2021 Montana Professional Development Mini-Grant Program

Stakeholders rely on Extension Agents to aid in harvesting and feeding decisions when there is a potential for nitrates. The second workshop was to take place during the Annual Extension Conference in October 2021; however, due to COVID, that conference was cancelled and postponed until Spring 2022. The main goal of the second workshop was to gather data regarding the use of the Nitrate Strip Test and to evaluate the forage samples tested.

These kits provided an additional opportunity for Extension Agents to visit with their clientele and stakeholders about the importance of nitrate testing and being able to provide a quantitative rapid measurement prior to harvest. Additionally, this may have led to a reduction in the cost to the producer to send samples to a commercial lab for analysis. This also limited the amount of time a producer needed to wait to harvest compared to previous use of the Nitrate QuikTest, which only provided a “yes or no” answer on if nitrates were present. Due to the ongoing drought in Montana, many Extension Agents were able to have in-depth conversations about nitrates and the risks with feeding forages with more risky levels of nitrates.

The Extension Agents using the Nitrate Strip Test are able to provide a quantitative measurement to their clientele and stakeholders. This allows those clientele to make informed decisions for harvest and feeding. This also allows for producers to make better management decisions on future purchases or selling of tested forages.

In a post-conference survey of Extension professionals who attended NAISMA and the Extension annual conference discussion, all respondents (4) said they will probably implement something in their local programming that they learned through this project. Topics identified as most useful included tools that enhance biological control, invasive annual grass management, invasive species policy, Working Dogs for Conservation, weed free products, and diversity/equity/inclusion regarding invasive species common names.

The post-conference survey showed a 12.5-point improvement in Extension professionals’ level of knowledge about invasive species because of attending the NAISMA conference. On a scale of 1 (low) to 100 (high), respondents average self-rated knowledge about invasive species was 76 prior to attending the conference; after attending the conference the average self-rating was 84.5.

As mentioned above, every Extension professional who participated in the NAISMA conference indicated “probably yes” when asked if they would implement anything from the conference in their local programming. Results were more mixed in response to the session at Extension annual conference: responses ranged from “might or might not” to “probably yes” to “definitely yes.” No one responded “probably not” or “definitely not,” which indicates an overall positive impact for those Extension professionals who chose to participate in this project.

79 participants attended the 5 Farmer Field Days over the course of the summer and fall of 2021, and 8 established farmers acted as instructors at the field days.

34 participants filled out evaluations at the end of the field days (43%). CFAC strives for full participation in field day evaluations, but due to participants leaving early, partially filled out evaluations, or lack of interest, participation in evaluations was lower than usual this summer. CFAC provides both online and paper evaluations options to help combat this issue.

Of the 33 participants that filled out a survey 30 participants (90%) identified an increase in knowledge in the field day topic after the event.

90% of participants identified a learning goal and reported achieving that learning goal. Below are some examples of learning goals:

“Small scale multi-species grazing”

“I [am] hoping to gain some knowledge on shoulder season/winter grazing techniques for multi-species operations”

“Wanted to compare/contrast the berry production on my farm with other operations”

“Knowledge about irrigation and plant varieties”

“Understanding current markets and growing berries in Montana”

“Learn more about seed saving in Montana”

“Hands on seed work”

“Meet people, get a sense of farming in this part of the country, and think about plants and peoples relationships to them”

Orchard soils were sampled for pH, OM, CEC and primary micro and macronutrients.  Average pH was 7.0, however, as expected a majority of orchards had pH’s above 7.2 which is considered high for an orchard.  Somewhat surprisingly, orchards surveyed in the Bitterroot Valley had significantly lower soil pH then other regions across the state (P=.002, see Figure 1).  On average % soil organic matter was 2.5%, ranging from 1.0-4.1% with 45% of samples in the 2-3% organic matter range (see Figure 2).  There was no significant difference in % organic matter based on region.  Both pH and % organic matter are typical for Montana soils which tend to have higher pH and low organic matter on account of soil parent materials, soil age and climate.

In terms of available nutrients, most orchard soils were deficient in boron (84%), sulfur (55%) and copper (27%).  Additional deficiencies were reported in phosphorus, zinc, iron and manganese.  A majority of orchards also had high levels of soil magnesium (50%) and calcium (61%) with some orchards also reporting elevated phosphorus, potassium, zinc and manganese.  The high pH, low organic matter and calcareous qualities of Montana soils likely influence the low availability of these micronutrients. Elevated levels of nutrients may be attributed to orchard management including fertilizer or pesticide inputs containing these nutrients, or in some cases parent material and/or irrigation water.

