One Nation, Under God
One Nation, Under God
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Several people have asked me why Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) has made such a big comeback from their efforts to manage the noxious weed. Their concern is justified looking at the amount of spurge that is in the Milk River drainage, from the Phillips County line to Havre. While this is not a strictly “scientific” explanation, this increase could be simply that leafy spurge has a deep taproot (about 20 feet). In dry years, like 2018 and like this spring, deep-rooted plants do better than sha...
For agricultural producers who have lost perennial forage, like alfalfa due to flooding, warm season annual forage can be used to replace hay losses. North Dakota State University Extension Agronomist Hans Kandel has provided these recommendation for warm season forages. During hay shortages, emergency hay crops to consider include sudangrass, sorghum x sudan hybrids, and hay millets. Planting dates for crops such as hay millets, sudangrass, sorghum x sudan is mid to late June. These crops are w...
Over 30 producers attended the annual Jim Schumacher Memorial Livestock Day on January 24, 2018. The first presentation was by Dr. Jeffery Hall, Professor at Utah State University Common. Dr. Hall is very familiar with the troubles in balancing mineral and vitamin requirement for cattle in areas with poor water quality. Water levels with sulfates as low as 500 parts per million (ppm) can cause copper (Cu) deficiencies in cattle. These complications can lead to polio or even death from secondary...
The St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group (SMRWG) met on January 30, 2018, to discuss the rehabilitation of the 100-year-old irrigation project. Lt. Governor Mike Cooney Co-Chair presided over the meeting. The SMRWG welcomed two replacement Board Members. Sara Swanson, of the Milk River Watershed Alliance from Glasgow, replaced Nancy Hines, and Greg Jorgenson, with the City of Chinook, replaced Gary Anderson. Except for Two Rivers Economic and Glacier County representative, the working group...
The Phillips County Extension Office will host a pulse (peas and lentil) production workshop on Wednesday, January 31. The workshop will start at 11 a.m. at the Great Northern with lunch provided. Dr. Kevin McPhee, Montana State University (MSU), Pulse Breeder, will discuss new pulse varieties, Dr. Jessica Rupp, MSU Extension Plant Pathologist will discuss disease management, Dr. Joseph Janzen, MSU Economist will discuss trade impacts and price outlook; and Ed Davis, MSU Weed Researcher will...
As producers move further into small grain harvest the chance of cutting a grain crop that has a light test weight is highly probable. If you are considering saving some seed to plant in 2018 it will be necessary to test these grain lots for purity, germination, seeds per pound and test weight. Doug Holen, Manager Montana Foundation Seed Program provided an example of foundation seed wheat that only had a 44 lbs test weight but had a germination of 99%. There are increases in risk when planting low test weight seed. If light test weight seed...
On August 14 and 15, the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group toured the United States side of the St. Mary/Milk River Irrigation Project as well as the Canadian side of the St. Mary Project. The Working Group tour was led by the Lt. Governor along with congressional staff, US and Canadian Milk River Irrigators, Tribal partners, engineering firms, legislators from the State, project stakeholders, Department of Natural Resource employees as well as Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) representation...
Twenty-five livestock producers attended the MSU Extension livestock management during drought meeting on Monday, August 21. Dr. Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist discussed water quality limitations for livestock consumption. Water sources that are over 10,000 parts per million for (ppm) for Total Dissolves Solids (TDS) is not recommended for any livestock. “What part of TDS that is made up by Sulfates is what really matters for livestock production and the only way to k...
Sheep producers from Hill County to Valley County make up the Hi-Line Wool Pool and on May 13, 2017, the pool members delivered 35,600 pounds of wool. This is an increase of 2,000 from 2016 delivery. In this year's delivery of the Consolidated pools, pools from Plentywood, Sidney, Wibaux, Circle, Malta, pounds of wool. In the grease, before the wool is cleaned that is a value of over about $176,000. This year, Extension Sheep Specialist Whit Stewart decided to use a Fiber Diameter measuring...
With the fall moisture, there was lots of green vegetation produced. This “green bridge” is a good reservoir for wheat curl mites which harbor wheat streak mosaic virus. Producers are encouraged to allow for a good green up in the spring before planting cereal grains. Allowing for a good green up will best position an application of glyphosate to eliminate the “green bridge”. Allow for 7 to 10 days to pass to allow the green tissue to die and the mites carrying the virus to move before plantin...
Twenty-five livestock operators heard from an outstanding group of speakers for the annual Jim Schumacher Memorial Livestock Day on Monday, February 6. Dr. Rick Levesque spoke about the recent Tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Canada where 10,000 head of cattle were depopulated in 2016. TB has many forms and people can get it from cattle and vice versa. During the 19th century, one out of every seven people in the world died of TB. Through this time frame in the US five-percent of the cattle were...
The annual Jim Schumacher Memorial Livestock Day will be held Monday, February 6 starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Great Northern Lodge room. The Malta Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture will be sponsoring the lunch. The following is a list of speakers and times. • 10:30 a.m. – The Tuberculosis (TB) issue in Canada will be discussed including screening and testing protocols, transmission, and implications for US producers, as well as the history of TB in livestock presented by Dr. Rick Lev...
