ARS Facility Hosts Skywarn Training with NWS: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT). NPARL was the location for a free weather spotting class open to the public in Sidney, MT on Monday, April 13. Sidney ARS Safety and Occupational Health Specialist Jackie Couture was the location contact for the class sponsored by Richland County Disaster and Emergency Services (DES) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service in Glasgow, MT. The training was a two-hour interactive presentation that covered the basics of how thunderstorms form and other weather safety information. Subscribers to Verizon and Alltel also learned that they can now receive weather alerts on their cell phones. Several ARS employees have participated in this annual weather training and the Sidney location earned a NWS “StormReady Supporter” Certificate of Accomplishment earlier for its ongoing weather preparedness and outreach efforts.

Global Workshop on Tunis, Tunisia: The ARS Office of International Research Programs (Beltsville) and the National Animal Germplasm Program (Ft. Collins) are sponsoring a global workshop on “Genebank Development for the Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources” in Tunis, Tunisia on April 21-23. The workshop will cover all aspects of livestock genebank development and operation. Collaborating in sponsoring the workshop are: FAO, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), and the National Gene Bank of Tunisia. Approximately 50 people are registered for the workshop from 23 countries. Contacts: Ibrahim Shaqir and Harvey Blackburn.

April 8, 2009

ARS Soil Scientists To Participate In EGU Meeting In Vienna: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT). NPARL Researchers Soil Scientists Jay D. Jabro and Upendra Sainju and Research Microbiologist TheCan Caesar will participate in the 2009 General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) to be held April 19-24 in Vienna, Austria. They will each present work highlighting the research currently underway at the location. Altogether, more than 9,000 scientists from all over the world are expected to attend this year’s EGU General Assembly, which will cover all disciplines of the Earth and Planetary Sciences including: geology, geomorphology, geochemistry, geophysics, geobiology and hazards research as well as planetary and space sciences.

Media Note In The ARS News Service:  On April, 7, an item in the ARS News Service about converting corrugated plastic totes into “nurseries” for wild bees attracted the attention of one of the nation’s largest suppliers of the totes, commonly used by mail carriers and package handlers. MDI of Grand Rapids, MN, has expressed an interest in tailoring their totes for bee-housing needs, according to James H. Cane, research entomologist at the ARS Pollinating Insects  Biology, Management and Systematics  Research Unit in Logan, Utah, who has developed and tested this use of totes. Wild bees are urgently needed to augment the work of America’s honey bees, which have been hard hit by colony collapse disorder as well as by mites, small hive beetles, Africanized honey bees, and diseases.

March 4, 2009

ARS Researcher Participates In Regional ACE Fish Wildlife Workshop: On March 3-5, NPARL Research Botanist and Pest Management Research Unit Leader John Gaskin was invited to speak at the Northwestern Division of Army Corps of Engineers Fish and Wildlife Workshop held in Coeur D’Alene, ID. Dr. Gaskin’s presentation, entitled “The use of molecular genetics in controlling invasions,” was among several offered at the session on ongoing research surrounding invasive plant and animals. The three-day event included presentations by representatives from several state and federal agencies, organizations and private businesses and tribal governments and regarding fish and wildlife habitat and management programs and issues in the region.

February 04, 2009

ARS Reps Help Judge Rural Science Fair: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT). Seven NPARL staff members, both scientists and technicians, helped judge the Rau Elementary School Science Fair held January 29 at the rural Sidney, MT, school. The judges reviewed numerous projects submitted by 3rd through 6th grade students at the school, which serves approximately 60 students from the surrounding countryside. The judges worked in teams, typically with an ARS representative teamed with another judge from the community. The judging criteria included use of the scientific method, display quality, adherence to project guidelines, effort, originality, as well as student understanding and oral communication, the latter garnered through personal interviews with the student. This year there were several experiments with plants and growth rates, along with fertilizer methods. Participating from NPARL were: technicians Mary Mayer, Paul Kaufmann, Nicole Davidson, and Laura Senior and scientists Dr. Robert Srygley, Bill Iversen and Dr. Dave Branson. NPARL staff members also typically help with preparations for the science fair by giving a presentation for students at the school several weeks prior to that year’s event, discussing the scientific method and how to set up a science experiment. All of this year’s volunteer judges are with NPARL’s Pest Management Research Unit, except Physical Scientist Bill Iversen, who works in the Agricultural Systems Research Unit.

