June 2 - Bees and Blooms Pollinator Workshop
Business Transition Readiness Webinar
June 6 - Fruit and Vegetable Growers Workshop
June 6-10 - Sustainable Opportunities in Precision Agriculture Boot Camp
June 7-9 - 406 Grazing Academy
June 8 - Wednesday Wisdom: What’s New in ‘22
June 14-15 - Organic Farm and Ranch Tours
June 15 - Cultivating Resiliency for Women in Agriculture Coffee Chat
June 16 - Cultivating Resiliency for Women in Agriculture: Mindfulness, Mediation, and Self-Compassion Exercises for Women in Agriculture – To Use Anywhere, Anytime!
June 16 - HAB Reporting Webinar
June 22 - Central Ag Research Center Field Day
Pollinator Day at Mt. Ellis
June 23 - Northern Ag Research Center Field Day
Bitterroot Events
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Bees and Blooms Pollinator Workshop |
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Fruit and Vegetable Growers Workshop |
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Small Business Webinar: Business Transition Readiness |
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A Small Business Webinar titled "Business Transition Readiness" will be held on June 2, 2022. The speaker is Alistair Stewart, Senior Business Advisor, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC).
This webinar is designed to help business owners begin creating their own paths to more successful transition outcomes. For business owners contemplating a change of control, this session will introduce key concepts, such as what transition readiness is, why it matters, and how to improve both personal and business outcomes. Participants will learn actionable insights to help them tackle the thorny challenges ahead:
- Why should owners care about Transition Readiness, and what are the key elements?
- What is my business worth today, what risks threaten value, and what will make it more valuable?
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What transition readiness outcomes must be achieved in the next 12-18 months?/
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Wednesday Wisdom Webinar: What’s New in ‘22 |
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Montana State University Extension, Marsha Goetting, is collaborating with AARP Montana for a three-part webinar monthly estate/legacy planning series titled Wednesday Wisdom.
On June 8th, Marsha Goetting will be presenting "What’s New in ‘22?"
What changes did the Montana Legislature make that have an effect on estate planning? What changes have occurred at the Federal level that you should know about?
To register for this webinar go to:
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Preparing for Codling Moth |
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June 7, 2022. (Pest Alert Message Missoula County Weed District and Extension)
The weather has been cooler this year so it will be later this year to apply the first generation Codling moth spray. Spinosad or neem are some least-toxic options. Malathion, acetamiprid , permethrin is the hard pesticide option. Spray in the evening and add 1 tbsp/gallon each of insecticidal soap and molasses to the mix. Some sprays have a short residual, so you will need to spray several times per generation.
Historic biofix dates for many locations around the state can also be found on our codling moth webpage. If you are interested in determining spray dates for your county, let us know if you need help. In many locations the model dates will suffice for determining biofix without traps. The MontGuide explains using the available models through uspest.org or Utah TRAPS.
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Central Agriculture Research Center Field Day |
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Forages
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
8:15 Registration Opens
8:45 Welcome
9:05 Field Tour
12:00 Lunch catered by Full Curl Smokers
Featured talks include guest speakers Dr. Hayes Goosey, MSU Extension Forage Specialist "Sainfoin Production", Drs. Jamie Sherman or Traci Hoogland, MSU Barley Breeding Team "Forage Barley", and Dr. Sam Wyffels, MSU Animal Scientist "Beef Cattle Management in Drought"! Field tour will have stops at our various forage trials along with variety trials and other sites of interest.
Field days include facility tours, explanations of research projects and results and a chance for community members, producers, legislators and agribusiness representatives to speak with MSU scientists and Extension agents.
The public is invited to attend free annual field days across Montana to tour and learn about the people, places and projects involved with agricultural research at Montana State University's College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES).
