Annual Crop School Coming Up
 | Author:
Allison Kosto, MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent |
Annual Crop School Coming Up
Allison Kosto
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
An educational tradition for many years in Broadwater County is the annual Crop School which takes place at Headwaters Livestock Auction in the southern Wheatland area of the county. This year the program is on Wednesday, January 31st from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. The purpose of Crop School is to provide educational outreach for agricultural producers in cropping systems in Southwest Montana to help producers maintain a profitable and environmentally sustainable operation.
This year’s Crop School features a variety of different topics. Starting off the day is Dr. Perry Miller, Professor for the MSU Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, who will be discussing canola including agronomy, fertilizer needs and winter canola. Growing canola has become increasingly popular in southwest Montana in recent years. Next is Dr. Cecil Tharp, MSU Extension Pesticide Education Specialist, who will be demonstrating how to calibrate sprayer equipment with a focus on boom and broad jet sprayers.
After lunch, Tara Povalish, who is an analyst with the grasslands program at Native, will provide an introduction to carbon markets. Next Stephen Vantassel, Montana Department of Agriculture Vertebrate Pest Specialist, will discuss control of Richardson’s Ground Squirrels which often are called ‘gophers’. To wrap up the day, Dr. Bill Dyer, a professor with the MSU Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology will do a presentation on herbicide classification and modes of action.
Crop School is a multi-county program through MSU Extension, coordinated by county offices in Broadwater, Gallatin and Madison/Jefferson Counties. The program offers four private pesticide applicator credits. Commercial pesticide credits are also available in select categories. Contact your local Extension Office for details. The event includes a free lunch catered by The Rancher’s Table and sponsored by Rocky Mountain Supply, Headwaters Flying Service, Ag Depot, Circle S Seeds and Harrison Elevator.
Please RSVP by Tuesday, January 19th to guarantee your lunch to MSU Extension in Broadwater County at 406-266-9242 or broadwater@montana.edu. Stay up to date on programs offered in Broadwater County at https://www.montana.edu/extension/broadwater/. Upcoming programs are listed on the right side of the page. You have an option on the page to sign up for the email list if desired.
