Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 459
The following article was prepared by Kevin Wanner (MSU Extension Entomologist). Alfalfa weevil is the key insect pest of alfalfa, causing variable levels of economic damage across Montana each growing season. Montana weevil populations are a bit lower this year with some pockets of economically damaging numbers. With the cool spring weather alfalfa has been out growing the weevil. Weevil development is starting to ccelerate but first bloom and harvesting has also begun, so first harvest should take care of most of the weevil larvae this year....
Below are a few tips which will assist gardeners with summer management of their landscapes. Additional gardening information is available at the Chouteau County Extension Office located in the green building next to the courthouse. • Plants use in our landscapes is up to 2.5 inches of water per week. • Harvest broccoli while heads are tight. • Pick shell peas when the seeds are fully developed but before ripening. Harvest edible pod peas when the seeds are barely visible inside the pod. Allow snap peas to reach nearly full size, but harve...
Information for this article comes from Montguide MT 201806AG. Authors include Dr. Prashant Jha from MSU Southern Agricultural Research Center and a group of County Extension Agents from the Golden Triangle. The complete document is available online or at the Chouteau County Extension Office. Our office is located in the green building next to the courthouse. Herbicide-resistant plants often develop from repeated use of a single mode of action herbicide. Plants can develop resistance to additional herbicides, and then require integrated, and...
NARC will host their annual field day on Thursday, June 27th at 3:30 p.m. The event will take place at the research center south of Havre. NARC field day is unique from other field days because their research encompasses farming and ranching. A few examples of classes offered for ranchers include research studies on feed intake, range management, and supplementation of beef cattle. In addition, ranchers have the opportunity to meet with Dr. Carla Sanford (the new MSU Extension Beef Specialist). Hope to see you there. Blue Green Algae Poisoning...
Horticultural Questions and Answers for Upcoming Summer My ash, elm and caragana look dead. Should I cut my tree or shrub down right away and be done with it? On April 19, Fort Benton temperatures were as high as 76 degrees. On April 29, Fort Benton temperatures were as low as 13 degrees. Many buds were destroyed from extreme rise and fall in temperature. Below is a response from Dr. Cheryl Moore Gough (Retired MSU Horticultural Extension Specialist). Severe temperature fluctuations in April have damaged buds of many deciduous trees and...
MAES-MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) and MSU Extension are hosting a field day in the Knees area on July 9th at 9:00 a.m. The site is located ¾ of a mile west of the intersection of Knees Church Road and Collins Road. John Miller (WTARC Research Scientist) will evaluate winter wheat varieties seeded at the Killion test plot, and share his research on Crystal Green®. According to the website at crystalgreen.com, Crystal Green® optimizes crop performance by providing plants with a more efficient source of nutrients co...
MSU Central Agricultural Research Center (CARC) and MSU Extension will be hosting a field day on the Highwood Bench on Wednesday, June 26, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. The field day will take place approximately one mile east of the Long farm on 1221 Shonkin Road. Dr. Luther Talbert (MSU Spring Wheat Breeder) will cover spring wheat varieties at the test plot, and provide producers with an update of his spring wheat breeding program. Joe Jensen (MSU Graduate Student under Jamie Sherman) will cover barley varieties and share acidic soil research...
EPA Orders Measures to Protect Paraquat Applicators and the Public Due to increased human health concerns, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final decision regarding pesticide products containing the herbicide active ingredient, paraquat. In summary, EPA has ordered the following measures to adequately protect applicators and the public: 1. Label changes emphasizing para...
Sudangrass is a viable forage alternative for Chouteau County Sudangrass is a good haying and grazing alternative for Chouteau County livestock producers. Sudangrass can be seeded and harvested with conventional equipment in normal crop rotations. Secondly, working with a warm season crop helps distribute the farming workload because seeding takes place in late May or early June. Lastly, later seeding results in effective weed and disease management. Sudangrass must be seeded after soil temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees...
Cytospora Canker The fungal disease Cytospora canker is common in Montana and is most damaging on Colorado and Norway spruces. The first indications of Cytospora canker are dying lower branches with bluish-white-colored resin flowing from cankered areas. Upper branches die in subsequent years. Infected inner bark and the cambium tissue directly below the bark are brown, whereas healthy tissues are light-colored. Removal of outer bark slivers just beyond the resin soaking often exposes black pinhead-sized depressions (spore-producing fungal bodi...
Cropping Q&A from the Chouteau County Extension Office • Where can I find a good local resource on canola production? The Canola Production Field Pocket Guide from NDSU Extension is a valuable tool for any producer raising canola. The pocket guide addresses issues from hybrid selection, growth and fertilizing, disease, insect and weed control, harvesting and storing. The field guide also has a photo section with pictures of weeds, insects and diseases. The “Canola Production Field Guide” (A-1280) was partially funded by the Northern Canol...
May Gardening Notes As we begin spring management of our horticultural landscapes, here are a few reminders for the month of May. • Graft fruit trees from mid -April to early May. • Abort crab apple fruit with ethephon or naphthaleneacetic acid. • Prune lylacs right after bloom. • Stems cut off clean are a sign of rabbit damage. Stems cut off ragged are a sign of deer damage. • Electric fence smeared with peanut butter and molasses can deter deer. • Keep raspberry walkway clear of suckers. • Destroy tent caterpillars. • Plant peas and lettuc...