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Northern Agriculture Research Center Field Day |
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The Northern Agricultural Research Center in Havre will welcome the public for its annual summer field day! Please join us to learn about active research projects, meet faculty and research staff and tour our agricultural facilities. |
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Organic Farm and Ranch Tours |
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Upcoming Summer Organic Farm / Ranch Tours
June 14 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm MDT
Organic Farm / Ranch Tours Announced in Montana:
- B Bar Ranch – Big Timber, MT – June 14th
- Central Ag Research Center – Moccasin, MT – June 15th
- Fresh Roots Farm – Polson, MT – July 24th
Montana Organic Association announces long awaited tours scheduled for summer 2022. Participants are invited to visit the B-Bar Ranch in Big Timber, Central Ag Research Center in Moccasin, and Fresh Roots Farm in Polson.
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Pollinator Day at Mt. Ellis |
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It's National Pollinator Week! Come learn about the diversity and importance of pollinators to nature, agriculture, and humans with MSU researchers outdoors among the wildflowers. See how artificial 3D printed flowers are used to study pollination. Discover how plants use floral scent to attract pollinators. View collections of native bees and pollinators. Outdoors at Mt. Ellis trailhead at the end of Mt. Ellis Lane, Bozeman. There is parking available at the trailhead. Free, all are welcome. Registering can help us know how many people to expect: use this form.
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Cultivating Resiliency for Women in Agriculture |
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Registration Link:
Ahhhhhhh……! Summer is here and the living is easy….or is it? Grab your iced coffee, tea or lemonade, take a break and join us for an opportunity to listen and share in our Cultivating Resiliency free online "Coffee Chat" group. This is an opportunity to share what is on your mind related to agricultural stress in a safe place. Participants are anonymous and they choose how to participate – they can just listen; they can type in questions or comments or they may unmute and verbalize questions or comments. The session is limited to a maximum of 20 registrants and will last one hour. The session will not be recorded. Participants cannot see each other nor do they see each other's names.
The Cultivating Resiliency Collaboration uses an online platform where session participants remain anonymous as they participate in the session. Participants cannot see each other and cannot view each other’s names. Nor are participant images or names recorded.
About our facilitator: Dr. Brenda Mack is a behavioral health and human services consultant, trainer and presenter, and an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at Bemidji State University (BSU). Brenda is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker through the Minnesota Board of Social Work. Brenda grew up on a farm and currently lives on a farm with her farming family. Brenda completed her Doctor of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas in the spring of 2020.
Brought to you by the Cultivating Resiliency collaboration.
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Registration Link:
This session will focus on stress-reducing practices to help build your resiliency. Participants will engage in brief exercises and activities that can be replicated in their farming and ranching lives. Dr. Brenda Mack, the webinar facilitator, was born and raised in a farming family in the Red River Valley, MN, and is married to a fourth-generation crop farmer. She uses these exercises on a regular basis and encourages you to add them to your self-care toolbox.
The Cultivating Resiliency Collaboration uses an online platform where session participants remain anonymous as they participate in the session. Participants cannot see each other and cannot view each other’s names. Nor are participant images or names recorded.
About our facilitator: Dr. Brenda Mack is a behavioral health and human services consultant, trainer and presenter, and an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at Bemidji State University (BSU). Brenda is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker through the Minnesota Board of Social Work. Brenda grew up on a farm and currently lives on a farm with her farming family. Brenda completed her Doctor of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas in the spring of 2020.
Brought to you by the Cultivating Resiliency collaboration.
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FREE counseling services to ANY Montanan working in Agriculture. |
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A grant from the USDA, the MT Dept of Ag is now providing FREE counseling services to ANY Montanan working in Agriculture. These services are being provided by Frontier Psychiatry:
Please note that we are all working together - the MSU Extension Farm Stress Team, MT Dept of Ag and Northern Broadcasting. To get the word out about this voucher program, as well as other farm stress resources that already exist across the state, Northern Broadcasting came up with a campaign titled, 'Beyond the Weather'. So if you hear of that online or on the radio, know that we are all working together!
