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Field days coming up near Loma and Turner MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) and MSU Extension will be hosting two field days near Loma and Turner, Montana on Monday, July, 11. The Loma field day will begin at 9:00 a.m. north of Loma near the Terry Mckeever farm at 2088 Houston road. The Turner field day will begin at 5:00 p.m. near the Max Cederberg farm north of Turner. A barbeque hosted by CHS Big Sky will follow the Turner field day. Dr. Luther Talbert (MSU agronomist/spring wheat breeder) will educate producers about spring...
Veterinary feed directive information for producers The MSU Extension Beef Cattle Program will be conducting educational meetings throughout the state starting in late July. Antibiotic use in livestock and humans continues to undergo greater scrutiny as antibiotic resistance evolves. Antibiotic resistance is a main reason for implementation of the new VFD rule. First, the rule deals with antibiotics fed to animals, not injectable antibiotics. Secondly, not all antibiotics currently fed to animals are included in the rule. The FDA has published...
Agricultural research center field days scheduled for June and July There will be three field days in Chouteau County in June and July. The Knees field day will take place on June 8th, the Loma field day will take place on July 11th, and the Highwood Bench field day will occur on July 13th. Details on the Highwood Bench and Loma field day will be addressed in a later article. All three field days in Chouteau County will begin at 9:00 a.m. For additional information, please contact the Chouteau County Extension office at 406-622-3751. In additio...
Dryland Alfalfa Questions and Answers What is an economic stand for alfalfa? We like to see at least 3-4 plants per square foot in an irrigated field, and 2-3 plants/ square foot in dryland. Or you can also do a mean stem count, and once you get less than 40 stems/ square foot, we recommend renovating (Emily Glunk, 2015). Should I inoculate my seed? If not already inoculated when purchased, inoculate alfalfa seed with nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobium meliloti, specific for alfalfa. Even when planting on land that has already grown alfalfa...
Knees Area Field Day Scheduled for June 8th The MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) and MSU Extension are hosting a field day in the Knees area on June 8th at 9:00 a.m. The event will begin approximately one mile north of J & A Farms. J & A Farms is located at 2226 Knees Church Road. Dr. Mary Burrows (MSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist) will present on cereal grain diseases. Dr. Phil Bruckner (MSU Winter Wheat Breeder) will speak about successful winter wheat varieties for the Knees area. John Miller (WTARC Research...
Lawn Management and Drip Irrigation Information The MSU Extension 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 bluegrass is the best grass for open sunny areas with well-drained soil. • Annual ryegrass can be used as a cover crop following vegetable production. • The standard lawn mix is 60% Kentucky bluegrass, 30% creeping red fescue and 10% annual ryegras...
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 growing rapidly in the spring, grass may not contain adequate amounts of magnesium to meet requirements. High potassium and crude protein concentrations found in rapidly growing forage complicate the grass tetany issue, because both interfere with the absorption of magnesium from the rumen. Magnesium...
Cropping questions and answers for April Should I spray for powdery mildew when wheat is in the tillering stage? According to Mary Burrows (MSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist), the winter wheat plant is quite resistant to yield damage at the tillering stage. Yield damage is more of a risk during flag leaf development. If you do have powdery mildew, and it looks like free moisture and 80 degree temperatures are not going to shut the disease down, it is feasible to combine a fungicide with your herbicide application. A yield advantage is...
Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum This year’s Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum, “Challenges and Opportunities of Cow Herd Expansion,” will be held April 19-20 in Bozeman at the GranTree Inn, 1325 N. 7th Avenue. Speakers will cover a wide variety of topics, including the US cattle cycle and cattle prices, reproductive management considerations for herd expansion, heifer development, cattle temperament, veterinary feed directives for feed-grade antibiotics, and approaches to animal health in a limited antib...
Montana Certified Seed potatoes are available in Chouteau County Planting Montana certified seed potatoes in your garden is an important way to protect Montana seed potato farms from the importation of damaging pests and pathogens. Montana seed potatoes are grown at the highest standards with very stringent tolerances for disease and quality. In addition, Montana growers have an amazing range of varieties that have outstanding and novel culinary qualities. Available varieties include: Russet varieties; fingerlings, including French Fingerling,...
9 MSU Extension Chouteau County Soil Moisture Survey Spring soil moisture testing took place on March 22nd for locations north of the Missouri river and March 21st for locations south of the Missouri river. Eleven of twenty stubble locations (mostly in the northern part of Chouteau County) measured less than 3.9 inches of stored soil moisture (poor recropping potential). Three locations measured 4-4.9 inches of stored soil moisture (fair recropping potential). Sites with fair recropping potential were located in north central and southeast...
Master Gardener Level 2 class covers the top five issues causing tree problems 1. Insufficient water: If the tree is in your lawn, your tree is going to need 2-3 inches of water in the summer months. Water needs to be applied at the canopy (outside perimeter) of the tree. A tuna fish can is a great device for determining water application rates. Soil probes purchased from Montana Salinity control in Conrad are a great tool for measuring soil moisture in turf. Excess soil moisture (especially in heavy clay soils) is also a concern. When a tree...
Glyphosate-resistant Russian thistle found in Chouteau County In the fall 2015, seeds of a Russian thistle population surviving glyphosate applications were collected from a chem-fallow field in Chouteau County, Montana. The field was under wheat-fallow rotation and had a history of repeated glyphosate applications. Almost 100 plants screened from the population survived the field-use rate of glyphosate (@32 fl oz/a of 4.5 lb ae/gal Roundup Powermax). Dose-response experiments conducted by Prashant Jha and Vipan Kumar, weed researchers at the...
