Annual Forages May Be Popular Again This Year
Annual Forages May Be Popular Again This Year Last year the drought conditions of 2021 left a major hay shortage across most of North Dakota and Montana. That situation followed by a late, wet spring led to many more acres of annual forages being planted in...
Youth Farm Safety Camps Set
Youth Farm Safety Camps Set Three dates and locations are available for North Dakota youth. Youth will be able to learn about safe farm and ranch practices during three statewide Farm Safety Camps that North Dakota State University Extension is hosting this year....
Check Your Sump Pumps: Take 2
Check Your Sump Pumps: Take 2 Last week I wrote about the problems which I found with my sump pumps. My black plastic pipes on the ground outside are still frozen under the snow and ice but the east side of my house has drain tile which terminates in a sump inside a...
Check Your Sump Pumps
Check Your Sump Pumps This news release from NDSU Extension about checking your sump pumps is very timely and a great reminder for us. We may not have as much snow as some parts of the state but the cool temperatures we have been having are slowing the...
Leadership/Personal Development Opportunity
Leadership/Personal Development Opportunity Would you like to learn more about leadership at the local, state, and national levels? How about leadership within private companies and organizations? The NDSU Rural leadership North Dakota program is seeking...
Backyard Poultry
Backyard Poultry I recently wrote about the continuing threat of Avian influenza. Today I am going to use a news release from NDSU Extension offering advice for beginning backyard poultry owners. This article offers some great advice for new poultry owners or those...
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events February 24th Burke County Ag Improvement 9:30 am, Lignite Community Center February 24th 11:30 Election of County Representative to the ND Dry Pea and Lentil Council Lignite Community Center March 9th, 2023 Getting It...
Avian Influenza Continues To Be A Concern
Avian Influenza Continues To Be A Concern Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to be a concern for North Dakota poultry owners, hunters, and bird enthusiasts. While there have been no new cases reported in North Dakota since November, there...
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events February 15th Best of The Best in Wheat Production Grand Hotel, Minot February 24th Burke County Ag Improvement 9:30 am, Lignite Community Center February 24th 11:30...
Biologicals For Fertility and Yield
Biologicals For Fertility and Yield Farmers have used biologicals for many years in the form of inoculants for nitrogen-fixing crops like alfalfa, peas, lentils, beans, and soybeans. So what is the fuss all about? We now have companies marketing biologicals...
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This Weeks Spring Fever Garden Forum
North Dakota State University is offering a series of workshops for gardeners. The Spring Fever Garden Forums will run on Monday evenings, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. CT, from March 25 to April 15.
Session 4, April 15th Special Topics
- Bees and Bee Mimics in Gardens
- Crabgrass Management in Lawns
- Mike Who? Fungi That Help Gardens
In person attendees at the Burke County Courthouse Community Room in Bowbells will receive a special gift.
All sessions are free and recorded for future viewing but registration is requested. Please register at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/spring-fever-garden-forums/
Avian Influenza Found in Cattle! Update!
Confirmed cases of HPAI continue to spread in dairy herds in the US. HPAI is now confirmed in ten herds in six states. The good news is that it appears that most, if not all, confirmed cases beyond the original one in Texas purchased heifers from the dairy in Texas where the first case was confirmed.
This highlights the importance of good biosecurity procedures such as quarantining of newly purchased livestock of any species. While no confirmed cases have been reported in beef cattle it is possible or maybe even probable that beef cattle have been infected.
Decreased herd level milk production; acute sudden drop in production with some severely impacted cows experiencing thicker, concentrated, colostrum-like milk; decrease in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen motility; abnormal tacky or loose feces, lethargy, dehydration, and fever. Based on these symptoms, beef cattle with mild symptoms may not even be noticed in many beef cattle herds. These symptoms may also be caused by a variety of other viral and/ or bacterial diseases. Initial cases indicated older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows and fresh cows or heifers. Additional data indicates younger cattle have been affected; more data and reporting from impacted producers will help to clarify the range of animals affected.
Livestock producers need to practice good biosecurity including quarantine of newly purchased animals. While it is not possible to completely protect all feed sources from contact with wild birds, keeping feed storage bins and buildings closed and sealed against sparrows, pigeons, and other species of wild birds can lessen the possibility of HPAI transmission and other infectious disease transmission through feed sources.