MSU Extension Cropping Seminars Scheduled for January 11 – 14, 2016 in Golden Triangle
Montana State University Extension will host the annual Cropping Seminar series January 11-14,
2016, in Fort Benton, Chester, Shelby, Cut Bank, Fairfield, Conrad, Stanford, and Great Falls.
Topics will include residue management for wheat production and alternative crops, soil fertility
basics, and nitrogen leaching related to water quality.
Roger Ashley, retired North Dakota State University Extension Agronomist will cover,
“Retooling for Efficient Wheat Production: Residue Management”, and “Ten Myths in Residue
Management.” Ashley will discuss the why and the how of residue management, the advantages
and disadvantages of stripper headers, straw and chaff spreaders, heavy harrows, vertical tillage
machines, hoe drills and disc drills. The “Ten Myths in Residue Management” by Ashley will be
an introductory discussion on residue management and will look at 10 commonly held beliefs in
managing crop aftermath, and the science and “art” behind residue management to maximize
benefits in cropping systems.
Ashley served as the Cropping Systems Extension Specialist for southwest North Dakota at the
Dickinson Research Extension Center for many years, and prior to that was a Montana State
University Extension agent in Culbertson, Montana. Mr. Ashley's responsibilities have included
work with cropping systems with specialty crops, water management emphasis, and root
pathogen control.
Dr. Clain Jones, Montana State University Soil Fertility Extension specialist, will present the
basics of soil fertility, including soil testing, nutrient cycling, deficiency symptoms, and the 5Rs
(source, rate, placement, timing, and rotation). He will also summarize results from current cover
crop and nitrate leaching studies he has been conducting in Montana. Dr. Jones’s career interests
include evaluating the processes that control nutrient availability and educating extension agents,
crop advisers, farmers, ranchers, and homeowners on soil fertility issues. Currently, his research
focuses on nitrogen and phosphorus availability in both no-till and tilled systems.
Adam Sigler, Montana State University Extension Water Specialist, will discuss how
precipitation and soils interact with crop rotation to cause leaching of nitrogen out of soil. He
will also talk about some work to quantify the cost of the nitrogen lost from soil. Sigler is the
Montana coordinator for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) National Water
Program, works with watershed groups and tribes around Montana to build water quality
monitoring capacity, and collaborates with numerous groups and individuals on water quality
monitoring in Montana.
In Chester, Montana State University Liberty County Extension Agent Jesse Fulbright will go
over several web-based tools that growers can utilize, including herbicide selection tools and a
fungicide decision tool. Agent Fulbright will also review the orange wheat blossom midge and
its presence in Liberty County during the 2015 growing season.
No pre-registration is required, and all producers are encouraged to attend. All morning
seminars begin with registration at 8:30 a.m., and presentations start promptly at 9 a.m. The
day’s seminar should conclude by 3 p.m.
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Dates, locations, and contact numbers for each Cropping Seminar are listed below.
January 11: Fort Benton, Ag Center, 1205 20th Street, Tyler Lane, 622-3751
Chester, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, located at 10 E. Madison Ave.,
Jesse Fulbright, 759-5625
January 12: Shelby, Comfort Inn Conference Room, 424-8350
Cut Bank, Cut Bank Voting Center, 913 Railroad St. Kari Lewis, 873-2239
January 13: Fairfield Community Hall, 603 Central Avenue, Brent Roeder, 466-2491
Conrad, Pondera Shooting Sports Complex, 972 Granite Rd., Shaelyn Meyer, 271-4054
January 14: Stanford City Hall, Katie Hatlelid, 566-2277
Great Falls, Montana ExpoPark’s Family Living Center, Rose Malisani, 454-6980 ext.
305
MSU Extension is an ADA/EO/AA/Veteran’s Preference Employer and Provider of Educational
Outreach. If you require accommodation for a disability to participate, please notify your local
extension office prior to the event.