Cropping Q &A in February and March • What is the economic advantage of utilizing Thimet 20-G for wheat stem sawfly control? Trials in Montana have demonstrated a 64-100% reduction in damage measured as stem cutting by larvae. The trials also found that farmers can attain a 5.4 bushel per acre yield recovery for spring wheat and a 6.1 bushel per acre yield recovery for winter wheat. • How safe is Thimet 20-G? Thimet 20-G is fatal if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Do not breathe dust. Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clo...
Estate Planning Seminar in Fort Benton Save the date: Monday, March 14, 2016 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist, will be in Fort Benton to present a seminar on estate planning topics. Transferring agriculture operations to the next generation will be included. More details to follow. Notes from Master Gardener (Level 2) Class The Master Gardener class (Level 2) began in Fort Benton on February 18 in Fort Benton. Eight Chouteau County Gardeners learned about binomial nomenclature, soils, n...
Should I feed this moldy hay? Moldy hay (or other moldy feedstuffs) won’t always contain dangerous or poisonous compounds; however, the presence of mold itself can negatively impact animal performance and health. Feedstuffs with considerable mold can produce close to a 5% decrease in energy content for ruminant animals. Moldy feed is understandably less palatable and could result in lower than target intakes of nutrients. The end result is decreased milk production, decreased growth, respiratory issues, and declining resistance to disease. M...
Soil Scoop is now available online and at the Chouteau County Extension Office Introducing The Soil Scoop, a new 2-page series from MSU’s Soil Fertility Extension program providing condensed information on assorted soil fertility topics. People needing soil fertility information want it short and simple, and quick and easy to find. This was made clear by Agriculture Extension Agents and Certified Crop Advisers who responded to a survey by Clain Jones, MSU Extension soil fertility specialist. People want the Cliff Notes version of Extension b...
Tree Questions and Answers for February • Why do lilacs sometimes bud in February? The very large flower buds on lilacs were formed last summer and they are not going to bloom during winter warm weather periods. • Will my lilacs survive if it gets cold again? Lilac is a hardy shrub, and will not be affected when the weather drops below freezing. • Should I water my trees in February and March during warm weather? Watering is next to useless when the soil is frozen or soil temperatures are below 40 to 45 F. Once temperatures get into the 50s a...
New Montguide available on Grazing Leases A new Montguide on grazing leases (MT201601HR) is available online at www.msuextension.org. Hard copies are available at the Chouteau County Extension office located in the basement of the courthouse. Authors for the Montguide are Kate Binzen Fuller, Assistant Professor/Extension Specialist, Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Economics; and Jeff Mosley, Professor/Extension Range Management Specialist, Dept. of Animal and Range Sciences. Below are a few notes taken from the Montguide. Livestock grazing...
Cropping Questions and Answers in January • Do you have any estimates on cost of production for winter wheat and spring wheat? MSU Extension Economists are currently working on some numbers. In the meantime, NDSU has a document called Projected 2016 Crop Budgets for North West North Dakota. Copies of the document are available at the Chouteau County Extension Office, or can be found online at: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/farmmanagement/documents/northwest-2015-budget. • Can I kill stored grain insect pests by running my fans in cold weather? Dav...
Level 2 Master Gardener Class in Fort Benton If you have passed your Master Gardener Level 1 test, you are eligible to participate in Master Gardener Level 2 class in Fort Benton. Tyler Lane (MSU Extension Chouteau County) will be teaching the first section of level 2 Master Gardener at the Chouteau County Memorial Ambulance Building located at 810 15th Street. The first class will begin on February, 18 from 6:00- 8:00 p.m. Tyler will cover binomial nomenclature, soils, nutrients and fertilizers. On February 25th, Toby Day (MSU Extension...
Montana’s Next Generation Conference set for Jan. 29-30 in Shelby Registration is now open for Montana’s Next Generation Conference which will focus on succession planning and general producer education. The conference begins Friday at 1 p.m. at the Shelby Civic Center. Kevin Spafford of Legacy by Design, an agribusiness succession planning company, will lead participants through an introductory planning session that will include hands-on activities for all generations. Events Friday evening will include a trade show, a roast beef dinner and...
Additional Announcements for January 11th Cropping Seminar in Fort Benton We will have two additional presentations at the 2016 Cropping Seminar in Fort Benton. Dr. Clain Jones (MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist) will be presenting research based information on acidic soil management in Chouteau County. The presentation will cover the causes of acidic soils, and the consequences to crop production. Dr. Jones will explain how to recognize and test acidic soils and offer management options to slow further acidification and increase...
Gardening tips for January 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 away from drafty doors. • Most house plants tolerate normal temperature fluctuations. In general, foliage house plants grow best between 70 and 80 degrees. Most flowering plants prefer the same daytime range, but grow best at nighttime temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees. Lower night temperatures intensify flo...
Calving and Handling Calving Difficulties Handout Available Dr. R. G. Mortimer is A Veterinarian from Colorado State University. Last week he was presenting to ranchers in southern Montana on the issue of calving. The Chouteau County Extension Office has the handout from the seminar. Our office can e-mail it to you, or you can come into our office for a hard copy. We are located in the basement of the Chouteau County Courthouse. In addition, a 20.00 CD on calving is available from Dr. Mortimer. The charge for the CD supports the Veterinary...