SARE
Professional Development Program (PDP)
Annual Report for Montana, 2004
Introduction:
Agriculture dominates Montana’s
geography, with 60.1 million acres in farms or ranches, representing 64% of the
total state's land area ranking second in nation behind Texas. There are 27,000 farms and ranches
with an average size of 2,100 acres. Agriculture dominates Montana's cash receipts at $2,602 million
dollars per year, out pacing other industry sectors including mining, gas and
oil, tourism and wood and paper products industry. Receipts from crops
represents 36.8% of the agricultural sector in 2001. Wheat is the economically
most important crop representing 20.5% of the total agricultural crop receipts
(crops and livestock) followed by barley 4.2%, hay 5.3% and sugarbeets 2.2%.
The wheat crops in Montana
include winter, spring, and durum wheat crops. Montana
ranks 6th in the US
in all wheat production, and ranks 2nd in durum and 3rd in spring wheat
production. Nationally, Montana
ranks 13th in barley production, 15th in alfalfa hay production and 6th in
sugarbeet production. These crops represent the major commodities in the areas
of emphasis because of their impact on Montana's
and the nation's economy. However, canola, lentils, seed potatoes and garbanzos
are important alternative crops with special needs for pest management. Pasture
and range management include conserving native and beneficial plant species,
managing invasive weeds, preventing soil and water erosion. The MSU-ES-WRSARE
Professional Development program provides training and exposure to expertise
not available within the state. This
information through distribution of the annual report and web site disseminate
this information to clientele. During 2004
the Crop Pest Management
School emphasized …,
Many pests are sporadic in their occurrence cycling with environmental
conditions such as dry or wet cycles. However, major pests such as alfalfa
weevil (hay), wheat stem sawfly, wireworm and cutworm species (wheat) and
cereal leaf beetle are not likely to change dramatically from year to year.
Objectives
1. Provide opportunity for County Extension Agents
and Specialist to receive in-depth training on annual cereal and legume forages
productivity, legume and grass variety and type trials, cereal and legume
fertilizer responses, grazing trials, forage kochia, long term irrigated pasture
management, ranch management, wildlife enterprise development, sustainable livestock
production and pest management.
Annual MSUES
Crop Pest
Management School
Specialized
Workshops and Training Programs
Pest Management Training Program
Field
Days or Field Tours
2. Training and information about
cropping systems, forage production systems and pest management under dryland/rainfed conditions.
Froid
Farm Field Days and Crop Tour
3. Forage Winter Wheat Production
for Hay or Grain
4. Alfalfa Stand Longevity Study.
5. Blackfeet Reservation EIRP
Overview: Montana WSARE-funded PDP
State Activities:
In
general, Montana SARE-PDP program
centers on multidisciplinary issues that bridge agriculture and livestock
production. Rangeland conditions and
management and forage production issues are key to agricultural sustainability
and productivity in Montana. The 2004 program emphasized these issues and
provided in-depth, advanced training for 5 NRCS, 2 Extension 22 ag
professionals and 5 producers. The 5
NRCS participants were funded by the MT-SARE program.
Each
year the MSU-IPM Crop Pest Management School
addresses current issues and provides hands on experiences for participants
from NRCS, Extension Service and the private sector. In 2004, Dr. Robert
Zimdahl presented a one-day workshop on Ethics in Agriculture, examining many
of our assumptions about the current structure of production agriculture.
The
Professional Development Program continues to emphasize training and
development for agricultural production that balances food and fiber
production, economic viability and environmental and natural resource quality. Pest
monitoring, identification and management using sustainable techniques are
emphasized to replace input costs by knowledge-based decision making.
Crop Pest
Management School
and Ethics in Agriculture (Dr. Robert Zimdahl), W. Lanier and S. Blodgett
2004
Froid Research Farm Tour, June 24
Alfalfa
Growers Workshop, June 25, 2004
2004 Crop and Pest
Management School
An intensive on-campus school is conducted each year
that exposes participants to new technologies (internet, GPS, etc.) and
research updates on agricultural topics. In-depth treatment of all
aspects of crop pest management, hands-on laboratory experience, identification
of key pest species and problem-solving focuses on management issues. The
school emphasized laboratory hands-on problem solving and makes use of the
greenhouse and laboratory facilities of the Plant Growth
Center and individual
research laboratories.
