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New Montguide on Native Plants for Montana’s Home Gardens Abiya (Abi) Saeed, MSU Extension Horticulture Specialist, Andrea Beery, MSU Extension, Big Horn County and Noelle Orloff, MSU Schutter Diagnostic Lab Plant Identification Diagnostician have developed a new Montguide on native plants. Hard copies are available at the Chouteau County Extension Office. Landscaping with Montana’s native plants can have countless benefits. Native plants have cold and drought hardiness, provide food and habitat for beneficial insects, including pol...
Soil Acidity Workshop in Fort Benton on February 17th The Chouteau County Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service and MSU Extension are collaborating for a soil acidity workshop on February 17th from 10:00-1:30. The event will take place in Fort Benton at the Community Bible Church located at 1600 Main Street. A special thanks to the Chouteau County Conservation District for sponsoring the event and for furnishing prizes for participants. Farmers in several Montana counties are experiencing nearly complete yield loss in...
Our Big Sandy FFA chapter has been staying busy and involved in some fun and tough competitions. So far this year all kids have been working hard in their agriculture classes to prepare for these tough competitions such as the most recent one, Milk River Winter Districts in Fort Benton. Individual placings, our top three Jr mechanic placers were Davy Overbay, Jack Sant, and Ethan Johnson sitting at the spots of 1, 2, and 4. In Jr vet science we had Abby Sietsema, Eden Pansch, and Marquell Houle...
Montana’s Next Generation Conference Returns to Shelby, MT, Jan. 31, 2026 The 2026 Montana’s Next Generation Conference is back Saturday, January 31 at the Shelby High School in Shelby, MT. The conference will offer keynote speaker, Rob Sharkey, followed by 30 workshops to choose from including recordkeeping, market outlooks, marketing, crop and livestock production, succession planning and business topics. The morning will kick off with a much-anticipated keynote address “Sharks Don’t Swim Backwards” from Rob Sharkey, also known as The Shark...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Chouteau County (Please Pre-register) MSU Extension Level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Chouteau County pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. A minimum of 15 pre-registered participants is required. The class traditionally begins the first week in March. 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...
Update from the English Department By: Marla Ray The juniors and seniors have been creating beautiful poetry for the past several weeks, beginning with the easier forms and Free Verse, progressing to the more difficult form of a Shakespearean sonnet. This particular type of poetry, whose theme is always “love” for someone or something, must have a specific rhyme scheme for each quatrain: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, with a rhyming couplet at the end (GG) that sums up the meaning of the poem. These sonnets must also have a specific rhythm. While the stu...
HELENA – The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold its next meeting on Feb. 12. Agenda items for that meeting are now open for public comment. The meeting will be held virtually starting at 8 a.m. Public comment on agenda items can be submitted online or by mail. Public comment on agenda items will be taken through Jan. 27. Agenda items include the following proposals from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Approval of Future Fisheries Improvement Projects Fish removal projects for 2026 Administrative rules for the fisheries division A...
November and December have been busy months for the Sunshine Snippers 4-H club! In November, we wrapped up our annual Martinson’s Ranch Chocolates fundraiser. Thank you to all the community members, family and friends who brought chocolates and donated to our efforts. We will use these funds to support our clubs’ activities and learning experiences throughout the year. Congratulation to the top seller of Martinson’s Chocolate, Ashlynn! This is her second consecutive year of being the top choco...
As the calendar turns and a fresh year begins, communities everywhere pause to celebrate New Year’s Day—a tradition that feels timeless, yet has evolved dramatically over thousands of years. From ancient civilizations watching the stars to modern-day countdowns and resolutions, the story of New Year’s is one of renewal, hope, and humanity’s desire for a fresh start. The earliest recorded New Year celebrations date back more than 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. The Babylonians observed the new year in late March, aligning it with the spr...
Thank You to Those That Helped Out on Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day A total of 75 junior and senior students from Big Sandy, Fort Benton, Geraldine, Highwood and Chouteau County home schools participated in the 2025 Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day. The event took place on December 17th. The mission statement of the event was to educate Chouteau County juniors and seniors about agricultural career opportunities in an effort to promote growth in agricultural related careers. A special thank you to those businesses that contr...
Winter Watering Trees and Shrubs The following article was written by Abiya (Abi) Saeed, MSU Extension Horticulture Specialist. With unseasonably warm temperatures and lack of snow cover in many parts of the state, winter-related injuries such as moisture loss and desiccation are hurting our trees and shrubs. Evergreens less than five years old are the most susceptible. Moisture loss due to warm temperatures and wind, as well as low moisture availability in the soils can result in root damage, stunted growth, leaf discoloration and early defoli...
1 Years ago December 24, 1925 Late Wednesday night, around 10 o’clock, a fire broke out at the C.J. McNamara residence. Although the blaze had not gained much headway when the fire department arrived, considerable damage resulted from water used to extinguish the fire and from opening the roof and side wall to reach the flames. Russell Hurd returned home from Bozeman, where he was attending State College, and planned to remain through the holidays. Miss Abbie Lund returned to school Tuesday after a week’s absence due to illness. Mrs. E.C...
BOZEMAN — Montanans can open a medical care savings account at a local bank or credit union or make deposits into existing MSAs before Dec. 31 to reduce their state income taxes for 2025, according to Marsha Goetting, Montana State University Extension family economics specialist. The amount used to reduce income tax for Montana residents is the total amount deposited in an MSA during the tax year, not the amount withdrawn for eligible medical care expenses between January and December of the tax year. Medical care savings account holders m...
