North Dakota State University Agronomist to speak at 2016 Golden Triangle Cropping Seminars
Montana State University Extension will host the annual Cropping Seminar series January 11-14, 2016, in Fort Benton, Chester, Shelby, Cut Bank, Fairfield, Conrad, Stanford, and Great Falls. Topics will include residue management for wheat production and alternative crops, soil fertility basics, and nitrogen leaching related to water quality.
Roger Ashley, retired North Dakota State University Extension Agronomist will cover, “Retooling for Efficient Wheat Production: Residue Management”, and “Ten Myths in Residue Management.” Ashley will discuss the why and the how of residue management, the advantages and disadvantages of stripper headers, straw and chaff spreaders, heavy harrows, vertical tillage machines, hoe drills and disc drills. The “Ten Myths in Residue Management” by Ashley will be an introductory discussion on residue management and will look at 10 commonly held beliefs in managing crop aftermath, and the science and “art” behind residue management to maximize benefits in cropping systems.
Ashley served as the Cropping Systems Extension Specialist for southwest North Dakota at the Dickinson Research Extension Center for many years, and prior to that was a Montana State University Extension agent in Culbertson, Montana. Mr. Ashley’s responsibilities have included work with cropping systems with specialty crops, water management emphasis, and root pathogen control.
Dr. Clain Jones, Montana State University Soil Fertility Extension specialist, will present the basics of soil fertility, including soil testing, nutrient cycling, deficiency symptoms, and the 5Rs (source, rate, placement, timing, and rotation). He will also summarize results from current cover crop and nitrate leaching studies he has been conducting in Montana. Dr. Jones’s career interests include evaluating the processes that control nutrient availability and educating extension agents, crop advisers, farmers, ranchers, and homeowners on soil fertility issues. Currently, his research focuses on nitrogen and phosphorus availability in both no-till and tilled systems.
Adam Sigler, Montana State University Extension Water Specialist, will discuss how precipitation and soils interact with crop rotation to cause leaching of nitrogen out of soil. He will also talk about some work to quantify the cost of the nitrogen lost from soil. Sigler is the Montana coordinator for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) National Water Program, works with watershed groups and tribes around Montana to build water quality monitoring capacity, and collaborates with numerous groups and individuals on water quality monitoring in Montana.
No pre-registration is required, and all producers are encouraged to attend. All morning seminars begin with registration at 8:30 a.m., and presentations start promptly at 9 a.m. The day’s seminar should conclude by 3 p.m.
Dates, locations, and contact numbers for each Cropping Seminar are listed below.
• January 11: Fort Benton, Ag Center, 1205 20th Street, Tyler Lane, 622-3751
Chester, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, located at 10 E. Madison Ave., Jesse Fulbright, 759-5625
• January 12: Shelby, Comfort Inn Conference Room, 424-8350
Cut Bank, Cut Bank Voting Center, 913 Railroad St. Kari Lewis, 873-2239
• January 13: Fairfield Community Hall, 603 Central Avenue, Brent Roeder, 466-2491
Conrad, Pondera Shooting Sports Complex, 972 Granite Rd., Shaelyn Meyer, 271-4054
• January 14: Stanford City Hall, Katie Hatlelid, 566-2277
Great Falls, Montana ExpoPark’s Family Living Center, Rose Malisani, 454-6980 ext. 305
Montana State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Montana Counties Cooperating. MSU Extension is an equal opportunity/affirmative action provider of educational outreach.