Keep an eye out for Grass Tetany 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...
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 25 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 April 1st-April 2nd. All winter wheat locations exceeded 3.5 feet of stored soil moisture, which is equivalent to approximately 5.25 inches of...
Information from this article comes from Dr. Peter Kolb (MSU Extension Forester). Dr. Kolb will be presenting on tree management in Fort Benton at the Memorial Ambulance building at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 4th. The public is welcome to attend. 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...
Seventh Annual Chouteau County Agriculture Day for 4th and 5th Graders The seventh annual Chouteau County Ag Days for 4th and 5th graders will take place at the Chouteau County Fairgrounds on April 25, 2019. 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 agriculture, which is Montana’s number one industry. In addition, youth will learn why agriculture is important to t...
Peter Kolb (Montana State University Extension Forester) will be teaching gardeners about tree trimming, tree disease management and tree insect pest management on Thursday, April 4th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Chouteau County Memorial Ambulance Building. The public is invited to attend. Peter F. Kolb is the Montana State University Extension Forestry Specialist and an Associate Professor of Forest Ecology & Management, housed at the University of Montana in the Department of Forest Management. For the past two decades, Dr. Kolb has...
Montana State University Entomologist will be presenting to Gardeners in Fort Benton Laurie Kerzicnik (Montana State University Associate Extension Specialist and Insect Diagnostician) will be teaching gardeners about Insect Identification on Thursday, March 28, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.at the Chouteau County Memorial Ambulance Building. The public is invited to attend. Laurie came to MSU from Fort Collins, Colo., where she worked at Crop Production Services and Colorado State University. She specialized in integrated pest management (IPM) an...
New Montguide on Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation (BSE) The single most important component of a successful breeding program is using fertile bulls that have passed a bull breeding soundness evaluation (BSE). Each bull is expected to contribute to 20 to 50 pregnancies each year. Having a BSE conducted on breeding bulls is crucial to a successful breeding program. The BSE is an exam conducted by veterinarians that includes a physical exam, semen evaluation, and an internal and external exam of the reproductive tract. The BSE should be...
Winter Fertilization Facts Fall and winter broadcast application of urea (46-0-0) continues to take place on various winter wheat farms across Chouteau County. The major concern of broadcasting urea is nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization. Volatilization results when there is a conversion from dissolved ammonia to ammonia gas. From 2008-2012, Rick Engel and Clain Jones (MSU Soil Scientists) have studied NH3 losses from surface-applied urea. Below are a few conclusions of their research. • Engle’s research (4 years and 20 studies) doc...
Night Feeding or Daytime Calving Information for this article was taken from the February issue of the Cow Sense Chronicle written by Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. We’ve all experienced that middle-of-the-night calving incident that sure would have been easier to manage if it had happened in the daylight. Some ranchers use an evening feeding strategy to shift more cows to calve during the day. A case study comparing two sets of calving data with different feeding times illustrates this phenomenon well (Jaeger, et al. 2...
Golden Triangle Herbicide-Resistance Meetings February 19, 2019 in Conrad and Fort Benton Golden Triangle MSU Extension agents will be hosting herbicide-resistance meetings on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, in both Conrad and Fort Benton. A special thanks to our sponsors for lunch. Sponsors include Chouteau County Farmers Union, Montana Farmers Union, Corteva, Wilbur Ellis, CHS Cut Bank Group, Cargill and Centrol Crop Consulting. Please RSVP by Friday, February 15 to ensure an accurate headcount for lunch. Due to the increase of herbicide...
Keeping House Plants Healthy During the Winter Many houseplants suffer in winter from too little light. Houseplants need sufficient light to photosynthesize and make sugars and other carbohydrates. Even a south-facing windowsill may not provide sufficient lighting for normal growth. A normal desk lamp or reading lamp puts out about 50-foot candles. That seems sufficient to us, but it may not be for your plants. The aluminum plant, spider plant, Boston fern, Bromeliads, Devil’s Ivy, Watermelon Peperomia, Oval Leaf Peperomia, Painted Drop T...
Management Methods for Cows during the Calving Season Managing cows to rebreed as scheduled is an important practice during the calving season. Below are a few good management practices to remember from the Cow-Calf Management Guide Section CL115. • The above-average milking cow will need about 30 pounds of hay per day. • Ration balancing using the animal’s nutrient requirements and the nutrient composition of the feed resource should be used to determine appropriate ration. The Chouteau County Extension office has an excellent ration balan...
Golden Triangle Herbicide-Resistance Meetings February 19, 2019 (Six Commercial or Private Pesticide Credits Available) Golden Triangle MSU Extension agents will be hosting herbicide-resistance meetings on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, in both Conrad and Fort Benton. A special thanks to our sponsors for lunch. Sponsors include Chouteau County Farmers Union, Corteva, Wilbur Ellis, CHS Cutbank, Cargill and Centrol. Please RSVP by Friday, February 15, to ensure an accurate headcount for lunch. Due to the increase of herbicide resistance in the...