This survey confirmed that many Montana orchards must overcome high pH and low organic matter soils to supply trees with important nutrients.  Foliar results confirmed that Zn and B are micro-nutrients Montana growers should supplement and carefully monitor.  Additionally, despite elevated levels of Ca, Montana orchards had consistently low levels of foliar Ca.  This is a common experience of growers across the West who must manage Ca nutrition by addressing tree vigor, irrigation practices and crop load in addition to providing foliar sprays as high soil Ca does not guarantee plant uptake and further allocation to fruit.

One surprising result of this survey was the number of orchards deficient in foliar Cu (43%).  While results indicating low soil Cu are not necessarily surprising, Montana orchards are often treated with copper sprays to prevent fire blight.  This is typically enough to supply the needs of the trees as well, however this might not be the case for all orchards given these results.

Pre-project survey results indicated that there was a need among apple growers for more information about orchard nutrition.  Only 36.8% of those surveyed reported they had a plan for managing orchard nutrition and while 26% reported they suspected they had issues 41% felt they had no nutrition issues in their orchard.  Post survey results indicated that in fact all but 1 orchard had some nutrient deficiency in foliar samples, with most reporting two or more and up to six deficiencies.  By addressing these nutrient issues growers may improve yields and the overall health of their trees.

Post-survey results also indicated that this project changed grower management and improved knowledge overall.  Nine growers responded to the survey and 100% indicated that the project would change their management decisions.  Of those 78% indicated that they felt this would increase their revenue.   Additionally, 66.7% said they would continue foliar and soil testing with the remainder indicating that they might, identifying their biggest barriers to employing informed nutrient management to be knowledge of how much to apply, when to apply and the tools to apply fertilizers.  To address some of these barriers, WARC, has drafted a nutrition resource for Montana orchards and is actively contributing to Ch. 11 “Nutrition” in the Intermountain Tree Fruit Production Guide to help inform growers of typical nutrient issues in orchards and the best ways for addressing them.  While application rates are not provided for all, as these are often circumstantial, the guides do provide a framework for interpreting results and determining rates.  As one grower shared in the post-project survey, the first step to overcoming this knowledge barrier is plant nutrient analysis to reveal what is actually needed, “A lot of times I think of NPK, but forget other vital nutrients like Boron, Copper, and Calcium. This was tremendously helpful for putting a plan together for the upcoming season!”

Throughout the course of the spring semester, I was able to delve deeper into a wide range of viticulture and winemaking practices — from planning a new vineyard to managing irrigation, fertility, and pests to tweaking all of the various chemistry involved in the winemaking process. One of the most intriguing takeaways from the virtual classroom stemmed from the fact that my classes were taught by professionals with experience primarily within the more traditional grape and wine industry — that is, individuals who have mostly worked with Vitis Vinifera (often referred to as European varieties), rather than the cold-hardy hybrids that we are typically limited to growing in Montana’s harsher climate. I found that, not only did their perspectives help me to better understand the unique positioning of cold-hardy grapes in the wider industry, I believe my own perspective and knowledge was also enlightening to other students in the class, who had no previous knowledge of or experience with cold-hardy grapes. In this way, I hope that I was able to contribute to the wider awareness of cold-hardy grapes in the larger commercial grape and wine industry in the country.

I also benefited immensely from the opportunity to receive hands-on training and mentorship from Bob Thaden, the owner of Tongue River Winery (TRW), as part of the practicum portion of the courses. While on site, I received a detailed overview of TRW’s growing and winemaking processes from start to finish, paying particular attention to practices that might benefit other growers and winemakers who are working with cold-hardy grapes. I was also able to provide some new insights and suggest practices that TRW might use in assessing bud injury and adjusting pruning strategies — topics which I was able to delve deeper into in my VESTA courses. The only unfortunate piece of the practicum visit was that, due to various COVID exposures and precautions, I was not able to visit any other vineyards or wineries while in eastern Montana. I was, however, able to stay in touch via phone and email to provide advice throughout the season, offering advice one everything from dormant pruning to soil fertility to disease management.

