Montana Soil Health Workshops, Nov. 3 – 6, 2014
Mark Henning, NRCS
Missoula – Nov. 3
9:30am – 10:30am - Using Cover Crops on the Ranch – Ken Miller
Ken will discuss the impact using cover crops has on reducing the need for herbicide use (weed pressure
is reduced due to added diversity in the system).
10:45am – 12:00pm - Intensive Grazing Systems to Build Soil Health – Joshua Dukart
Intensive grazing management can ultimately become the pest management model in and of itself. The
tools of rest/recovery, animal impact, and grazing have become tools of choice to address the typical
pest management issues. In a livestock setting, worms, flies, and other insects are brought into balance
when the appropriate predator/prey ratio is allowed to flourish…allowing nature to take care of the pest
issues herself. In addition, management of the movement of cattle and the grazing exposure time to
grass also assist in keeping ahead of and breaking pest cycles before they become problematic.
Furthermore, adhering to proper grazing management by not taking forage down too far also inhibits
the transfer of pest from the soil to the animal. These management techniques are possible through
good planning, understanding, and implementing of soil health related practices. Focusing on the
building of healthy soil will drive health upward throughout the system from soils to plants to animals to
human…all the while allowing the natural defense mechanisms to function at each level, this reducing
and/or eliminating the need for pesticides.
2:15pm – 3:15pm - Strategies to Build Soil & Animal Health – Ken Miller
Ken will describe how he built a grazing system that has eliminated the need for pour ons, and how this
system also eliminated the need for insecticides for fly control. He will also discuss biocontrol of leafy
spurge using flea beetles, which has reduced and/or eliminated the need for chemical control.
Great Falls – Nov. 4
11:00 – 12:00pm Agriculture in a Semi-Arid Environment – Scott Ravenkamp
Scott will discuss the need to keep in mind how carry over issues need to be taken into consideration
when using any cover crop mixes. Also the need to check labels on grazing or haying restrictions if mixes
are to be grazed or hayed will be addressed. The overall desire to reduce our use of chemicals by
maintaining a living cover throughout the year as long as possible will also be discussed.
2:00 – 3:00pm Maximizing Soil Health Potential – Jay Fuhrer
Jay will discuss a case study about how herbicide use has been decreased in a no-till system with high
diversity (cover crops and cash crop diversity) versus a no-till system with low diversity.
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Bozeman – Nov. 4
9:30am – 10:30am - Seven Things I’ve Learned About Cover Crops – Keith Berns
Keith will discuss how crop diversity leads to lower inputs, including less pesticides being needed due to
competition, suppression, and predation.
10:45am – 12:00pm - Using Cover Crops on the Ranch – Ken Miller
Ken will discuss the impact using cover crops has on reducing the need for herbicide use (weed pressure
is reduced due to added diversity in the system).
1:00pm – 2:15pm - Intensive Grazing Systems to Build Soil Health – Joshua Dukart
Intensive grazing management can ultimately become the pest management model in and of itself. The
tools of rest/recovery, animal impact, and grazing have become tools of choice to address the typical
pest management issues. In a livestock setting, worms, flies, and other insects are brought into balance
when the appropriate predator/prey ratio is allowed to flourish…allowing nature to take care of the pest
issues herself. In addition, management of the movement of cattle and the grazing exposure time to
grass also assist in keeping ahead of and breaking pest cycles before they become problematic.
Furthermore, adhering to proper grazing management by not taking forage down too far also inhibits
the transfer of pest from the soil to the animal. These management techniques are possible through
good planning, understanding, and implementing of soil health related practices. Focusing on the
building of healthy soil will drive health upward throughout the system from soils to plants to animals to
human…all the while allowing the natural defense mechanisms to function at each level, this reducing
and/or eliminating the need for pesticides.
3:15pm – 4:00pm - Strategies to Build Soil & Animal Health – Ken Miller
Ken will describe how he built a grazing system that has eliminated the need for pour ons, and how this
system also eliminated the need for insecticides for fly control. He will also discuss biocontrol of leafy
spurge using flea beetles, which has reduced and/or eliminated the need for chemical control.
