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Pulse, durum crops, sawfly and grasshoppers featured at ARS-MSU dryland field tour 

Event Poster (pdf)

Research looking at pulse crop diseases, native pollinators and new options for wheat stem sawfly and grasshopper management are just a few of the research topics to be presented at the 2024 joint ARS-MSU Dryland Field Day in Sidney, Wednesday morning, July 17. The tour is presented by Montana State University’s Eastern Ag Research Center (EARC) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Northern Plains Agricultural Research Lab (NPARL) and features speakers from both Sidney research facilities as well as others from the Mandan, ND ARS facility and MSU Bozeman.

The combined half-day activities begin at the ARS research farmsite with registration at 8:45 am and the tour starting at 9. The ARS farmsite is located about 4 miles north of Sidney on the Culbertson highway (Hwy 16). Take a left at County Road 129 and a second left on County Road 346 to get to the farmsite. Registration opens at 8:45 am with coffee and donuts followed by the start of the tour at 9. The tour will subsequently move to the MSU dryland farm across the highway for additional research talks and conclude with a free lunch at 12:30 pm sponsored by the Richland County Extension Office. Everyone is welcome to participate.

Included in the day’s presentations are unique ARS studies using straw bales as a means to move large numbers of wheat stem sawfly biocontrol agents to newly infested regions and another study using beneficial soil microbes to promote disease resistance in peas. Pulse crop research is also featured in the day’s EARC studies including those looking at pulse crops and protein, along with long-term rotation effects on lentil and pea pathogens. Guest speakers have also been invited to discuss grasshopper management and new durum varieties developed at MSU Bozeman and a new ARS study incorporating solar panels into livestock forage systems at the Mandan, ND research facility.

 Speakers and topics at the ARS Sidney dryland farmsite include:

Talks at the EARC dryland farm site include:

Field tour participants will qualify for 1 pesticide point in the following categories: 10 – Dealer; 30 - Agricultural Plant Pest Control; 37 - Right of Way Pest Control; 39 - Demonstration & Research Pest Control; 55 - Regulatory Weed; 60 - Private Agricultural Pest Control.

This is the first time in the last five years that the joint tour has been held and it’s coming back as an every-other-year event. Covid restrictions and then staff shortages delayed its reintroduction until now, according to field day organizers. “We share adjoining dryland research space with EARC, so we’ve both been looking forward to renewing this partnership and sharing our research findings with area dryland producers,” Brett Allen noted in announcing the tour resumption.

For questions or more information, contact Beth Redlin at 406-433-9427 or email beth.redlin@usda.gov..

 

Bees, peas, and grasshoppers featured at 2023 Froid Field Day 

Event Poster (pdf)

The annual Froid Research Farm Field Day is back! This year’s event features a special presentation on native bees and other pollinators important to agriculture, along with a special Beekeeping 101 workshop for those interested in adding honeybees to their farms. Grasshoppers, their biology and management, are also a topic of discussion as is new research underway on field pea.

Learn about all of these topics and more at the annual Froid Research Farm Field Day on Thursday afternoon, June 22, from 1-5:30 pm. Registration begins at 12:45 pm with 4 pesticide points available for participants. The event is hosted by the Sheridan and Roosevelt County Conservation Districts and Extension Offices and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Northern Plains Ag Research Lab in Sidney, MT.

The farm is located 8 miles north of Culbertson, MT on Montana Hwy. 16.

In a special Pollinator Section planned for the day, Sidney ARS Pollination Specialist Joshua Campbell will be discussing his research into native pollinators in the region and their contributions to dryland agricultural systems. In addition, County Extension Agents Wendy Becker and Shelley Mills will be conducting a special “Introduction to Beekeeping” workshop that will discuss how to effectively start your own colony and how to identify and manage disease and pest infestations. Among the pests under review, the varroa mite, considered a significant contributor to honeybee colony collapse disorder. Both Becker and Mills are graduates of the University of Montana’s master beekeeper program and have begun conducting beekeeping workshops around the region in recent months.

Another insect pest up for discussion - Grasshoppers! These pests remain a key concern for MonDak producers following extensive outbreaks over the past two years. Sidney ARS Ecologist Dave Branson will discuss current research efforts focused on grasshoppers, their biology and management, as well as answering questions from producers.

Field pea research evaluating the effects of seed-applied microbial inoculants on plant agronomics and soil health are also featured during the day with Sidney ARS Microbiologist Sakdikshya Dangi and Post Doc Rosalie Calderon. Plant Pathologist Frankie Crutcher from Montana State University’s Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney, will also discuss findings from ongoing MSU and NDSU field pea studies looking at Fusarium and Aphanomyces disease incidence under three different scenarios found at the Froid farm, including peas in long-term, 2-year rotations with spring wheat; peas in a 3-year rotation sequence study with oilseeds and durum, and peas incorporated into a cover crop mix to replace summer fallow.

But the day is not all insects and legumes. Cheatgrass management with fire and effective greenstripping techniques to aid in wildfire management are also on the agenda, with a talk by Sidney ARS Research Ecologist Carissa Wonkka. Campbell and ARS Research Ecologist Natalie West will also be discussing their study looking at the regional spread of Russian olive seeds by mammals. For his part, ARS Dryland Research Agronomist Brett Allen will share his research on water availability following a cover crop, while ARS Soil Scientist Upendra Sainju will discuss carbon sequestration under perennial grasses and an annual crop.

The day concludes with a free steak dinner at 5:30 pm sponsored by the Sheridan and Roosevelt County Conservation Districts. And note, Montana participants may qualify for 4 pesticide points in the following categories: 10 – Dealer; 30 - Agricultural Plant Pest Control; 37 - Right of Way Pest Control; 39 - Demonstration & Research Pest Control; 55 - Regulatory Weed; 60 - Private Agricultural Pest Control.

For questions or more information, contact Beth Redlin at 406-433-2020 or by email at beth.redlin@usda.gov. 

 

 

2020 Field Day reports moved online

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, our regular Froid and Sidney Research Farm Field Days were cancelled for 2020. However, in their place we offered two live weed identification webinars, which we recorded. Those are now available on our website, along with several short recorded research updates and introductions to our three newest scientists and their research plans, all part of a virtual tour now available here.