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Although some are finishing up calving and others are still yet to begin, it is always necessary to remember the importance of colostrum. This is the first milk produced by a cow after she has given birth. Colostrum contains immunoglobulins, IgG in particular, as well as white blood cells, milk fat, and vitamins A and E. All of these components are important to the newborn calf. A calf is born without immunoglobulins, because the placenta prevents immunoglobulins from being transferred from the...
Family farmers and ranchers from Montana traveled to Scottsdale, AZ., March 10-12 for the 122nd National Farmers Union convention. Delegates and attendees heard from nationally known speakers, administration officials, and each other during policy debate. Over the past year, NFU has increased membership by more than 12,600 members, as well as continued the impactful Fairness for Farmers campaign. This campaign and meetings with administration officials in the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of...
The warmer winter and early spring have increased the potential for grain storage problems and the need for grain monitoring and management, says Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer and grain drying expert. Stored grain temperature increases in parts of a bin in the spring, which is not only due to an increase in outdoor temperatures but also due to solar heat gain on the bin. Solar energy produces more than twice as much heat gain on the south wall of a bin in spring as it does during the summer. That,...
If plants were well established prior to the onset of winter and had the opportunity to harden and tiller, chances of survival are very good, but forage production may be impacted. This year's unusual winter has led to questions for farmers and ranchers who grow forage crops in North Dakota. The lack of snow cover has left winter crops uninsulated from cold temperatures for much of the winter. Recent extreme temperature fluctuations have led to concerns about possible damage to winter annual...
As a Sidney, graduate, Evan Roberts is no stranger to the sight of pivots in the fields of the area. While Evan graduated with a degree from MSU Billings College of Technology, he has been working with pivots for the last 15 years. Evan owns and operates Dirtech, a soil moisture monitoring business, based in Fairview, servicing Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota. Evan’s goal is to give growers the ability to make informed irrigation decisions from the information that the moisture probes send directly to their cell phones, which he a...
BOZEMAN – Registration is now open for the three-day 406 Grazing Academy, an annual workshop aimed at ranchers seeking to hone their grazing management skills and learn new strategies. This year’s event will be held June 11-13 in Miles City, and registration is open until April 26. Registration costs $200 per person and includes materials, a range monitoring kit, and lunch and dinner each day of the workshop. Those interested in attending can register at https://svc.mt.gov/doa/opp/DNR406GrazingAcademyRegistration/cart. Montana State Uni...
Snow melt, rain and cattle create a recipe for muddy feedlots. While leading to uncomfortable conditions for ranchers, mud is stressful to livestock. Just a few inches of mud requires extra effort for cattle to walk and may lead to a loss of production or weight gain, according to North Dakota State University Extension specialists. As mud depth increases to between 4-8 inches, feed intake can decrease up to 15%. When mud is up to 24 inches deep, feed increase can decrease up to 30%. The...
Montana State University has released their 2023 Montana Spring Wheat Performance Evaluations. These trials are based on wheat variety performance in multiple locations across the state through multiple years. This performance summary compares agronomic characteristics of spring wheat varieties evaluated by Montana Agricultural Experiment Stations and other varieties commonly grown in the state. The trials take place in 11 locations across the state and region, which locally include Sidney (irrigated and dryland) and just across the border in...
A juvenile goat in Minnesota recently tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). While HPAI has been detected in predatory mammals that prey on infected birds, this is the first identified case of HPAI in domestic livestock in the U.S. The goat lived on the same premises where a poultry flock tested positive for HPAI in late February. The goat shared the same pasture and sole water source as the poultry flock. HPAI is a known disease of wild and domestic poultry and...
In November 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit issued a ruling overturning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s final rule of August 2021, which revoked all food crop tolerances for chlorpyrifos. The Eighth Circuit Court’s decision was based in part on the fact that the EPA had issued a Proposed Interim Decision (PID) in 2020, which included 11 chlorpyrifos crop uses that the EPA determined met safety tolerances. Before the PID could be finalized, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling ord...
MonDak Ag Days & Trade Show is scheduled for March 7-8 at the Richland County Event Center Sidney. The trade show will open Thursday at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. and again on Friday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be vendors onsite with their information, products, and services. Breakfast will be served both days with the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce hosting on Thursday and Richland County Farm Bureau hosting on Friday. Lunch will be available at the Event Center both days, as well. In leu of...
The Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture brings the MonDak Ag Days & Trade Show to the Richland County Event Center March 7-8. MonDak Ag Days offers nearly 50 agribusinesses in their tradeshow as well as education sessions throughout each day. The Sidney FFA Club hosts a free-will lunch both days of the tradeshow. Breakfast will be provided by the Sidney Chamber on Thursday and by Farm Bureau on Friday. Marley Voll, our Richland County MSU Extension Agriculture agent coordinated 2 full...
The wild pig population has sent a worrying ecological ripple through several parts of the United States and Canada. While Montana does not currently have feral swine, having management in place prepared to deal with their threat will likely prevent massive damage to our land, livestock operations, waterways and native wildlife. Landowners, livestock producers, public access hunters, and the general public all have a stake in the havoc that comes with an incursion of wild pigs. Jared Beaver,...