January 28, 2009

Young Grain Growers Tour Montana ARS Laboratory: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT). Forty-two young producers toured NPARL Jan. 28, as part of the Montana Grain Growers Association’s 2009 Young Grain Growers Marketing Tour. Entitled the “Follow the Markets” tour, the group is traveling from Central Montana to Minneapolis, MN, making stops along the way at ag research and related facilities and businesses.  At NPARL, tour participants heard two presentations, the first an overview of the Sidney ARS lab by Agricultural Systems Research Unit Leader Robert Evans, and the second an overview of the wheat stem sawfly biological control program and a “virtual” tour of NPARL’s new biological control containment facilit, by Biological Science Technician Deb Waters. The group then followed up with tours of the rest of the ARS research facility led by Evans, NPARL Research Plant Ecologist Erin Espeland, NPARL Research Agronomist Brett Allen, and NPARL Technical Information Specialist Beth Redlin.  The group then visited researchers with Montana State University’s Eastern Agricultural Research Center, which is co-located with ARS in Sidney, before completing their stay with a stop at the local Busch Ag malting barley storage facility. Dr. Allen is a member of NPARL’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit, while Waters and Dr. Espeland are members of the lab’s Pest Management Research Unit.   

Montana ARS Research Featured At Regional Farm Shows: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT). NPARL employees will be participating in two area agricultural trade shows in February. On Feb. 3-4, NPARL employees will staff a booth at the 56th National Hard Spring Wheat Show in Williston, ND. On display will be information on the Montana ARS lab’s dryland cropping systems research, with a focus on the use of alternative management systems and diverse rotations to help manage crop weeds. That research is being conducted by Dr. Andrew Lennsen, NPARL Weed Ecologist with the lab’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit. Also featured at the Williston, ND locale will be information on NPARL’s biological control program for wheat stem sawfly and the Mormon cricket immunology research being conducted by NPARL Research Ecologist Robert Srygley. On Feb. 13-14, NPARL will have another booth at the Glendive Agri-Trade Exhibition in Glendive, MT. That booth will feature research by NPARL Agronomist Bart Stevens looking at nitrogen application rates in strip-tilled versus conventionally tilled sugar beet under sprinkler irrigation. That research has shown that conventional fertilizer rates produced comparable yields and sugar percentages in the strip-tilled test crop. Stevens and other researchers with NPARL’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit previously demonstrated significant time and energy savings for strip tilled sugar beet since as many as five or six fewer passes were needed across the field, along with reduced environmental impacts. Their findings are now prompting producers both locally and across the region to convert thousands of acres of conventionally tilled sugar beet to strip till.

ARS Molecular Biologist To Present Paper In Florida:  ARS Molecular Biologist, Brenda Oppert with the Biological Research Unit, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Manhattan, KS, will attend the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology meeting at Marco Island, Florida, February 4-7. She will present the paper “Transcriptome profiling of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa intoxication of Tenebrio molitor larvae."

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December 10, 2008

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Plains Area Scientists To Present At Forest Service Symposium On Climate Change: On December 11th, Drs. Jack Morgan (Research Leader/Plant Physiologist, Ft. Collins, CO) and Mark Liebig (Research Soil Scientist, Mandan, ND) will give presentations at the Custer National Forest division’s Symposium on Climate Change in Billings, MT.  Dr. Morgan will speak on ‘Vegetation and Invasives under a Changing Climate’ while Dr. Liebig will present ‘Management Effects on Soil Carbon Dynamics in Rangeland Ecosystems’.  They gave similar presentations at the Dakota Prairie Grasslands division’s Symposium on Climate Change in Bismarck, ND on December 5th to an audience of over 50 attendees.

ARS Scientist Recipient Of The Red River Valley Sugarbeet Grower’s Association Distinguished Service Award:  Karen Fugate (formerly Klotz), Research Plant Molecular Biologist, Sugarbeet & Potato Research Unit, Fargo, ND, was the 2008 recipient of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Grower’s Association Distinguished Service Award.  The award was presented at the annual meeting of the sugarbeet grower’s association held on December 4.  Dr. Fugate was recognized for her research contributions to the sugarbeet industry which have focused on the effects of environment and disease on sugar retention and recovery from sugarbeets. 

ARS Researcher Invited So Speak At South Dakota State University: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT)  NPARL Research Entomologist Stefan Jaronski was invited to speak to the South Dakota University Department of Plant Sciences and the ARS North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory (NCARL), in Brookings, SD as part of their Fall 2008 Seminar Speaking Series. Dr. Jaronski, a member of NPARL’s Pest Management Research Unit, spoke at SDSU on December 8th. His seminar, entitled “Managing Maggot Mania Mycologically with Metarhizum,” featured his research on the sugar beet root maggot and the use of new fungal agents to help manage this important sugar beet pest. That research has shown that at low to moderate insect pressure Metarhizium works as well as the most common chemical control used. Dr. Jaronski is currently studying the integration of Metarhizium with a suite of other management tools to better control higher insect pressure situations.

