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Summer pneumonia in nursing beef calves is not uncommon, but occurs with low frequency. A wide variety of risk factors for summer pneumonia exist including relative success of colostrum antibody transfer, commingling of groups, weather changes, nutrition changes or deficiencies, pathogen exposure, handling stress, calving difficulty, and operation-specific risk factors like lack of labor. The immunity a calf receives through colostrum is called passive immunity, and is the major source of immune function in the newborn. If calves receive only...
Bobcat is a high yielding solid stem hard red winter wheat with improved yield potential relative to other solid stem varieties. The variety will be available for non-certified seed producers in fall of 2020. The variety was developed by Phil Bruckner and Jim Berg from the Montana State University winter wheat breeding program. Bobcat is a selection from a composite cross of two unreleased Montana solid-stemmed experimental lines and an unreleased Montana hollow-stemmed line. Bobcat is awned, white-glumed, semi-dwarf wheat with medium to late...
What is up with all of the ash trees not leafing out around the County? What we are seeing is a case of fall freeze damage. The green ash trees were actively growing in the fall until late September and early October when temperatures dropped into the low 20s or high teens. Many of the ash trees froze and dropped green leaves to the ground during this time period. Damage occurs before the plant becomes dormant as evidenced by development of fall leaf color and normal leaf drop. It is recommended that trees not be trimmed or cut down until July...
Jane Mangold (MSU Extension Weed Specialist) has been getting quite a few calls about the efficacy of a bacteria used for cheatgrass control in rangeland. Below is an abbreviated version of the study and results. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most widespread invasive plants in the western U.S. Because cheatgrass can form large infestations of hundreds to thousands of acres, often in remote and inaccessible locations, biological control is an attractive option. Various strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (e.g. D7,...
MSU Agronomists (Richard Engel, Clain Jones, and Simon Fordyce) have put together a document on Soil Acidification Management. The document is available online at the following URL: http://landresources.montana.edu/fertilizerfacts/html/FF79.html. Paper copies are available at the Chouteau County Extension office. The study concluded that adding 90 pounds of seed-placed fertilizer-phosphorus (0-45-0) can mitigate aluminum toxicity and increase growth and grain yield of cereal crops in acid-affected soils. In addition, responses to...
Laurie Kerzicnik (MSU Entomologist) wrote the article below to help Montanans prepare for the upcoming wasp and hornet season. Except for the Western yellowjacket, social wasps are typically not aggressive unless their nest is disturbed. Most are beneficial and feed on a lot of garden pests. The most common wasps are bald-faced hornets, aerial yellowjackets, Western yellowjackets, and paper wasps. They live in colonies, which include workers, queens, and drones. They all feed on insects. The western yellowjacket is a scavenger, feeding on...
The 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 ryegrass. • Zoysiagrass does not grow well in Montana. Montana s...
Information for this article was compiled by Dr. Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist) and Dr. Emily Glunk (Previous MSU Extension Forage Specialist). Alfalfa weevil is the key insect pest of alfalfa, causing variable levels of economic damage across Montana. Females lay eggs in alfalfa stems. Larvae hatch and crawl up to developing terminal buds where they chew small “pin” holes in the leaves. Larvae develop through four instar stages. Larger 3rd and 4th instar larvae feed openly on unfurled leaves and cause the largest economic loss. Sev...
Below are a few notes I have compiled on biology and management of the stripe rust fungus. • Fungal spores attack wheat consuming the nutrients synthesized by the host plant. • Spread by green bridge and wind dispersal. Community disease like WSMV with multiple infection cycles. • Spores on the ground are dead because they need living plant tissue to survive. Spores will over-winter on volunteer plants. Wet weather in the fall will promote stripe rust survival. • Do not spray fungicides past the flowering stage. • Check labels to make sure you...
Its Tick Season in Montana The following article was prepared by Laurie Kerzinik (MSU Entomologist). The common ticks in Montana this time of the year are the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni, and the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. The two species look very similar. We don’t have either of the two species of black-legged ticks (formerly deer ticks) that vector Lyme disease in Montana. The Rocky Mountain wood tick is very common in the Rocky Mountain region and is found on livestock, companion animals, and humans in th...
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 by interfering with the absorption of magnesium from the rumen. Magnesium requirements increase during lactation, so...
The Chouteau County Extension office has compiled notes per communications and workshops from Extension professionals. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 622-3751. • Testing seed for Ascochyta blight will cost $200.00. It takes ten days to develop the fungus on a plate. In addition, the $200 will test for 8 other diseases. Please contact the Extension office for additional testing information or google the Montana State Seed Lab. • Use viable inoculant distributed uniformly with seed and promptly pla...
• Will removing half the vegetable plant leaves when transplanting reduce transpiration and wilting? According to Illinois Extension, pruning transplants to reduce water loss is not a recommended practice. Although pruning may reduce the extent of wilting after setting out, it will also reduce the rate of new root growth. When a plant is transplanted, food energy stored in the old, large leaves will be transported downward to promote root growth. If these leaves are removed, root growth is delayed. Plants will almost always wilt somewhat a...
