MonDak Cropping Seminar Scheduled Feb. 24
Montana State University Extension Agents in the northeast region are planning the MonDak Cropping Seminar, formerly known as MonDak Pulse Day, for Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Wolf Point. This event will feature a wide range of topics and a great lineup of speakers.
The event will be held at the Sherman Inn at 200 East Main St. with registration beginning at 9 a.m. There is a $20 registration fee and lunch will be included. A total of four pesticide points will be available for private applicators during the Mon-Dak Cropping Seminar, two available in the morning and two in the afternoon. Credits will also be available in the following categories: Dealer (4); Aerial (4); Agricultural Plant Pest Control (4); Forest Pest Control (2); Right of Way Pest Control (2); Demonstration and Research (4); Special Utility (2); Regulatory Weed (2); and Private Aerial (4).
The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. with Tiziana Oppedisano, assistant professor and Extension agronomic entomologist at Montana State University. Her presentation will focus on recognizing and managing common early- season insect pests such as cutworms, wireworms and alfalfa weevils in field crop systems.
At 10:45 a.m., Chris Augustin, director of the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center, will present on soil acidity management, an issue that affects nutrient availability, microbial activity, as well as plant growth and the overall soil composition.
To conclude the morning session, Frankie Crutcher, associate professor of Plant Pathology at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney, will present on a pulse crop survey that is being conducted in eastern Montana in collaboration with the Eastern Ag Research Center, stakeholders, and producers, in an effort to develop a database on what’s happening with pulse diseases and pests in the region.
Following lunch, at 1 p.m. Ricardo Pinto, assistant professor and precision agriculture specialist at Montana State University’s Northern Ag Research Center, will focus on the latest advancements in using drones for agricultural applications in Montana, particularly for mapping field variability and improving weed management. The presentation will cover multiple use cases, including a hands-on example of collecting and processing drone imagery with artificial intelligence to create a prescription map for a spray drone or section-control sprayer. Wrapping up the day will be Josh Wagoner, Montana Department of Agriculture’s Early Detection, Rapid Response coordinator, who will discuss detection and management of invasive and noxious weed species and the Early Detection Rapid Response Program efforts in Montana. In northeast Montana, palmer amaranth and waterhemp have most recently been detected.
For more information on the MonDak Cropping Seminar, contact the MSU Extension Roosevelt County office at 406-787-5312 or wbecker@montana.edu.