The 2004 CPMS featured Dan Roddy, a producer from
Chouteau County, providing a retrospective view of the dryland farming business
in north central Montana touching on the economic decline as evidenced by
depopulation, precipitous decline in school enrollment, closure of main street
businesses and farms, implementation of dealerships, pressure on government
services such as healthcare, welfare, and law enforcement, as poverty level
increases. However, the overall economy of north-central Montana can be stabilized or revitalized by
growth in other sectors such as organic and specialty crops, tourism and
recreation, fixed income and retirement, and the contribution of creative and
unimagined businesses that are more sustainable. Traditional agribusiness models representing
farming, ranching, and the service and supply industries that support them
offers opportunities for a sustainable farming community in response to
historically low commodity prices, escalating business costs, volatile weather
patterns, and changes in government programs.
Other talks or activities presented at the CPMS included nitrogen
dynamics of no-till production systems, crop diversity rotation study results,
Dr. Robert Zimdahl, Colorado
State University
presented a provocative workshop that stimulated thought about the current capital, chemically and energy
intensive system of agricultural production that prevails in the U.S. His workshop focused on asking if this is
the kind of agricultural system we ought to have and the role of the land-grant
system in creating and changing it. Discussion focused on the development
of a moral justification for the actions of land grant college scientists and
extension personnel.
Notes from many of the presentations are available: http://scarab.msu.montana.edu/cpms/index.htm
Impacts:
·
Trained 40 agricultural professionals on a
variety of agricultural issues
·
Supported 4 County Extension Agent to attend
training
·
Training provided on agricultural ethics and
current agricultural systems.
Forage Winter Wheat Production for Hay or Grain in Gallatin County
Montana (FW04
– 018).
|
Project Coordinator:
George A. Reich
PO
Box 195
Willow
Creek, Montana 59760
Phone: (406) 285-6675
Fax: (406)
285-4303
Email: reichbros@theglobal.net
|
Technical Advisor:
Ron Carlstrom
Gallatin County Extension Service
901 N. Black
Bozeman, MT
59715
Phone: (406)
582-3280
Fax: (406)
582-3273
Email: carlstrom@montana.edu
|
Cooperators:
|
Mark
Cooper
Cooper
Hereford Ranch
|
Dr.
Dennis Cash, Extension Agronomist
Animal
and Range Sciences Dept.
Montana State University
|
|
Robert
S. Miller, Farmer
|
Jake
Callantine
Timberline
Ranch
|
|
Leroy
and Brian Miller, Farm/Ranch
Miler
Partnership
|
Walt
Steingruber, Rancher
|
Summary (Abstract)
This
project examined the agronomic characteristics of two types of forage winter
wheat that is available in limited supplies.
The project allowed producers to look at hay, and grain production of
these varieties and decide if they will fit in their specific
environments. Producers and technical
advisors were able to increase awareness in the agriculture community of a winter
wheat forage enterprise and the SARE funding through this project.
Objectives:
· Twenty producers will tour both the Willow Creek and
Pass Creek Test Sites
· Producers will gain knowledge in how the two
varieties grow in each area.
· Producers will see the varieties growing throughout
the growing season and not just at a field day.
· MSU Extension Agronomist will disseminate
information on the project to the general public though the popular press and
grower meetings.
· 1000 agricultural newsletters will disseminate
information on the project and study results.
· Eighty producers will gain knowledge of the SARE
program, the project and economics of growing forage winter wheat in rotation
for hay land during annual crop school in the springs of 2004 and 2005.
· A pre and post survey will be given to the 6
producers who will be involved with the program; the survey will examine their
attitudes and opinions before and following the trials.
Results:
A
tour of the sites was to be combined with the annual Gallatin Beef Producers
summer educational tour. The tour was
cancelled due to rain (we were happy for the rain, the area has been in drought
for several years). The county agent
was able to meet with several producers at the sites over the summer and
discuss the varieties. Producers are
interested in the project and want to see a variety released from MSU.
One
plot was seeded on April 30, 2004. This
is an uncommon practice since winter wheat will not form seed heads and mature
unless it reaches certain cold levels to cause vernalization. Two goals were
set for this plot. Goal 1) to
evaluate the amount of vegetative forage produced in the first year. Goal
2) Evaluate the amount of winter wheat forage produced on year 2 for hay
production. This 3-acre plot will
also be grazed in the spring of 2005. If
things work the way the producer hopes, he may only have to seed a mixture of
winter forage and spring hay barley on year one, and be able to harvest hay
crops two years.
Extension
agronomist, Dr. Dennis Cash, taught workshops on annual forage production
throughout Montana
to agricultural producers. In these
workshops, he discussed the forage winter wheat project. Producers across the state were interested in
the project and wanted to see the winter wheat grown in their areas.
Sixty
Producers gained knowledge of the forage winter wheat project and were able to
see the crops growing at the Central Agriculture Research Station Forage Field
Day.
