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One of the most important considerations as we look ahead for this year's crops and pasture management are grasshoppers. With the substantial losses of crops and forage to grasshoppers, and there still being significant risks expected for this summer, it is important for farmers and ranchers to know the "3 W's"- where are the hotspots, why are there outbreaks, and what can we do? To gain insight on this year's grasshopper season outlook, Northern Ag Network's Grace McDonald spoke with State...
Lawn Management Information The Master Gardener program provides research based information for gardeners. Level 1 Master Gardener will take place next March. Please contact the Chouteau County Extension office at 406-622-3751 and get signed up. 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 veget...
What is a Baccalaureate Service?Graduation is upon us and all the fun things that go with it, including senior sneak trip, family get-togethers, and a baccalaureate service. Baccalaureate has been a joy for many universities, high schools and even some middle school graduations across the globe. “The Baccalaureate Service is believed to have originated at Oxford University in 1432 when each bachelor was required to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise. This historical British practice continued with the earliest u...
Florence Nightingale is said to be the “Mother of Nursing” helping to mold the nursing profession into what we know it as today. She was born on May 12th, 1820. Due to her advocacy for hygiene, nursing care, training, and higher standards she created the foundation of what nursing looks like today. Because of her successful efforts, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proclaimed May 12th (Nightengale’s birthday) as International Nurse’s Day in 1974. Despite many attempts to recognize nurses in the US-the first documented attempt in 1953...
The District Music Festival was held in Shelby Friday and Saturday. There were 12 schools participating in the district competition. Big Sandy has 37 members in the band and 37 in the choir. On Friday, both the Pioneer band and the Pioneer Choir performed. The whole band performed Friday morning at 10:30. They played Quantum Variations, Red River Valley, Drive, and a song with just a brief review for sight reading. The full choir sang Windy Night, Hitch Your Dream to the Morning Star, and...
The School board met on April 18th for its regular meeting. Heather Wolery, Big Sandy Principal, reported using a graphs to show the current ACT data and some MAP’s data. The graphs showed Big Sandy has improved in all areas over the last year. The Booster Club reported the final designs for the mat in the gym were sent in. They are purple with Pioneers in yellow outlined in white. It was also reported that officers would be elected at the next meeting. Dan Schrock, Big Sandy’s School Superintendent, reported the wagon area design would be fin...
The 10th annual Chouteau County Ag Day took place last Thursday in Fort Benton. 4th and 5th grade students from all over the county were taken on a field trip to the Chouteau County fair grounds to participate in Agricultural themed eduction activities. Connor Echols, a 4th grader at F.E. Miley Elementary School, described the activities for the day: “There’s like different rotations” where you go to different learning stations. The stations covered things like “sheep and wool or how to bake bread.” Connor explained that his favorite education...
While visiting the annual flea market sale at the Loma Hall a few weeks ago, my wife and I stopped in to check out the food offerings at the concession stand and the vendors that surrounded that part of the hall. In addition to some old favorites, like the amazing gourmet rice crispy treats sold by Cassie Bahnmiller of Big Sandy, we discovered a new treat. Specifically, we discovered Sweet Treats. Sweet Treats is a local small business based out of Loma. It is run by Lynelle Showalter and her...
Are Your Pine Needles Brown, Red or Purple? It Could be Winterburn. Information from this article comes from Dr. Peter Kolb (MSU Extension Forester). During dry and cold winters, evergreen trees growing in windbreaks or other exposed areas are afflicted with a bad case of needle discoloration that ranges from brown to purple followed by needle drop. Often this is most prevalent on the south side or windward side of the tree, and in some cases only last year’s new needles are impacted and in other cases most of the older needles are d...
The renowned Cascade String Quartet, cream of the Great Falls Symphony, will give a special concert at the Big Sandy Cultural Center, 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 30. Students are especially encouraged to attend. Free admission. The internationally-popular quartet will give our student musicians an up-close experience. Their educational and concert programs have delighted many Montana small communities, and Big Sandy is fortunate to have them visit our Cultural Center (next to the Bakery). Please note that SEATING IS VERY LIMITED so advance...
Monday April 17th eight members of the Montana auctioneers association met at the state capitol in Helena Montana. The idea was to go to the legislature with no agenda in mind only to mix and mingle with legislators reminding them of the importance of auctions and auctioneers in our state. At 1 PM the full Montana senate was called into session. The auction items were four flags that had been flown over the Capital two of which were Montana flags and two US flags. The group of auctioneers took their positions at the front of the senate and MAA...
An informational meeting for veterans with free food, drinks and raffles is set for Tuesday, May 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at B Social Bar & Lanes in Fort Benton, hosted by American Legion Henry Griesbach Jr. Post 26. There will be no pressure to join any organizations or groups, organizer Diane Jones said. Rather, the event is intended to help get the word out to local veterans about new benefits available through the recently-passed PACT Act and other topics of interest. They welcome and encourage all local veterans to attend. Signed into law by the...
Big Sandy Public Library will be celebrating National Library Week April 24th through the 28th. "National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments," according to the National Library Association, which puts on the event every year....