Wolf Point – Nov. 5
11:00 – 12:00pm Agriculture in a Semi-Arid Environment – Scott Ravenkamp
Scott will discuss the need to keep in mind how carry over issues need to be taken into consideration
when using any cover crop mixes. Also the need to check labels on grazing or haying restrictions if mixes
are to be grazed or hayed will be addressed. The overall desire to reduce our use of chemicals by
maintaining a living cover throughout the year as long as possible will also be discussed.
1:00 – 2:00pm Maximizing Soil Health Potential – Jay Fuhrer
Jay will discuss a case study about how herbicide use has been decreased in a no-till system with high
diversity (cover crops and cash crop diversity) versus a no-till system with low diversity.
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Billings – Nov. 5
9:30am – 11:00am - Strategies to Build Soil & Animal Health – Ken Miller
Ken will describe how he built a grazing system that has eliminated the need for pour ons, and how this
system also eliminated the need for insecticides for fly control. He will also discuss biocontrol of leafy
spurge using flea beetles, which has reduced and/or eliminated the need for chemical control. He will
also include information on how cover crops have reduced the need for herbicides on his operation.
11:15am – 12:30pm - Seven Things I’ve Learned About Cover Crops – Keith Berns
Keith will discuss how crop diversity leads to lower inputs, including less pesticides being needed due to
competition, suppression, and predation.
2:30pm – 4:00pm - Intensive Grazing Systems to Build Soil Health – Joshua Dukart
Intensive grazing management can ultimately become the pest management model in and of itself. The
tools of rest/recovery, animal impact, and grazing have become tools of choice to address the typical
pest management issues. In a livestock setting, worms, flies, and other insects are brought into balance
when the appropriate predator/prey ratio is allowed to flourish…allowing nature to take care of the pest
issues herself. In addition, management of the movement of cattle and the grazing exposure time to
grass also assist in keeping ahead of and breaking pest cycles before they become problematic.
Furthermore, adhering to proper grazing management by not taking forage down too far also inhibits
the transfer of pest from the soil to the animal. These management techniques are possible through
good planning, understanding, and implementing of soil health related practices. Focusing on the
building of healthy soil will drive health upward throughout the system from soils to plants to animals to
human…all the while allowing the natural defense mechanisms to function at each level, this reducing
and/or eliminating the need for pesticides.
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Miles City – Nov. 6
9:30am – 10:30am - Seven Things I’ve Learned About Cover Crops – Keith Berns
Keith will discuss how crop diversity leads to lower inputs, including less pesticides being needed due to
competition, suppression, and predation.
10:45am – 12:00pm - Using Cover Crops on the Ranch – Ken Miller
Ken will discuss the impact using cover crops has on reducing the need for herbicide use (weed pressure
is reduced due to added diversity in the system).
1:00pm – 2:15pm - Intensive Grazing Systems to Build Soil Health – Joshua Dukart
Intensive grazing management can ultimately become the pest management model in and of itself. The
tools of rest/recovery, animal impact, and grazing have become tools of choice to address the typical
pest management issues. In a livestock setting, worms, flies, and other insects are brought into balance
when the appropriate predator/prey ratio is allowed to flourish…allowing nature to take care of the pest
issues herself. In addition, management of the movement of cattle and the grazing exposure time to
grass also assist in keeping ahead of and breaking pest cycles before they become problematic.
Furthermore, adhering to proper grazing management by not taking forage down too far also inhibits
the transfer of pest from the soil to the animal. These management techniques are possible through
good planning, understanding, and implementing of soil health related practices. Focusing on the
building of healthy soil will drive health upward throughout the system from soils to plants to animals to
human…all the while allowing the natural defense mechanisms to function at each level, this reducing
and/or eliminating the need for pesticides.
3:15pm – 4:00pm - Strategies to Build Soil & Animal Health – Ken Miller
Ken will describe how he built a grazing system that has eliminated the need for pour ons, and how this
system also eliminated the need for insecticides for fly control. He will also discuss biocontrol of leafy
spurge using flea beetles, which has reduced and/or eliminated the need for chemical control.
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