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Many Reasons Why Deciduous Trees Should Not Be Topped Topping is the drastic removal or cutting back of large branches in mature trees. The tree is sheared like a hedge and the main branches are cut to stubs. Many homeowners top trees when they reach heights considered unsafe fearing a strong wind might blow large trees over. However, the extensive root system of a healthy tree provides adequate support for the tree. Below are a number of reasons why deciduous trees should not be topped. Starvation: Trees need leaves to manufacture starches...
Grasshopper Management and Sign-up for Ranchers A Grasshopper management seminar and sign-up program will take place on February 13, at 1:00 at the Ag Center in Fort Benton. The 2023-2024 forecast map shows Chouteau County in the worst classification for potential grasshopper damage. Erik Norderud and Gary Adams from USDA-APHIS will be presenting at the event. Gary Adams, Montana’s State Plant Health Director, who has more than 35 years with APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine office in Montana will be discussing grasshopper management opt...
Why Should Homeowners Use Registered Herbicide Products on Weeds? This article was written by Noelle Orloff, Associate MSU Extension Specialist and MSU Schutter Lab Diagnostician. We regularly answer questions from people interested in using household products to kill unwanted plants or other organisms. Some of these questions stem from “do-it-yourself” herbicide recipes found online. Others are a result of looking in the kitchen cabinet or garage, and wondering what might happen if a given substance were applied to an unwanted organism. The...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Chouteau County (please pre-register) MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Chouteau County pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. A minimum of 15 pre-registered participants is required. The class traditionally begins the first week in March. 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...
Max Ag will sponsor Golden Triangle Cropping Seminar on January 11 in Fort Benton Montana State University Extension will host its annual cropping seminar series in Fort Benton on January 11, 2024. Registration begins at the Ag Center (1205 20th Street) at 8:30 a.m. The first speaker will begin at 9:00 a.m. Speakers will cover topics such as weed resistance, crop rotations, marketing tips, and vertebrate pests. Three pesticide credits will be available for attending the event. A special thanks to Max Ag for sponsoring the lunch. (9:00-10:00)...
8 Montana’s Next Generation Conference Montana’s Next Generation Conference is on the calendar for Saturday, Jan. 27 in Shelby, MT. Montana’s Next Generation Conference is planning to be back up live and in-person for 2024 with an education packed line-up on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Shelby High School. Registration for the event is available at mtnextgen.com. The event will kick off with registration at 8:00 a.m. and opening sessions at 8:30. Online registration will be required by Monday, January 22 for the conference. The event will featu...
How Do We Improve Percent Calf Crop Weaned? Percent calf-crop weaned is of paramount economic importance in a cow-calf operation. Selection, mating and management to improve reproductive efficiency are all important areas to improve percent calf-crop weaned. From a standpoint of genetics and animal breeding, reproductive traits are low in heritability (typically 10% - 20%) but show high levels of heterosis in response to crossbreeding. If a producer is going to take advantage of heterosis in one part of the commercial cow-calf operation, take...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Chouteau County (please pre-register) MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Chouteau County pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. A minimum of 15 pre-registered participants is required. The class traditionally begins the first week in March. 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...
Master Gardener Level 1 Class in Chouteau County (please pre-register) MSU Extension level 1 Master Gardener classes will take place in Chouteau County pending pre-registration numbers. Now is your chance to participate in an excellent educational opportunity. A minimum of 15 pre-registered participants is required. The class traditionally begins the first week in March. 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...
Christmas Tree Care When it comes to Christmas tree care during the holidays, the best strategy is to keep it simple. All a tree really needs to maintain freshness is adequate water. Longevity is easily achieved by using the proper tree stand and keeping the water level in the stand above the base of the tree. The following recommendations will help to maintain the freshness and aroma of a live Christmas tree this holiday season. Use a tree stand that holds enough water for the size of the tree. The rule of thumb is one quart of water per one...
Five Additional Activities Improving Cow Herd Profitability Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University State Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Tight cattle supplies and record cattle prices are wonderful, but costs of production have also increased. Even in a good year, out of control production costs may lead to profits below breakeven. There are 10 management strategies important for a profitable cow-calf operation. The first five were covered a couple of weeks ago. Below are the remaining five. Hay testing and least cost supplementation:...
Chouteau County Juniors and Seniors Will Participate in 2023 Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day Junior and senior students from Big Sandy, Fort Benton, Geraldine, Highwood and Chouteau county home schools will participate in the 2023 Chouteau County Agricultural Business Day on December 6th. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. at the Ag Center (1205 20th Street). An estimated twenty businesses will be in attendance to educate juniors and seniors about agricultural career opportunities in Chouteau County. Businesses will...
Five Activities Improving Cow Herd Profitability Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University State Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Tight cattle supplies and record cattle prices are wonderful, but costs of production have also increased. Even in a good year, out of control production costs may lead to profits below breakeven. There are 10 management strategies important for a profitable cow-calf operation. Dr. Beck will cover 5 strategies this week and 5 strategies next week. 1) Know cost of production - Beef cattle Standard Performance...