Montana State University (MSU) Extension will host its annual cropping seminar series January 5-9, 2026, in the Golden Triangle area. Speakers will cover topics such as input prices and managing price risk, forage options, crop varieties, and virtual fencing technology. Interested individuals can attend the workshop in Chester, Choteau, Conrad, Cut Bank, Fort Benton, Great Falls, Havre, Shelby, or Stanford. There is no charge for the seminars, and all producers are encouraged to attend. The Choteau, Conrad, Cut Bank, Shelby, Chester, Havre,...
Montana State University (MSU) Extension will host its annual cropping seminar series January 5-9, 2026, in the Golden Triangle area. The Fort Benton seminar will take place on Monday, January 5 at the Ag Center, 1205 20th Street. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the seminar will begin at 9:00 a.m. A special thanks to MaxAg of Montana for sponsoring the lunch. Below is a list of the topics and presenters. (60 minutes) Marketing and Risk in a Price Crunch: Kelsey Larson MSU Agriculture Economics and Economics Specialist and Andrew...
PAX stands for Pioneers Acting Excellent. It means acting respectful, responsible, peaceful, and positive. You get tootles by being kind and helping others. PAX is when you are respecting others. Remember to strive to be a PAX leader!...
January 1905, Big Sandy, Montana; Bertha Muzzy Bower signed her first writing contract with The Popular, a fledgling magazine whose circulation soared when Bower’s stories of Chip of the Flying U gave rise to life in the wild west as told by a woman. B.M. Bower began earning a living writing popular western novels and short stories from a cabin a few miles from Big Sandy. She was one of the many colorful people who brought recognition to the lifestyle of the American Cowboy. Whether it was because she was a woman, or because her writing d...
The MCSN in cooperation with the Montana Extension Service, local Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, offers low-cost tree and shrub seedlings for use in conservation plantings. MCSN seedlings are for conservation practices and cannot be used for ornamental or landscape plantings. Landscape plants can be purchased at your local private retail nursery or garden center. The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery (MCSN) will begin taking orders for shelterbelt trees at 8:00 a.m. on January 21, 2026. MSCN operates...
As autumn’s gold fades from the fields and the Bear Paws begin to wear their white caps, folks in Northern Montana know what’s coming. Winter doesn’t just arrive—it moves in, sets up camp, and stays awhile. For those who’ve spent a lifetime under these big skies, preparation isn’t a chore; it’s a tradition that keeps families, farms, and small towns running when the snow flies and the mercury drops. Home and Hearth Before the first real cold snap, it’s wise to take stock of the home front. Clean and inspect chimneys, replace furnace filters...
Junior and senior students from Big Sandy, Fort Benton, Geraldine, Highwood and Chouteau County home schools will participate in the 2025 Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day on December 17th. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. – noon at the Ag Center (1205 20th Street). An estimated twenty businesses will be in attendance to educate juniors and seniors about agricultural career opportunities in Chouteau County. Businesses will specialize in a variety of fields including vet science, agronomy, grain elevator management, insurance, a...
Montana State University’s Homecoming weekend, September 25-28, included the fall meeting of the Montana Extension Advisory Council (MEAC.) The purpose of MEAC is to serve as a liaison to the director of the MSU Extension unit. The Council’s charge is to advocate and champion the mission of MSU Extension; identify and complete specific tasks to support Extension activities; provide input for areas of excellence, opportunity, deficiency, or improvement to MSU Extension; identify state pri...
1 Years ago November 12, 1925 The quiet of a Tuesday morning in Big Sandy was shattered around three o’clock when the town’s fire siren rang out. Flames had broken loose in the Owl Pool Hall and quickly spread through the block. Despite the swift arrival of the fire department, there was little hope of saving the Exchange, H.H. Lehfeldt’s building, or the Murtaugh block, which housed the Butler and Cushman barber shop, Pep’s cigar store, and the Owl Pool Hall itself. Though the post office and Bear Paw Café narrowly escaped destruct...
I found an interesting article from Canadian Cattlemen Magazine on stretching hay supply with straw (bit.ly/3w4HUBK). I asked Dr. Megan Van Emon, MSU Assistant Professor, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, to review the article to see if it is a good fit for Chouteau County producers. I have included Megan’s comments. Travis Peardon, the regional livestock specialist in Outlook, Saskatchewan says straw has its limitations when used in beef cattle diets. Straw does not contain enough energy, protein, minerals or vitamins to be the sole source o...
1 Years ago November 5, 1925 Mrs. Ed Moes was confined to her bed with a severe case of flu. Miss Katheryn Nolan visited her sister, Mrs. Dr. MacKenzie. Locals were encouraged not to miss “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Joe Heims of Butte arrived Tuesday night to spend a few days visiting friends. Miss Abbie Lund and Arthur Holst spent the weekend at their homes near Box Elder. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Farrell left Saturday for Kansas where they planned to make their home. Superintendent M.P. Moe was in Havre Saturday attending the Great Fal...
Sunday, October 26th a group of twelve players met at the Mint family room to compete in six rounds of pinochle. Dave Schwarzbach had the highest score of 6810 earning him $25. Second high of 6370 went to Nora Grubb giving her $15. Charlene Silvan-Moravec earned $10 for her third high score of 6010. Ending with 5980 for the day was Sue Knight for fourth and $5. Dan Leader had low of 4130 for $5! Dave and Nora had the highest round score of 1880. Lowest was 230 for Frank Moravec and Vance Butler. Next plays will be November 2nd & 16th, and...