I was able to immediately apply all of this newfound knowledge to benefit the research projects within our vineyard and wine lab at WARC. It also informed presentations about growing grapes in Montana, which I shared with over 250 stakeholders, including attendees of WARC’s annual Field Day (~200 attendees), MSU Extension’s Small Farms Bootcamp class (~10 attendees), and one of Community Food & Agriculture Coalition’s Farmer Field Days (~12 attendees). Perhaps the greatest measurable influence of my education was in planning the Montana Grape and Wine Association’s (MTGWA) annual conference in March of 2021. Alongside Dr. Zach Miller, I planned and executed all elements of the virtual conference. Having a better handle on the topics that a majority of growers and winemakers grapple with allowed me to build a more relevant lineup of speakers and topics for the conference. We sourced and coordinated a line-up of 18 speakers comprised of vineyard and winemaking experts from across the country who covered topics from variety selection to nutrient/weed management to influencing wine phenolics to business considerations for starting a winery. The VESTA education also informed my own presentation, which included information about testing for winter bud injury and appropriate dormant pruning methods, in addition to a summary of our fruit wine research at WARC. The conference was considered a great success, with attendance reaching a high of ~40 individuals who were primarily members of MTGWA, but also included a few non-members from the region. Polls conducted at the end of each session throughout the conference indicated that the presentations provided relevant and applicable information for attendees, with every single poll question (3 total for each session) showing a majority of respondents having learned useful information that they would both use in their own operation and be interested in learning more about. 

Since the podcast aired in January 2020, the five current episodes have received 654 downloads to date. Listeners have utilized a multitude of applications to download and listen to the podcast. The highest number have used the hosting website, Buzzsprout with Apple Podcasts having a close second. The podcast is also available on Spotify, Podcast Addict, CastBox, Google Podcasts, and others. Overall, between using a desktop or mobile device, 65% of all downloads and listens are done on mobile. This number tells me that I am achieving my goal of reaching those producers and other agriculture professionals who are on the move. But that also means that I am still reaching those who are at home and using a desktop or laptop, 32% of listeners are utilizing a computer to listen either by app or browser. The final 3% have utilized tablets, smart speakers and even a smart TV.
In order for a podcast to be created, a hosting website must be used. Buzzsprout has been an exceptional platform for me to rely on when posting my episodes. The website does a thorough job of collecting data on downloads and listeners. One of the more useful tools has been the ability to discover the locations of particular downloads. The United States has my top downloads with 635, but I have had downloads from Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Indonesia and India. In the US, the state with the top downloads has been Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve contributed most of these downloads from rural internets and cell phones since Salt Lake City provides one of the closest data centers for many broadband, satellite and cellular providers. Bozeman, Helena and Missoula have been the top Montana locations to have downloads. But the most exciting part of this data report is I can see rural Montana communities that have downloaded episodes. Superior, Conrad, Shelby, Worden, Scobey, Culbertson, Belt, Harlowton and Philipsburg are just a few of the rural areas that have had four or more downloads. This is another indicator that I am reaching my intended rural audience. Just as exciting are listeners I have across the country in states such as Virginia, California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Oregon among many others. This dramatically widens the scope of my listenership and suggests that many of our themes in Montana are relevant to other states as well.
I asked MSU Extension colleagues to complete a short survey about the podcast. Twenty-nine individuals responded to the survey, of those twenty-nine twenty-four responded they had listened to the podcast. Several questions were asked in regard to content and quality of the podcast. When asked if the selection of guests were topical to the themes of the episodes, 73% of respondents agreed the guests fit the theme. In response to the question “have episodes presented you with information you have addressed in your own programming” responses were spread out equally between yes, no and maybe. One of the more pertinent questions “have any episodes changed your attitude toward agriculture” had some surprising answers. Fifty-five percent of respondants said “no” but thirty percent said maybe, and the final fifteen said “yes”. I had expected that most of the information from the podcasts would not have changed the attitudes of listeners.
Podcasts provide listeners and educators with one exceptional advantage; it allows them to access the contact whenever and wherever they desire. It is completely modular, the episodes of the MT AgCast are available on a myriad of devices including the web. One of the most daunting challenges during 2020 was providing content to our clients over-distance. This has taken on many digital avenues, the primary one being web-based. This podcast offers an alternative, it is informational and conversational and allows the audience to learn without having to take notes. It promotes multi-tasking by allowing the listeners to absorb the information without have to take time from other duties. For agriculture producers this is particularly appealing, this industry is constantly on the move; feeding, plowing, planting, calving, spraying, hauling and harvesting to only name a few.
The MT AgCast has far exceeded my expectations, by 12/31/20 I will have aired six full episodes, and next year I will be partnering with the Montana IPM Grant Taskforce to produce an additional six IPM special episodes. Producing twelve episodes in 2021 will be a daunting task. The availability of new technology and new software, my ability to provide quality audio, incorporate topical themes and host interesting guests will launch the MT AgCast into a new era of distance learning and outreach to the agricultural industry in Montana.