The month of November are traditional times for the Phillips County Livestock Association (PCLA) and the Hi-Line Wool Pool to meet. Large carnivore predators were the focus of both meetings. For the PCLA, Dave McEwen noted that it changes your perspective totally when you have a situation thrust upon you like a grizzly bear attack. He noted that from where the bear killed the 54 sheep is only 160 miles from Malta. In just a few days’ bears could cover that distance, according to McEwen. McEwen a...
(adapted from this article http://northernag.net/AGNews/AgNewsStories/TabId/657/ArtMID/2927/ArticleID/7278/JBS-Outlines-Brazilian-Beef-Shipment-Plans-to-US-for-2017.aspx) As previously reported, Brazil has been granted access to the “fresh beef” market in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture approved shipment for Brazil on August 1, 2016. Fresh beef has now made its way from Brazil with the first shipments landing in Phila-delphia. JBS S.A. expects to export 100 con...
MSU Extension Pathologist, Dr. Mary Burrows has had several calls regarding the Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV). She wrote the following in one of her ag alerts. Host: When we consider host, we usually think of resistant varieties to the pathogen or vector. Varieties with resistance genes for WSMV and/or Wheat Curl Might (WCM) are grown in more southern states, but none are available adapted to Montana (The plant breeders and Dr. Burrows are working on it!). That said, there is a range in...
West Nile Virus (WNV) was detected in groups of mosquitoes collected from Terry (Prairie County) and Bowdoin Wildlife Refuge east of Malta (Phillips County) in mid-July, 2016. Since then, several more groups of mosquitoes have been found positive for WNV from these two counties. Positive mosquitoes were collected last week from Blaine and Valley Counties. Recently there was a report of two presumptive human cases from Dawson County, which are awaiting laboratory confirmation. WNV is mosquito...
The carcass results from the 2016 4-H and FFA livestock show at the Phillips County Fair are complete. Carcass results are eligible to be submitted to the Steer of Merit program, sponsored by the Montana Stockgrowers; Symbol of Excellence program, sponsored by the Montana Pork Producers Council; and Montana Certified Lamb program, sponsored by the Montana Wool Growers. For meeting individual carcass requirements, youth winners and the breeders of their animals receive a certificate from the...
Despite real concerns for food safety and Foot and Mouth Disease transmission, the United Statas Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to open up their respective markets to fresh beef exports (http://www.cattlenetwork.com/news/industry/us-opens-brazil-fresh-beef-imports). According to the Cattlenetwork article, the World Health Organization has maintained Brazil’s status as a country with a significant risk of disease. USDA Animal Plant and Inspection Service provided an example of the e...
The annual Phillips County Crop Tour will be starting July 25 in Loring at the Pete Lumsden Farm at 5 p.m. The Havre Experiment Station, under the direction of Peggy Lamb, Agronomist will discuss the economic and agronomic traits of spring wheats and durum varieties. The meal will be hosted by CHS Big Sky and Independence bank. The crop tour will continue on Tuesday, July 26 at 5 pm with MSU Phillips County Extension Agent Marko Manoukian at the Mortensen Farm north of Wagner, First Security...
Several samples of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (WSMV) have been found in Phillips County. The virus has been found mostly in winter wheat and some barley. The virus is spread by the wheat curl might. The might survives on green material over the winter such as hail damaged fields and unkept summer follow. Symptoms of WSMV include yellowing of the leaf in a streak or stripe pattern. Severely affected plants appear yellow and become confused with nutrient deficiency. Symptoms may appear on the edge...
The St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group (Work Group) met March 16, 2016 in Havre to discuss the 100 year old irrigation structure. Much of the discussion centered on major construction projects by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and the short water supply. Currently, the snow pack for St. Mary and the Milk River is 81%. While one major storm could push the system to 100% of average, irrigators will be faced with a short water supply and many decisions of an early shutoff. For maintenance...
More than 40 livestock operators attended the annual Jim Schumacher Memorial Livestock Day held at the GN Lodge room. Producers received information on the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Veterinary Feed Directive, the science behind antimicrobial vaccines and the food supply, moisture outlook, and the cattle feeding sector of the beef business. Dr. Dragon Momcilovic, discussed the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). All medically important antibiotics approved for use...
The St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group met on January 12, 2016 in Havre. The main focus of the meeting was to discuss the Working Group meeting with their water firm, Water Strategies and update maintenance work being performed by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). The Work Group discussed the water situation with snow pack at 72% of normal and soil moisture at 98% of normal. There is time to see what El Nino has instore for the watershed. Water Strategies the management firm hired by the Worki...
The Jim Schumacher Memorial Livestock Day will be January 20 starting at 11 am at the Great Northern Lodge Room. Lunch will be provided by the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. Here is a list of speakers and times. At 11 am Dr. Dragon Momcilovic, Veterinarian for the Food and Drug Administration will discuss the “Veterinary Feed Directive” (VFD) final rule outlining the process for authorizing use of VFD drugs (animal drugs intended for use in or on animal feed that require the sup...