Ranchers take risks every day, with their livelihood subject to weather, disease, and markets. On Thursday, March 7, Wendy Becker will speak about the new, more rancher friendly, Livestock Risk Protection insurance policy that is designed to insure against declining market prices. The federally subsidized program which is available through crop insurance agents, has evolved to be more rancher friendly. Becker said it has changed quite a bit from when it was first presented. “There are new guidelines worth taking a second look at to see if it w...
Sidney farmer Devin Bell earned a spot with the top soybean growers in the country in the Go for the Gold Soybean Yield Contest sponsored by Golden Harvest Soybeans. His test plot of 20 acres of Golden Harvest soybean GH 0502XF yielded 69.51 bushels per acre, about two bushels more than his other varieties. “It was the highest yields I’ve ever had,” Bell said. He farms about 250 acres of soybeans on irrigated land. Farmers Choice, which is new to the area and sells Golden Harvest seed, approached Bell about trying their soybean seed. He is pl...
Casey Korejwo, Greenwood Renewable Ventures COO and president, will speak at MonDak Ag Days at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 7, on the future of sugar beets as a biofuel and give an update on the progress being made to develop a renewable energy plant just north of Fairview. For almost a year, GRV has been working with Two Rivers Energy Growers Association to contract sugar beet acres to devote to the plant. The new growers association was formed after the dissolution of MonDak Beet Growers...
Lauren Sukut, Edward Jones financial advisor, Sidney, MT, and Andria Mueller, Minot, ND, will present the Basics of Estate Planning from 1-2 p.m., Thursday, March 7 during MonDak Ag Days to be held March 7 and 8 at the Richland County Event Center, Sidney. Sukut's office looks to help their clients do life together. Emotionally charged situations can be difficult to process but having the right team on your side to walk with you can make all the difference. She has worked with estate attorney...
Chris Mehus, Chelsea Phipps, Tara Povalish will take the stage on Thursday, March 7 at MonDak Ag Days to speak on improving grazing practices and how ranchers can make carbon credits work for their operation. Ag Days is held at the Richland County Event Center, and all educational speakers are free to attend. Tara Povalish's portion will zero in on the carbon market and how the credits function. Chris Mehus is the Western Sustainability exchange executive director. WSE works with ranchers, busin...
Kenneth Hellevang will be speaking at the annual MonDak Ag Days in Sidney, at the Richland County Event Center, March 7-8. He will speak at 10:45 p.m. Thursday, March 7. Ken's topic is "Drying and Storage Guidelines for MonDak Crops and Climate". Ken holds a Ph.D in engineering, is a registered professional engineer, a tenured NDSU professor and an Extension Engineer of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering. As such, he has provided education and technical assistance in grain drying and storage...
MSU Extension will be offering an Initial Private Applicator Training on Tuesday, March 5, in Culbertson and Wednesday, March 6 in Glendive. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. with the program starting at 8 a.m. and adjourning at 5:15 p.m. The program will be held at the Dry Prairie Rural Water Building, 5808 MT-16, Culbertson and the Yellowstone River Inn, 1903 N. Merrill Ave., Glendive. Initial Private Applicator Trainings are for individuals who want to obtain a Montana Private Applicator License, which is required for anyone who is applying...
The all sheep and lamb inventory in the U.S. on Jan. 1 totaled 5.03 million head, down 2% from 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report indicated a year-over-year decrease of 2% in North Dakota, 3% in Minnesota and 9% in South Dakota. "U.S. lamb consumption was 1.1 lbs. per person per year for 2023, and has room for growth domestically and abroad," says Travis Hoffman, NDSU Extension and UMN Extension sheep specialist. "We have...
Bozeman – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to help agricultural producers maximize the value of their products and venture into new and better markets. USDA is making the grants available under the Value-Added Producer Grants [lnks.gd] program. The grants help farmers and ranchers generate new products, create marketing opportunities, and increase their incomes through value-added activities. Eligible applicants include independent producers, agricultural producer groups, f...
North Dakota State University Extension has updated the Crop Compare program, which is a spreadsheet designed to compare cropping alternatives. The Crop Compare program is available online at ndsu.ag/cropcompare. The program uses the direct costs and yields from the 2024 projected crop budgets for nine regions of North Dakota, but producers are encouraged to enter the expected yields and input costs for their farm. The user designates a reference crop and enters its expected market price....
Local farmers, Justin Bieber, and his dad, Jeff, have been looking to increase profitability on their 1700 acres of irrigated farmland since the closure of the Sidney Sugars plant ended decades of sugar beet growing. The three primary crops they now raise are corn, wheat, and soybeans. Looking to increase yields, Justin delved into various varieties of wheat. The duo settled on WestBred Wheat 9719 due to its proven high yield and good standability. That variety, with increased nitrogen, and trying some new farming practices, yielded 109.33...
Seconds matter in rural injury incidents or medical emergencies, and the time it takes first responders to travel to an injured person can be critical to survival, says Angie Johnson, North Dakota State University Extension farm and ranch safety coordinator. To help reduce deaths caused by unintentional injury, NDSU Extension and the NDSU School of Nursing have partnered to offer free, Stop the Bleed trainings for residents of rural communities across North Dakota. Nursing faculty have traveled...