Forty seven participants attended the two day conference to listen to speakers and panelists talk about the operations and marketing potentials for small farm enterprises in western Montana. 

Highlights of the sessions included: 

A presentation by WSARE Advisory Committee Alaska representative Bryce Wrigley, who discussed topics of agritourism and creating a noticeable brand in direct marketing of agriculture. 

Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick, who discussed the importance of a local food network in western Montana. 

Roundtable discussion led by local area farmers about the opportunities and challenges of directly marketing farm products to consumers through farm stands, farmers markets, CSA's and online stores. 

Farmer roundtable discussions bout high value crop options for small farms.  

Half day field trips took participants to three locations in the Missoula area: a niche-meats processing center, a agritourism farm and farm stand, and a fruit and berry research orchard. 

20 (n=20)participants submitted a final evaluation of the Small Farms Conference in October. Highlights of the data presented include:
Asked to use a 5 point scale (1= strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree) to report information on the following prompts:
- conference having an economic importance for them: 70% (n=14) reported 5, 25% (n=5) reported a 4, and 5% reported a 3.
- Learned new information I did not previously know: 75% (n=15) reported 5, 20% (n=4) reported 4, and 5% (n=1) reported 3 out of a 5 point scale.
- When asked if the participant feels more confident about opportunities for small farm enterprises after attending the conference, 70% (n=14) reported 5, 20% (n=4) reported a 4, and 10% (n=2) reported a 3.

Acquisition of new knowledge and skills

Participants in each workshop took a pre and post-test on the day of the workshop. When asked about their knowledge of soil health before the workshop, the average score was 3.2 on a five-point scale. After the workshop, this number increased to 3.9. There were some attendees that went down in their knowledge of soil health but remarked that this was because they realized by the end of the workshop that they knew less than they thought they did in the first place. When asked what they planned to implement following the workshops, attendees listed: intensive grazing, brix testing forages, using natural methods of fertilizer and weed control, soil testing, and planting more diverse stands.

Changes in professionals’ attitudes or understanding

The workshop resulted in a greater understanding of soil health and how the principles can be used on ranches. Attendees came from a diversity of backgrounds from across the state. Participants came from Glacier, Liberty, Toole, Pondera, Teton, and Cascade counties as predicted but also from Yellowstone, Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Judith Basin counties and Utah. The attendees also came from a wide range of backgrounds. Two attendees were land managers for large acreages owned by out-of-staters, some were very small acreage landowners, some in the middle, and a few agency staff. The diversity in backgrounds for the attendees contributed to the greater understanding for each other and what everyone can do to improve soil health. Each attendee left the workshop with a positive attitude towards soil health and looking forward to how they can improve their ranches.  

Changes in professionals’ behavior and action

Three months after the workshops, a follow-up evaluation was sent out to all attendees to see what behavior changes they had made and what actions they had taken. Five of the attendees responded to the survey, giving us a response rate of 13.5%. When asked what they had done or are planning on doing on their ranch because of the Soil Health for Ranchers workshop, producers responded with more soil tests, feeding humate and boron to livestock, mapping cheat grass infestations, rotational grazing, planting a cover crop, making a Johnson-Su bioreactor, and refraining from using insecticides in livestock. When asked what principles they had investigated further, responses included rotational grazing, micronutrients, fungi-bacteria ratio, what weeds say about soil, Korean natural farming, brix scoring, and natural cattle care. Realizing that a lot of the behavior changes that were talked about during the workshop may be difficult for some to implement, we also asked what was holding producers back from implementing changes. Financial reasons and time were the top two answers, with uncertainty being another answer.

We achieved our goal to increase capacity for local food practitioners working on food systems programs across Montana.

Following participation in the courses, all participants reported an increase of new knowledge and skills. In reviewing results from our pre-survey and post-survey evaluations, we found the following results.

