Producers start the new year on the Hi-Line with MSU programs

Press release

Hi-Line-area farmers, ranchers and agribusiness owners started the new year off right with two educational events held at Montana State University's Northern Agricultura Research Center south of Havre, with another opportunity set for next week.

The Annual Golden Triangle Cropping Seminar was held Jan. 8. Turnout was beyond expectations with more than 100 producers learning about paraquat safety, industrial hemp, herbicide modes of action and cropping systems.

Cecil Tharp, MSU pesticide education specialist, presented "Paraquat Safety and Product Label Changes." Jed Eberly from the MSU Central Agriculture Research Center focused on the use of diverse cropping systems as a way to manage pests. Tim Seipel, MSU plant and agriculture ecology research scientist, presented integrated weed management and herbicide resistance. Jeff Rumney of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dry Pea and Lentil Council also spoke.

"I didn't realize how toxic and dangerous paraquat is," Havre semi-retired farmer and rancher Bob Larson said after Tharp's presentation. "It strengthened my views of why I use all the protective gear and reinforced I better keep up the safety precautions that I do use."

The "Growing Industrial Hemp" workshop, presented by local growers Nathan Keane of Loma and Bob Nicholson of Chinook, garnered strong interest and discussion.

"This crop has real potential for Montana growers," Keane said. "The problem is, right now, production is ahead of processing, but that will come now that the Farm Bill passed."

MSU Blaine County Extension Agend Juli Snedigar said they purposefully worked to get a hemp workshop into the seminar.

"We made a sincere effort to put this type of workshop into the seminar because industrial hemp is getting a lot of attention right now and producers need the facts, not the hype," she said.

The cropping seminar was coordinated by Snedigar and MSU Hill County Extension Agent Shylea Wingard.

The Winter Beef Symposium held at NARC Jan. 10 saw 60 producers from Judith Gap, Geraldine, Highwood, Big Sandy, Galata, Joplin, Havre, Chinook, Harlem and Malta gather to learn about production methods to improve with their livestock operations. Topics included controlling ground squirrels, risk management and crop insurance, EPDs for commercial cattle operations, weak calf syndrome and winter feed supplementation.

Stephen M. Vantassel, Montana Departemt of Agriculture small vertebrate specialist, presented "Controlling Richardson Ground Squirrels." Custom Ag Solutions, developer of BeefBasis.com, discussed risk management and took an in-depth look at producer buying decisions regarding pasture, rangeland and forage crop insurance. Jennifer Thomson, MSU professor of livestock genomics, presented "Expected Progeny Differences for Commercial Cattle Operations." Tim DelCurto, MSU Nancy Cameron Endowed Chair in Range Beef Cattle Production, discussed "Weak Calf Syndrome" and Sam Wyffels, MSU animal and range science doctoral candidate, presented information about winter feed supplementation relating to cow age and her grazing patterns from research conducted on MSU's Thackery Research Ranch in Havre.

Weston Brown, Big Sandy rancher and board member of the North Central Stockgrowers Association, said he had never seen "PRF insurance explained in that level of detail before or from a rancher perspective."

The Winter Beef Symposium was sponsored by NARC in conjunction with Hill, Blaine and Choteau county Extension agencies.

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee provided the refreshments.

"I am real pleased with the turn-out," NARC Director Darrin Boss said. "If we continue to have this level of interest, I will seriously make this an annual event."

Another Winter Beef Symposium is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 24, at 11 a.m. at NARC. Topics include cheatgrass control, cover crops and cattle grazing, a veterinarian's perspective on weak calf syndrome and beef cattle third-trimester nutrition.

For more information or to register, people can contact Emi Smith at NARC, 265-6115 or via email at [email protected] or contact their local extension agent.