Field
trials were clipped for estimated forage yield and grain yield.
Due
to interest generated by field days and news releases, the limited seed left in
the project was distributed to eight Montana Counties. County Agents, Research Station Personnel and
producers selected sites and planted 4 to 5 acre plots using producer’s
equipment. A Western
SARE farmer/rancher grant (FW05-012) was written and submitted for
an expanded project in 2005.
A
growers meeting was held in Willow Creek.
Growers and technical advisors reviewed the information from the
plots. Growers expressed interest in the
one variety; Lot 03-02 was identified as the
hay of choice as it has the best winter hardiness. They felt that the variety would do well here
and increase their forage opportunities, the only downfall of the variety was
feeding value was lower than expected.
At this meeting the core group of growers decided to utilize some of
their existing budget to purchase forage winter wheat seed for use in other
areas across Montana.
Due
to grower input Lot 03-02 started into the
process for release as a forage winter wheat variety in the Montana
Agricultural Experiment System.
An
insert was incorporated into the Gallatin County Extension Agriculture
newsletter. The insert explained the
findings to date, explained the project and the future of the project. This insert went to 1,300 agricultural
producers, landowners and interested agriculture businesses in Gallatin County.
Upcoming
events include an overview of the project presented during lunch at the 2005
Crop school.
Benefits or impacts on agriculture:
This
project impacts Gallatin County and Montana
agriculture.
· It provided viable winter forage, which producers
can grow.
· This forage crop will not cause dockage in winter
wheat grown for cereal production.
Winter barley, triticale, and rye have the potential to create dockage
problems in grain grown for cereal production.
· Producers found they could save labor costs by
planting a fall forage crop verses a spring forage crop.
· In the semi-arid and arid parts of Montana producers can capitalize on late
fall and early spring moisture to help increase forage yields.
· By utilizing a spring planting program of forage
winter wheat and forage barley or oats mixed and planted, producers feel they
can save money by distributing the costs of seeding over 2 crop years.
· Producers feel the fall seeded forage winter wheat
will lessen soil erosion during critical winter periods.
Producer adoption:
Interest generated by field
days and workshops across the State, resulted in the distribution of the
limited seed left in the project to eight Montana Counties. Producers, County Agents, and Research
Station Personnel selected sites and planted 4 to 5 acre plots using producer’s
equipment. A Western
SARE farmer/rancher grant (FW05-012) was written and submitted for
an expanded project in 2005.
Producers
state the only thing holding back further adoption on their lands in Gallatin County is the lack of available
seed.
Reactions from producers:
Producers
felt the forage winter wheat fit into their crop rotation programs better than
other winter forages. One producer
stated that he would not seed rye or triticale since this would be introducing
weeds into his cropping system.
‘This
forage winter wheat provides me with the opportunity to plant in the fall when
I have available time’.
‘ I feel the forage winter wheat will give me
the opportunity to plant a crop that could be used for forage or harvested for
small grains. It opens up more
possibilities for my operation’.
‘
Winter forages may fit into a silage operation quite well’.
Irrigation
water requirements and savings in pumping costs as well as early harvesting
dates, makes forage winter wheat more desirable over corn for silage, even with
the reduced dry matter yield of forage winter wheat versus corn.
Recommendations:
Spring
planting of forage winter wheat and spring forages might increase the fall
grazing available, decrease seeding costs and provide valuable ground cover for
erosion control and wildlife.
Comparison
of fall winter wheat for forage with spring planted forage barley and oats, for
nutritional analysis and yield.
The
core producers recommend further study of forage winter wheat in varying
environmental conditions throughout the State of Montana.
Impacts:
An
insert was incorporated into the Gallatin County Extension Agriculture
newsletter. This insert went to 1,300
agricultural producers, landowners and interested agriculture businesses in Gallatin County.
Information
was presented to the Gallatin County Extension Advisory Council in June of
2004.
County Extension Agent met with non-participating producers
throughout the year at the plot locations to examine the forage winter wheat.
Extension
agronomist, Dr. Dennis Cash, taught workshops on annual forage production
throughout Montana
to agricultural producers in 2004. At
these workshops, he discussed the forage winter wheat project. Producers across the state were interested in
the project and wanted to see the winter wheat grown in their areas.
Sixty
Producers gained knowledge of the forage winter wheat project and were able to
see the crops growing at the Central Agriculture Research Station Forage Field
Day.
The
project has one final activity left for the FW04-018 grant, a crop school in
Willow Creek. This is scheduled for February
24, 2005.
2004 Annual Report
