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The Froid Research Farm Field Day is back! Bees, peas and grasshoppers are featured talks, including a discussion of native bees and other pollinators in ag systems, along with information on how to set up your own honeybee colony. The full agenda can be found here. The event is Thursday, June 22 from 1-5:30 pm. More details here.
Workshop Recording Available
Grasshopper outbreaks decimated many MonDak area crops and pastures last year. Will it happen again? Suggestions for what farmers and ranchers can expect and management options were outlined at our March 29th Grasshopper Workshop. A recording of that workshop is now available. Click here to view it and more.
The 4th annual MonDak Ag Research Summit was moved online due to Covid-19 and included a series of Zoom webinars focusing on ag issues and research applicable to area farmers and ranchers in Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota. Recordings of all six webinars featuring keynote speakers on timely topics in addition to local researchers are available here.
ARS technicians are installing WaterMark soil moisture sensors and using a grout of native soil mud in a corn field.The blue cap is an access tube for the Neutron probe. The sensors are used to measure soil water potential and plant water use, as well as for irrigation scheduling.
ARS researchers at SIdney, MT are studying the use of cover crops in place of fallow in the MonDak region, but first must address the limited precipitation, cold climate and short growing season which make cover crop germination, establishment and significant biomass production more difficult in this semi-arid region.
Direct seeding sugar beet in a new study evaluating the performance of the no-till technique in a 2-year (sugar beet/barley) and 4-year (sugar beet/corn/soybean/barley) rotation.
Mission
The mission of the Agricultural Systems Research Unit (ASRU) is to develop diversified irrigated and dryland cropping systems that enhance soil and water quality, conserve natural resources, and reduce dependence on agrochemicals in the Upper Missouri River Basin and the nation; to develop and transfer innovative technologies that improve the economic and environmental viability of traditional and non-traditional agricultural enterprises; and to provide leadership for interdisciplinary teams and collaborative partnerships.