Here is the 'Beyond the Weather' landing page: https://agr.mt.gov/FRSAN (If you explore this site, you'll see links to mini-grant opportunities, and more farm stress resources).
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The College of Agriculture at Montana State University will host a weeklong boot camp highlighting the future of precision agriculture and its potential for use in the state.
“Sustainable Opportunities in Precision Agriculture” will take place Monday, June 6, through Friday, June 10, at MSU’s campus and its research fields. Each day will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is open to the public, but priority registration will be given to MSU upperclassmen and recent College of Agriculture graduates.
The boot camp will teach attendees about precision agriculture technologies for sustainable crop and livestock systems. Attendees are expected to leave with an increased understanding and aptitude for field characterization, field monitoring and mapping, decision-making processes, and more.
Each day will include morning lectures in the CHS classroom in Linfield Hall on topics such as sensors, satellites and drones; data science; remote sensing data acquisition and analysis; soil characterization, monitoring and mapping; and digital farming. The classroom lectures will be viewable through webinars for remote participants. In the afternoons, attendees will visit research sites to gain hands-on experience with precision ag equipment for such as those for soil mapping and field variable rates, and drones with multispectral cameras. In the classroom, attendees will create a map of the field and various aspects regarding yield, acidity and more.
Courses and field instruction demonstrations will be taught by MSU faculty members from the College of Agriculture. Faculty instructors include Scott Powell, environmental science spatial analysis; Frank Dougher, environmental science geospatial sciences; Shirin Ghatreh Samani, agricultural engineering precision agriculture; Gaurav Jha, soil science precision agriculture; Jasmine Neupane, plant science precision agriculture; Paul Nugent, electrical engineering precision agriculture; and Bruce Maxwell, forest ecology and weed science.
“The courses are all connected to each other and, in order of how they affect each other, just like the actual process you would go through as a grower or producer,” said Shannon Arnold, co-director of the boot camp. “We want these students who are going to return to their farms and ranches to see these new technologies and understand the process and its flow, as well as become familiar with what this type of equipment looks like.”
According to Alan Dyer, one of the co-directors of the event, the boot camp is intended to be an intensive catch-all experience to give attendees a practical look at precision agriculture — from collecting and understanding data points to using that data to make precise adjustments and increase productivity.
Along with the boot camp will be a keynote speech that is free and open to the public. Terry Griffin, associate professor and cropping systems economist at Kansas State University will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in Strand Union Ballroom B.
Griffin specializes in farm management and digital agricultural technology. He has received numerous awards in advancing digital agriculture. He received the 2014 Pierre C. Robert International Precision Agriculture Young Scientist Award; the 2012 Conservation Systems Precision Ag Research of the Year Award; and the 2010 Precision Ag Award of Excellence for Researchers Award. He has authored two patents on digital agriculture and has presented his research around the world.
The boot camp was funded by a recent grant from the CHS Foundation totaling more than $200,000. The aim of the grant is to further promote precision agriculture and educate producers and the community about its benefits. The boot camp is free thanks to the grant.
“This precision agriculture boot camp completely aligns with our land-grant mission to serve the people of the state of Montana,” said Sreekala Bajwa, dean of the College of Agriculture. “We are grateful for this generous grant to help the College of Agriculture grow in what we can offer and how we can educate our students and community members.”
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— Registration is now open for the three-day 406 Grazing Academy workshop to be held June 7-9 in central Montana. The workshop is hosted by Montana State University and its partners and is aimed at ranchers seeking to hone their grazing management skills. Classroom activities will take place at the Yogo Inn in Lewistown, and field activities will be held on working ranches near Winnett.
Workshop participants will gain practical information to help them make strategic decisions for their ranch. Topics include economic optimum stocking rates; diverse grazing strategies; range monitoring; extending the grazing season; livestock-wildlife relations; targeted grazing; and coping with drought, wildfire and poisonous plants.