Big Sandy High School put on its annual carnival last weekend, complete with the triumphant return of a classic event: the class skits. As always, the evening of fun was well attended. Superintendent Dan Schrock summed up the event well: "I just think it's so great. It's springtime, and our kids can have fun. The community can come out and celebrate our kids. There's a lot of smiles. It's great to see." The return of the skits to the evening came about as a result of English teacher, Marla Ray...
When I saw the pictures, I wished I could have floated the runoff. Josh Danreuther, Kristin and Rusty Gasvoda, and Steve Lund kayaked the prairie. The last time the runoff was good enough to float was in 2018. You need good snow and a quick melt. While we all know the impact is flooding, some see the opportunity to enjoy it. Josh Danreuther said, "I didn't go into the lake this year because there was a really strong south wind. It was that big winter, and the runoff was incredible." They...
The reopening of the bakery in Big Sandy is fast approaching. Emily LePinnet, who moved to Big Sandy last September with her family, will be opening "Elevated Grains." Right now, the goal is to open the first weekend in May. "I'll do all of the standard bakery fare. I've got a bunch of sourdough offerings, cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, and croissants. As soon as I'm able to organize my daily plan to execute it, because I will be most working mostly on my own, I'd like to have a breakfast...
Recropping Potential is Poor to Fair for All of Chouteau County The Chouteau County Soil Moisture Survey was started by Judee Wargo in 1993 to assist farmers in determining recropping potential on cereal grain stubble. After 30 years, the Chouteau County Extension Office continues to compile data for determining recropping potential and provide the state drought committee with soil moisture information. Testing for soil moisture took place in Chouteau county on April 10-12. The only winter wheat plots that scored in the good range were two...
There are over 100,000 men, women, and children waiting for lifesaving organ transplants, with another person being added to the list every 9 minutes. 17 people die every day waiting for their life saving donation. There is a national system that helps to match those on the list with a donation based on blood type, body size, severity of illness, geographic distance, tissue type, and how long they’ve been waiting on the list. One person who chooses to donate can save 9 lives through organ donation, provide sight for two people, and restore h...
1. Please introduce yourself to the community. Example do you have kids in school, What is your profession? Jessica Sheehy: I grew up in Eastern Montana, an agricultural community very much the same to Big Sandy. In 2010 I graduated from Carroll College and received a master's degree in physician assistant studies from the University of St. Francis and Albuquerque, NM. I moved to big sandy in 2013 after marrying my husband Jon. For the past 10 years I have been employed as a physicians assistant...
The Big Sandy Public Library looks a little different today than it did at the beginning of the year. When you walk in the door, the first thing you notice is the new hexagonal table with a computer set up on each side. If you happen to walk in after school has let out, you will also notice a crowd of nearly 30 kids surrounding the computers and talking excitedly. Four of the machines are new computers donated to the library by Triangle Communications. Big Sandy librarian, Darlene Cline,...
Yes! Another small business comes to Big Sandy. Amber Barnes has a small business selling jewelry. Amber graduated from Big Sandy in 2012. She just returned to Big Sandy. Amber said, "It's nice to be back. It really is!" She is trying to build her business. Amber said, "I started it in the middle of the pandemic. I was working at home because I was also working at Blue Cross Blue Shield, and we just got sent home immediately. And Paparazzi was just starting off at that time. I joined on July 2,...
The Public House in Fort Benton has moved to a new location, For the first few years of the Public House’s life, it shared front space with the Wake Cup, but now it has moved to The Courtyard on River Drive in Fort Benton. In an interesting twist, The Courtyard was the original location of the Wake Cup. Alex Salazar is the BBQ cook and owner of the restaurant. “I just wanted to be my own man. We’ll keep it simple, short, and sweet. I wanted to work for myself. It had been a long time coming, and after Amanda sold the business I found it to be a...
Alfalfa Seeding Q&A How important is it to have a firm seed bed? “Packing the seed bed has become a standard component of establishing perennial forages.” (Dave Wichman, 2016) What is the recommended seeding rate for dryland alfalfa? “In numerous dryland trials across Montana, no yield or stand advantage has been documented at planting rates higher than 5 pounds of pure live seed (PLS) per acre. Five pounds of PLS equates to approximately 23 seeds per square foot. Heavier seeding rates will lead to over-competition during estab...
Lodge Scholarship Co-Chair Brandy Kurtz announced that recipients of this year’s local Elks Most Valuable Student Awards were: • Lance Rutledge — Big Sandy High School; • Jessica King — Harlem High School; • Morgan Friede — Chinook High School; • Aliza Haney, Conner McKay & Scott Woods — Havre High School The six local MVS winners were advanced to the Montana State Elks Association competition and out of the 134 statewide applicants, the MSEA reported that Lance Rutledge and Morgan Friede earned a state scholarship awards of $550. “We are pro...
All Big Sandy Board meetings start with letters that have been received. Rarely are there any, but this time The Big Sandy Pioneer basketball teams sent a letter to the Board thanking them for their support during the year. Rusty Gasvoda was present to tell them that the Junior High Prom was a success. The Big Sandy Booster Club just reported they were confirming the design of the mats to be placed in the gym. Big Sandy Schools received authorization to test for mold because of the water damage in the gym. Some FOB problems at the FE Miley...