ARS Researcher Invited To Speak At Irrigation Workshop: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT)  NPARL Research Leader and Agricultural Engineer Robert Evans has been invited to speak at the “Maximize your $$$ Irrigation Workshop” to be held at North Dakota State University’s Williston Research Extension Center in Williston, ND, on December 17. The workshop will focus on how irrigators can achieve consistency in crop yields and quality, with an emphasis on specific water management techniques and crops. Dr. Evans, Research Leader of NPARLS’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit, will discuss the innovative research being done at NPARL on strip tillage of sugar beet. That research has shown that productivity and quality are comparable between strip tillage and conventional tillage systems over a five-year period. In addition, Sidney ARS research has shown that strip tillage can save producers up to $100/acre in fuel costs and time since it requires 5 to 6 fewer trips across the field than does conventional tillage. Joining Dr. Evans to discuss additional strip tillage research and application efforts at North Dakota State University in Fargo will be NDSU Ag Machines Specialist John Nowatzki and producer Scott Flynn. Other topics at the workshop include updates on EQIP programs, research at Nesson Valley, irrigation crop budgets, irrigation water management, irrigation scheduling and an update from the ND State Water Commission.

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December 3, 2008

ARS Researchers Invited To Meet With Scientists At International Bio Firm: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT)  NPARL Research Entomologist Stefan Jaronski was invited to speak to researchers at Novozymes Biologicals, Corp. in Salem, VA Dec. 3 to discuss his sugarbeet maggot research using the firm’s Metarhizium fungus (F52). Novozymes is a global company headquartered in Denmark that produces industrial enzymes, microorganisms and biopharmaceutical ingredients for industry. Dr. Jaronski’s findings may lead to the expansion of Novozymes’ fungus registration to sugar beets. Also joining Dr. Jaronski was Microbiologist Mark Jackson, from ARS’ National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL, who discussed fermentation issues. Dr. Jaronski is a member of NPARL’s Pest Management Research Unit.

ARS researcher To Speak At The South Dakota Ag Horizons Conference: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT)  NPARL Research Ecologist Dr. Andrew Lenssen was invited to speak at the 2008 “Crops, Critters and Carbons” Ag Horizons Conference held in Pierre, SD on December 2-3. Dr. Lenssen’s talk entitled “Dryland Cropping Systems for Improved Crop Productivity and Weed Management” was scheduled for presentation both days. His research addresses improved weed management and crop production practices in irrigated and dryland environments. An estimated 400 participants attended this year's two-day conference, which featured 25 speakers on a wide range of topics including cover crops, carbon credits, crop rotation, variety recommendations, entomology and weed management, fertilizer costs, and insurance and taxation updates. The event is popular with producers. Dr. Lennsen is a member of NPARL’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit.

ARS Researcher To speak At the WA Horticultural Association Meeting: (USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, MT)  NPARL Agricultural Engineer Dr. Robert Evans spoke at the 104th annual meeting of the Washington State Horticultural Association held in Yakima, WA, on December 1-3. The meeting “Celebrating Tree Fruit: Opportunities for the Next Generation” was attended by over 1,300 participants and 200 exhibitors. Dr. Evans gave a keynote address on the basics of reducing low temperature injury to orchard and vine crops to growers, industry and Extension people. The speaking invitation was the result of previous research on cold temperature protection of crops conducted by Dr. Evans while at Washington State University. Dr. Evans currently serves as Research Leader of NPARL’s Agricultural Systems Research Unit. The Washington State Horticultural Association was organized in 1904 and represents both shippers and growers. Their mission is to advance and enhance the tree fruit industry in the state of Washington.

ARS Scientist Gives Seminar On Stored Product Entomology At University Of Manitoba:  On December 4, Frank Arthur, Research Entomologist, ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Manhattan, KS, will present a seminar “Stored Product Entomology: Present Status and Future Trends” to the University of Manitoba's Department of Entomology, Winnipeg, Canada.

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November 13, 2008

ARS Scientists To Attend National Meeting Of The Entomological Society of America: Drs. Frank Arthur, Jim Campbell, Brenda Oppert, and Jim Throne with the Biological Research Unit, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Manhattan, KS, will attend the annual meeting November 16-20.  Presentations to be given are: Stored-product Entomology, Past, Present and Future by Frank Arthur; Influence of spillage landscape pattern on red flour beetle response to pheromone traps by Jim Campbell; and Functional analysis of Bt intoxication in coleopteran insects, Desiccation and hypoxic stress induced changes in gene expression in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and The Tribolium genome: Unlocking the secrets of the gut transcriptome and proteome by Brenda Oppert.

ARS Soil Scientist Participates In A Canadian Workshop To Develop Protocols To Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Nitrogen Application In Agricultural Systems:  On October 27-29, soil scientist Ardell Halvorson, ARS Soil-Plant-Nutrient Research Unit, Fort Collins, CO, was an invited participant in a Nitrous Oxide Emissions Reduction Protocol workshop in Calgary, Alberta to establish protocols that farmers can follow to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from their land resulting from nitrogen application for which they will be compensated.   Halvorson served as a scientific resource person for this process.  The nitrous oxide reduction protocols established for Alberta will apply to other Prairie Provinces and will have applicability throughout Canada and potentially for the U.S.

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