The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Salinity Control Seminar in Fort Benton

A salinity control seminar will take place at the Ag Center in Fort Benton on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. The first presenters will be Scott Brown and Tera Ryan. Scott is the Montana Salinity Control Association (MSCA) Program Director and Soil Scientist. Tera is the MSCA Assistant Director and Reclamation Scientist. She will explain dryland saline seep development and reclamation techniques. Explain what a shallow ground water investigation entails and how that will define ground water flow direction and the recharge area for specific saline seeps. In addition, Scott will talk about saline seep acreage progression with and without CRP.

Kent McVay MSU Extension Cropping Systems specialist will discuss how to use annual and perennial plants to manage saline seep. He will also discuss his new Montguide on water use, which covers rooting depths of annual crops in an effort to help producers who want to keep fields in annual production.

Roger Hybner MSU Northern Ag Research Center Retiree will share results from a research study where they seeded AC Saltlander in a saline seep on top of feedlot compost.

Jim Cave will discuss NRCS funding opportunities for perennial seedings and well investigations in partnership with MSCA.

Lunch will be served at noon. Following lunch, a grower panel will take place with Highwood Alkali control association members and Marvin Miller/ retired hydrogeologist from the Montana Bureau of Mines and

Geology. Marvin is responsible for the initial saline seep ground water investigations on the Highwood Bench in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The event will conclude with a tour of a well site near Fort Benton.

Montana State University U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.