Complementing the educational workshops, successful Montana ranchers and range managers from across the state will share their expertise. Workshop participants will bring information from their ranches and leave with a first draft of a grazing plan.
Registration is $150 per person or $250 for two people from the same ranch and covers educational materials, lunches and evening meals. The workshop fee also includes an optional instructor follow-up visit to the participant’s ranch later in the summer or fall.
Participants are responsible for travel and lodging expenses. Registration closes May 16, with limited space available.
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Harmful algal bloom (HAB) season is approaching! Do you know how to respond?
DEQ is hosting a HAB reporting webinar for local health departments, fisheries biologists, MSU Extension agents, and other water-related professionals helping respond to HAB reports. Join via Zoom Thursday June 16, 2022 at 10:00 to learn more about how to submit a report and what to expect for further monitoring resources that DEQ may recommend and provide.
You can always learn more and submit a suspected HAB report by visiting HAB.mt.gov. Contact Hannah Riedl (Hannah.Riedl@mt.gov) if you have any questions.
June 16, 2022 10:00 AM Mountain Time
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 874 9568 8306
Password: 902351
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The Annual Bitter Root Day Festival includes authentic Salish drumming, dancing, and singing, free activities for children of all ages, arts, crafts, food and produce from local and out of area vendors, and a special exhibit.
Links:
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Celebrate the arts every 2nd Saturday of the month from 11am - 3pm downtown Hamilton.
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17th Annual MPAA Art Show and Sale
6:00 PM
Description:
Doors open for the Montana Professional Artists' Show and Sale at 6PM on Friday, June 10, (5PM for vendors). The show will run from 10AM until 7PM on Saturday, June 11, and from 10AM until 4PM on Sunday, June 12.
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Hamilton Soroptimists' Turbo Turtle Race
2:00 PM
Description:
Race turtles (plastic!) down the culvert at Hamilton's Hieronymus Park. 1 Turbo Turtle: $5. 6 Turbo Turtles: $20. Proceeds go toward construction of a new Advocacy Room in the expanded Supporters of Abuse Free Environments (SAFE) facility. Cash prices for top three winners!
Age Group: All Ages
Venue: Hieronymus Park, Culvert near Hwy 93, Hamilton, MT
Address: 196 Hieronymus Park Drive Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: 406/360-3902
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Help us honor the Salish People and their culture as we celebrate Bitter Root Day. Design and decorate a replica teepee, cut it out and tape it together. Make a natural environment for it and display it at home!
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Description:
Let your imagination take over as you design and build miniature homes for fairies and gnomes! We will be using recycled tea boxes and special craft supplies so you will be able to decorate to your hearts content and make a darling little home for an imaginary friend.
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Annual Bitterroot Gem & Mineral Show
Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 19, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Geode Cutting, Vendors, Silent Auction, Kids Activities, Display Cases
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Description:
The sun is at its zenith once again and summer fun is in full swing! Capture some of the summer light as you make a string of beautiful beads to hang in your window. Pair large beads with small ones as you slide them into place to sparkle in the sun!
Links:
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Ravalli County Staffing Additions |
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Welcome Cobey Williamson! |
Please welcome the newest member to the Ravalli County Montana State University Extension Team. We are glad to have Cobey in the office full time. |
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Please welcome our summer intern to the Ravalli County Montana State University Extension Team. We are glad to have Taylor before she heads to Bozeman to study animal science and agricultural education. |
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MSU Ravalli County Extension
Office Staff
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MSU Extension Agent
Agriculture, Horticulture
& Natural Resources
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MSU Extension
Administrative Assistant
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MSU/Ravalli County Extension Office
215 S. 4th Street, Ste G
Hamilton, MT 59840
Phone: 406.375.6611
Connect on Facebook
The Montana State University Extension is an ADA/EO/AA/Veteran’s Preference Employer and Provider of Educational Outreach.
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