All participants increased their knowledge and understanding of the following topics:

• Business Development Tools (e.g. logic models, project scope, work plans, budgets)
• The impact food system sectors have on community
• Values-based Community Food Systems
• Values-based Community Food Systems relation to community and economic development goals
• Evaluation of programs, projects, and food systems change in communities
• How to design community food system projects that help to develop one of the food system sectors

(100% of respondents/course participants rated their extent of understanding and knowledge about these topics as “A great deal,” “Considerably,” or “Moderately.”)

In addition, following the course, all participants (100%) “Strongly Agreed” that:

1. I feel confident partnering with other individuals or organizations to develop community food systems.
2. I am effective at managing and facilitating conversations on food system topics with the community and dynamic groups of people
3. I understand the importance of inclusion and building trust with diverse audiences and stakeholders.

Following the course, 84% “Strongly Agreed” and 16% “Moderately Agreed” that:

1. I have knowledge of tools I can use to conduct a program or project evaluation.
2. I have confidence that I can find the appropriate tool(s) to evaluate programs or projects
3. I have identified my personal values that connect to my goals in food systems work

The LFL and CFSA courses were successful in increasing participants’ understanding of food system sectors, asset areas, confidence in partnering with stakeholders, and tools for evaluation, business development, coalition building, and developing food system sectors.

100% of respondents/course participants felt they “have confidence in my ability to improve networks and relationships with both local and regional cohorts” following participation in the LFL and/or CFSA course. Additionally, 100% of respondents/course participants answered either a 4 or 5 on a 1-5 Likert scale rating whether “This coursework helped me become aware of new tools and/or resources for various food sectors (production, transformation, distribution, consumption, and resource management).”

Having AERO staff trained as both CFSA assessors and Local Food Leaders is potent for our work building and supporting sustainable, resilient community food systems across Montana. Participants are already incorporating skills and knowledge learned through the LFL and CFSA courses into their daily work. Because of these trainings, AERO was able to lead and facilitate a nine-month community food systems assessment in Butte in 2021. The assessment was received incredibly positively by the community. The Butte assessment cohort identified multiple benefits including: a broader understanding and awareness of food-related issues in their community; new and strengthened relationships with different food system stakeholders; increased community participation in shaping their food system; and greater community capacity to create positive change. We are now in conversation with three other Montana communities--Fort Belknap, Billings, and Helena--to offer facilitated assessments in 2022-2024 to identify strengths and opportunities to enhance community food system collaboration and resiliency.

All participants were surveyed at the conclusion of the workshop. All but one respondent signified that their level of understanding of the agronomic principles behind soybean production increased. The lone respondent indicated that he/she had and excellent understanding prior to the workshop so there was no chance for an increase. All respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they are more aware of the agronomic practices surrounding soybean production. All also agreed or strongly agreed that they feel comfortable sharing information learned during the workshop. 

Garden in a Bag, Ten Mistakes All New Beekeepers Make, Extension Retreats, Building Synergy, Collaboration, and Fun, Reporting – Work Smarter Not Harder (Using ARC GIS & ARC Survey 123), Crops TV, Drone Workshop, Edutainment – Making Pesticide Education Fun, Revitalizing a Community Farmers Market, Finding the Ideal Cow for Idaho, Grill Smart – Protecting Palatability, and Videography for Extension Programming (Super Seminar – 3 hours long) to name a few of the workshop presentations the participants attended. 

There were 6 different sessions running concurrently and participants chose  topics that they were interested in or that would be of use to our communities and clientele.

One agent participant reported, "Since I teach beekeeping classes the topic Ten Mistakes All New Beekeepers Make, was of keen interest to me. The speaker utilized slides to illustrate the most common errors a newbie beekeeper is likely to make and how to avoid falling into those traps. I plan to utilize this format in my next introduction to beekeeping workshop to minimize the problems my clients have and help them succeed in their beekeeping venture."

Another participant reported about the Garden in a Bag presentation. "

The Garden in A Bag idea was presented by a horticulture agent from Florida that worked in a poverty-stricken rural area. Her goal was to teach gardening one bag at a time, but also to provide Extension in a bag – providing access to the resources, information, and education provided by Extension. Though her climate differs a great deal from mine, I felt that I could utilize this idea to help underserved audiences learn about gardening with vegetables and fruits that are easy to grow and highly successful in my region. The bag includes seeds for 3 – 4 vegetables and one fruit, plus an Extension brochure on planting, growing, harvesting, and preserving information, and a QR code for a survey for feedback on the program."

The experiences and new knowledge the attending agents received will continue to echo through their communities, as they integrate ideas and information learned into the instruction they do locally and across the state.