The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Fire Fighting for Farmers Class Offered during the Cropping Seminar in Fort Benton

Montana State University Extension will host a free, annual cropping seminar series January 14th in Fort Benton at the Ag Center located at 1205 20th Street. Speakers will cover wheat stem sawfly management and new research, new crop variety trials, fire fighting for farmers, forage management practices during drought, and agricultural law. A special thanks to MaxAg for sponsoring the seminar in Fort Benton.

Dr. David Weaver, MSU Professor, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, will present on management and research projects of the wheat stem sawfly. Dr. Weaver’s research focuses on sustainable management of agricultural pests. Dr. Weaver focuses on biological control, host plant resistance, and chemical ecology. The key pest he works with is the wheat stem sawfly, which cannot be managed using conventional agricultural inputs.

Hayes Goosey, MSU Extension Forage Specialist, will present on forage management practices during drought and conditions that influence nitrate toxicity.

Don Pyrah, Rural Fire Specialist From the State of Montana, will talk about fighting fire on the farm and discuss techniques to keep rural families safe when a fire takes place.

Dr. Kent McVay, Montana State University Extension Cropping Systems Specialist located at the Southern Agricultural Research Center will present information on current and new variety trials, variety failures in 2020 and other IPM concerns faced over the past

year.

Cort Jensen, Chief Attorney at Montana Department of Agriculture, will present on Agricultural Law (New Neighbors and New Issues under the Big Sky).

There is no charge for the seminars.The Fort Benton, seminar will begin at 8:30 a.m. with registration. Seminars will finish by 3:30 p.m. Three commercial or three private pesticide licensing recertification credits will be available. Contact Tyler Lane at 406-622-3751 for more information.

MSU Extension is an ADA/EO/AA/veteran’s preference employer and provider of educational outreach. If participants require accommodation for a disability to participate, they are asked to notify the local Extension office prior to the event.