to basic conditions with surface soil pH 6.5 to 8. However, some areas of Montana have developed acidic soil layers near the surface as a result of fertilizer N use...
Toby Day will teach Level 1 Master Gardener Class in Fort Benton Toby Day (MSU Extension Horticultural Associate) will be teaching the first session of Master Gardener training on February 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Toby Day will provide an overview of the Master Gardener program, and educate participants on soils, nutrients and fertilizers. The class will take place at the Memorial Ambulance of Fort Benton building located at 810 15th Street. The first session will be open to the public and free of charge. The Level 1 Master Gardener...
Golden Triangle Barley Update February 15 in Conrad, MT Barley producers are encouraged to mark Thursday, February 15, 2018, in Conrad, MT on their calendar for the Golden Triangle Barley Update. This event happens only once every three years, and features some of the industry’s top professionals. The meeting will be held at the Pondera Shooting Sports Complex (972 Granite Rd, Conrad), and will run from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Speakers from Montana State University (MSU) will include Dr. Kent McVay of t...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Fort Benton (please pre-register) MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Fort Benton in February pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. If ten people pre-register, we will have the class, which traditionally begins in February. We currently have three gardeners signed up. Please contact the MSU Chouteau County Extension office at 622-3751 to pre-register. The Level 1 Master Gardener course requires 16 hours of class...
Max Ag of Montana will Sponsor Lunch for Cropping Seminar on January 8 Montana State University Extension will host the annual Cropping Seminar series January 8 – 11. The seminar in Fort Benton will take place at the Ag Center on January 8th at 9:00 a.m. Topics will include integrating beef cattle into cover crops, soil fertility, transfer planning, why pesticides may not work as designed, and partial budgeting analysis. The seminars are free with 1 private and commercial pesticide point available in Fort Benton. A special thanks to MAX Ag o...
Montana Next Generation Conference is scheduled for January 26-27 Registration is now open for Montana’s Next Generation Conference, which will take place Jan. 26-27 in Shelby. The conference will feature sessions on business planning for the farm or ranch and production workshops. The conference begins at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at the Shelby Civic Center, located at 669 Park Ave. The day’s events will begin with family farm coach Elaine Froese, a family farmer from Manitoba, Canada. Froese will discuss “Your Farm, Your Family, Your Choic...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Fort Benton (please pre-register) MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes may take place in Fort Benton in February pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. If ten people pre-register, we will have the class, which traditionally begins the third week in February. Please contact the MSU Chouteau County Extension office at 622-3751 to pre-register. The Level 1 Master Gardener course requires 16 hours of class time, and is taught by local...
Prairie Dog Management and Grazing Management Workshop in Fort Benton and Big Sandy The Chouteau County District NRCS, the Big Sandy Conservation District, the Chouteau County Conservation and MSU Extension are teaming up to bring you a landowner requested prairie dog and wildlife/livestock grazing management workshop on Wednesday, January 24, 2018. Classes will take place in Fort Benton and Big Sandy. Each class will be good for one commercial and one private pesticide point. Prairie Dog Management will be addressed by Stephen Vantassel...
Classes in Fertilizing Pulse Crops, Transfer Planning, Pesticide Performance, Partial Budget Analysis and Integrating Beef Cattle into Cover Crops will all be offered this January Montana State University Extension will host the annual Cropping Seminar series January 8 – 11, 2018, in Fort Benton, Chester, Havre, Shelby, Cut Bank, Choteau, Conrad, Stanford, and Great Falls. Topics will include integrating beef cattle into cover crops, soil fertility, transfer planning, why pesticides may not work as designed, and partial budgeting analysis. T...
Using Straw in Cattle Rations- Frequently asked Questions How much straw can I put in my cow winter ration? It is important to know that straw is a low energy, and low protein feed. It is not as digestible as hay or green feed. Generally, a cow can consume 1.25% of her body weight in straw dry matter (DM). Therefore, a 1400 lb cow could consume 17.5 lbs on a DM basis, or 19.9 lbs on an ‘as-fed’ basis if the straw was 90% DM (17.5/0.9 = 19.9 lbs, this calculation is to adjust for the moisture content of the straw). Near the end of ges...
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 the proper tree stand and keeping the water level in the stand above the base of the tree. The following tips will help to maintain the freshness and aroma of a live Christmas tree this holiday season: • Use a tree stand that holds enough water for the size of the tree. The rule of thumb is one quart of water per o...
Montana Pulse Day December 1, 2017 Best Western Heritage Inn The 2017 Montana Pulse Day will take place on December 1, 2017 at the Best Western Heritage Inn. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. Notable Educational programs of importance to producers: 10:30 – 11:30 am Importance of Rotations and Disease Prevention Mary Burrows, MSU Plant Pathology Specialist. 11:30 – 12:00 Platinum Sponsor Update Johnson Seed Inc., JM Grain, AGT Foods, Hinrich’s Trading, ITC Grain. 1:30 – 2:00 pm MSU Pulse Crop Breeding Kevin McPhee, MSU Plant Breeder. 2:00 ...
Front Range Wool Pool Meeting in Conrad The Front Range Wool Pool meeting will take place on December 5th in Conrad, Montana at the Conrad Moose Lodge. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. A Potluck Supper will begin at 6:00 p.m. President Pete Cornell from Loma will welcome participants followed by Dave McEwen, who will give an update on the Montana Wool Growers Association. Educational presentations include: • Dr. Lisa Surber-American Wool Council: Wool Quality and Trends • Dr. Megan Van Emon-MSU Regional Beef Specialist: Relearning Drought Man...
November Horticultural Tips Managing horticultural landscapes and house plants in November is important to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau county gardeners. • Apply protective mulches to perennial beds. • Use a humidifier to maintain humidity for houseplants. • Prune out dead limbs of woody ornamentals. • Do not fertilize or transplant anything after Columbus Day. • Continue to water landscape plantings (trees, shrubs, and perennials) until the soil freezes. • Apply winter mulch to st...
Upcoming Opportunity in Fort Benton to Learn about Evacuation Planning, Varmint Management, Farm Safety, Fire Safety, and 4-Wheeler Safety MSU Extension in Chouteau County will be hosting the fourth annual Fundamentals for Farm Families Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. with check-in beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at the Community Bible Center in Fort Benton. The center is located at 911 16th street in Fort Benton. Daycare will be provided for attendees upon request by contacting the Chouteau County Extension Office....
Boss to Speak at Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association Meeting in Big Sandy on Cover Crop Grazing from a Cattleman’s Perspective The Annual Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association meeting will take place on Thursday, November 16th at 3:00 p.m.at the Mint Bar in Big Sandy. A social will follow the business meeting at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:00. Please RSVP to Buck Goldhahn at 622-5572 so the cooks can receive notice on how many people will be attending. This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Darrin Boss (MSU Northern Agr...
Chouteau County Juniors and Seniors will participate in 2017 Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day Junior and Senior students from Big Sandy High School, Fort Benton High School, Geraldine High School, Highwood High School, and Chouteau County Home Schools will participate in the 2017 Chouteau County Agricultural Business day on November 8th. The event will take place from 8:50 a.m. -12:00 p.m. at the Ag Center (1205 20th Street) and Fort Benton High School (1820 Washington). An estimate of twenty Chouteau County businesses will be in...