Deer Need a Little “Tough Love” in Winter Conditions Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently sent out a warning to Montanan’s that it is illegal to feed deer under Montana law. Jim Knight, MSU Extension Wildlife Specialist (retired) explained a 2003 article why feeding deer is a poor practice The compete article is available at https://bit.ly/3uU6JRa. Feeding deer hay or corn can be deadly because deer cannot always digest new feed. Deer digestion involves protozoa and bacteria that help break down food. Different micro-organisms help diges...
Updated Diseases of Cool Season Legumes MontGuide Available A Montana State University Extension guide from 2015 has been updated. The new and improved guide (EB0207) is titled Diseases of Cool Season Legumes - Pulse Crops (Dry Pea, Lentil and Chickpea). It is written by Uta McKelvy, Assistant Professor Extension Plant Pathology, Erin Gunnink Troth, Research Associate, and Mary Burrows, Associate Dean for Research and Director of Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. It includes photographs and management of existing diseases and diseases...
Dr. Sam Wyffels to Speak at Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association The Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association annual meeting will take place on Thursday, November 16th at 3:00 p.m. at the Mint in Big Sandy. A social will follow the business meeting at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:00. Please RSVP Buck Goldhahn at 622-5572 so the cooks can have notice on how many people will be attending. This year’s guest speaker is MSU Beef Specialist, Dr. Sam Wyffels. The presentation will be Fall and Winter Nutritional Management o...
Garden advice for October and November Managing horticultural landscapes and house plants in November is important for healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau County gardeners. • Apply protective mulches to perennial beds. • Use a humidifier to maintain humidity for houseplants. • Prune out dead limbs of woody ornamentals. • Do not fertilize or transplant anything after Columbus Day. • Continue to water landscape plantings (trees, shrubs, and perennials) until the soil freezes. • Apply winter m...
Fall Management of Cheatgrass in Fallow Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), also commonly called downy brome, is a problematic weed in winter wheat and in rangeland throughout Montana. Cheatgrass typically germinates in the autumn, overwinters, and produces seed by mid-summer. The cheatgrass life cycle is similar to winter wheat which makes it a problematic weed in winter wheat fields. Cheatgrass is an abundant seed producer. Seed is only viable for one to two years in the seedbank. Cheatgrass typically germinates from late August to early October...
Fall Management of Cheatgrass in Fallow Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), also commonly called downy brome, is a problematic weed in winter wheat and in rangeland throughout Montana. Cheatgrass typically germinates in the autumn, overwinters, and produces seed by mid-summer. The cheatgrass life cycle is similar to winter wheat which makes it a problematic weed in winter wheat fields. Cheatgrass is an abundant seed producer. Seed is only viable for one to two years in the seedbank. Cheatgrass typically germinates from late August to early October...
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...
Nine 4-H and FFA Youth Meet Excellence Criteria for Livestock Carcass Quality The 2023 Chouteau County 4-H and FFA livestock carcass contest took place at Pioneer Meats in Big Timber. A total of 81 Chouteau County animals were evaluated for carcass quality by Mark King from MSU Extension Sweet Grass County. The purpose of the carcass contest is to teach youth how to correctly select, feed and finish livestock based on carcass data. If carcass criteria are met, youth can be confident they are producing a quality product that is safe, nutritious...
September Horticulture Management Managing horticultural landscapes in September is essential to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau County gardeners. • The average first frost is September 15 (Carter), September 18 (Kenilworth and Highwood), September 20 (Big Sandy), September 25 (Fort Benton) and September 28 in (Geraldine). All fruit and vegetables should be harvested before temperatures drop below 40° to 50°F. • Ripen tomatoes in a paper bag along with an apple, or hang the entir...
September Horticulture Management Managing horticultural landscapes in September is essential to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau County gardeners. • The average first frost is September 15 (Carter), September 18 (Kenilworth and Highwood), September 20 (Big Sandy), September 25 (Fort Benton) and September 28 in (Geraldine). All fruit and vegetables should be harvested before temperatures drop below 40° to 50°F. • Ripen tomatoes in a paper bag along with an apple, or hang the entir...
Top Yielding Winter Wheat Varieties for Chouteau County MSU Agricultural Research Centers have one test plot for winter wheat in Chouteau County which is managed by MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) north of Loma. A special thanks to Peggy Lamb (NARC agronomist) for establishing and maintaining the Chouteau County test plot. The Extension office would also like to thank the McKeever family for donating the use of their land for MSU research. NARC (Loma area) top three yielding winter wheat varieties (10-year average yield) from...
Top Yielding Winter Wheat Varieties for Chouteau County MSU Agricultural Research Centers have one test plot for winter wheat in Chouteau County which is managed by MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) north of Loma. A special thanks to Peggy Lamb (NARC agronomist) for establishing and maintaining the Chouteau County test plot. The Extension office would also like to thank the McKeever family for donating the use of their land for MSU research. NARC (Loma area) top three yielding winter wheat varieties (10-year average yield) from...
