Crop Seminar offered at the Phillips County Extension Office Jan. 21

On Thursday, January 21, at 2pm the following program will be offered. Pre-registration is required. You can participate in person at the Extension Office or remotely by Zoom. Space is limited so call 406-654-2543 to participate. Deadline for participation is January 19, 2021.

2021 Crop Seminar Phillips County

Private pesticide applicators can receive 2 recertification credits for attending.

Presentation Title: “Healthy Crops from Foot to Head: Management strategies to prevent root and crown rots from growing over your and your crop’s head”

Dr. Uta McKelvy, MSU Extension Plant Pathologist will presentation addresses common pathogens causing root and crown rots, foliar diseases and head blight of small grains crops in Montana. Relationships between pathogens and diseases will be highlighted, as well as their impact on crop yield and potential other crops in the rotation. The first step in successful disease management is the correct diagnosis of a disorder. Therefore, characteristic signs and symptoms of root and crown rots, foliar diseases, and head blights will be discussed and further resources that aid in disease identification will be highlighted. Emphasis will be put on integrated disease management strategies that mitigate disease pressure and protect crop yield. The presentation will discuss tools and criteria to aid in the decision process of when fungicide applications for disease management may be feasible and how to select the most suitable products.

Presentation Title: “Fitting Seed Treatments into Your Production System”

Dr. Alan Dyer, MSU Plant Pathologist will discuss fungicidal seed treatments represent one of the smallest inputs considered in most small grain production systems, but because they are applied prophylactically, it is not always clear what benefits they provide.  For this presentation, you will learn about the disease management priorities that seed treatments address, the strengths and weaknesses of available seed treatments, and what one should expect in returns on their seed treatment investment.  In addition, you will learn about practices that maximize seed treatment efficacy, common “mistakes” in seed treatment applications, and criteria for evaluating seed treatment performance.

Soil Nutrient Series offered

MSU Extension is also offering a 6-week nutrient program on-line. Call the Extension Office if you are interested in participating in this soil class. The class started January 6 and is every week through February 17. Class is in the evening. Remaining classes include nitrogen fundamentals, nitrogen requirement for crops, micronutrients, forage soil nutrients, sustainable nutrient management, and cover crops.