The Chouteau County Soil Moisture Survey was started by Judee Wargo in 1993 to assist farmers with determining recropping potential on cereal grain stubble. After 27 years, the Chouteau County Extension Office continues to compile data for determining recropping potential and providing the state drought committee with soil moisture information. Testing for soil moisture took place in Chouteau County on March 24-26. All winter wheat locations exceeded 3.5 feet of stored soil moisture, which is equivalent to approximately 5.25 inches of...
New Montguide Available for Bull Buyers Kari Lewis and Wendy Becker (MSU Extension Agents from Glacier County and Fort Peck Reservation) have developed a resource for the bull buying season. The Montguide is available at the Chouteau County Extension office or online at https://store.msuextension.org/Products/Bull-Selection-Using-Expected-Progeny-Differences-(EPDs)-MT202001AG__MT202001AG.aspx. Bull selection is one of the most important management decisions a producer can make. Bulls are assessed phenotypically (appearance), genotypically (thei...
The eighth annual Chouteau County Ag Days for 4th and 5th graders will take place at the Chouteau County Fairgrounds on May 6, 2020. All 4th and 5th graders in Chouteau County are invited to attend. Home school kids who are interested in participating need to contact the Chouteau County Extension Office at 622-3751. Participants will learn the importance of Montana’s number one industry; agriculture, and why agriculture is important to their health, home and community. For thousands of years, civilization has been built upon the foundation laid...
Rachel Endecott (previous MSU Extension Beef specialist) wrote an informative article on calf vaccinations in 2017. We have always given vaccinations to young calves, but do we understand the science behind the diseases we are vaccinating for? Calf vaccination programs are most often based around the clostridial diseases. Clostridial diseases in calfhood vaccines belong to same genus as tetanus and botulism. Clostridial organisms are generally found in the animal’s body, but with ideal conditions, grow very rapidly to cause a disease state. B...
Two major Cutworm species, the western and the army cutworm, are serious but sporadic pests for Montana producers. Outbreaks can occur when cutworm populations are high and weather conditions are favorable for survival. Outbreaks do not necessarily occur in successive years. Larvae of either species generally are not active above ground on bright, sunny days. They can be found just below ground by scraping the soil surface lightly. Small larvae are well-camouflaged and can be difficult to see in the soil. Larval densities can be assessed by...
Believe it or not, the gardening season will be upon us before we know it. Below are a few gardening facts to help you prepare for the upcoming season. • Soil tests should be taken in the garden every three years. • The best time to collect a soil sample is in the spring after soil thaw. • Fall soil sampling is not recommended because Nitrogen in the soil is depleted during the fall and winter seasons. • Do not work soil when it is wet. If the soil sticks to the shovel, wait a few more days. • The number one thing that kills our plants is...
Should I feed this moldy hay? According to Rachel Endecott (Previous MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist) 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, d...
EPA Finalizes Glyphosate Mitigation EPA has concluded its regulatory review of glyphosate—the most widely used herbicide in the United States. After a thorough review of the best available science, as required under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, EPA has concluded that there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used according to the label and that it is not a carcinogen. These findings on human health risk are consistent with the conclusions of science reviews by many other countries and other f...
Winter desiccation can be very hard on evergreen trees. Dry soil in winter often cannot replace the moisture trees lose to the cold dry winter air. The symptoms of winter damage and die back may not become visible until spring or summer growth begins. Winter damaged trees may only show a few dead branches or twigs. In most severe cases, the entire tree may die. Evergreen trees are more susceptible to winter desiccation than deciduous trees as the evergreens retain their needles and provide more area for moisture loss. Young evergreens are most...
4 Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum The 2020 Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum will take place on April 14-15 at the Best Western GranTree Inn in Bozeman. Registration forms are available at https://www.montana.edu/nutrition/. Speaker topics include Alternative Meats and Alternative Statistics (What does the data say), Protect the Harvest, Beef Cutting Demonstration and Meat Discussion, Beef Trade Update, The Business of Agriculture, Forage Quality and Mycotoxins, Fetal Programming in Beef Cattle, Ranch Diversif...
Montana State University Extension will host a free seminar on February 11 in Great Falls. Speakers will discuss hemp research, use of pesticides with hemp, and update on hemp grown in Montana. Jan Slaski, PhD, PaG is a principle researcher with InnoTech Alberta. For the past 17 years, InnoTech has been a leader in research aimed at introduction and breeding of hemp varieties that suit the needs of the fiber and food industries. Dr. Slaski will discuss hemp breeding, agronomy, fiber processing, and product development. Dr. Slaski has been...
MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Fort Benton or Big Sandy in February pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. If ten people pre-register, we will have the class, which traditionally begins in late February. 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 Extension agents, plant professionals, and Master Gardener...
