MGGA Weekly Crop Condition Survey

 

 

MAY 30, 2023

Blaine/Phillips County - Raymond Keller
Winter wheat was planted late and is late emerging. I still need to spread urea on it and spray it. I have 75% stand. Mustard is in and up. Flea beetle is out and needs to be sprayed. Lentils are up, have been rolled and look good. Spring wheat, we just finished planting May 26th. Most is up and has moisture. Finished seeding May 26th. Spring crops are coming along nicely. Winter wheat is still a huge question mark. We did patch in some and reseeded a little bit. Majority of it we will ride it out. Still behind on top dressing winter wheat and spraying winter wheat. Moisture conditions are good receiving .5-1.5" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, lentils and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are in the 1-leaf growth stage. Flea beetles and gophers showing up, as well as kochia, Russian thistle and buckwheat.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Sprayed neighbor's chemfallow this week. Winter wheat has started heading out and it’s about six inches tall. Not even going to be able to make a hay bale out of it. Don’t understand how we can only be in moderate drought when the wheat isn’t even going to get tall enough to keep the antelope full. Probably waste some more money next week and spray the durum, barley and canola. Moisture conditions are poor receiving .2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum.

Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
Wet spring has made getting work done difficult. This is just the kind of problem you want to have. The winter wheat looks excellent in spite of not getting the top dressing done until last week. The barley is coming up nicely and the peas are showing themselves after only being in the ground less than a week. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .7" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and peas. Winter wheat is in the tillering growth stage and barley is in the 3-leaf growth stage. Last days of May and we're just going to spray the summer fallow today.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Well, our traditional Memorial Day rain came through for us in a big way. Amounts varied across the farm, with 1.75 at one end and a surprising 2.61 here at our Fieldhouse. The older winterwheat had been suffering but spring grains were ok. Everything, including the crested wheatgrass, gained a new attitude on Saturday. This was not a general rain; I'm sure results were spotty in the area. Last week there was some grasshopper spraying on this prairie. With showers forecast later this week, there is some hope that Mother Nature might assist us in tamping down the hopper problem. Sawfly has not emerged yet. All in all, it's nice to know it can still rain. Moisture conditions are good receiving 2.61" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is jointing and spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Hoppers showing up, as well as mustard and cheat.


Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
Everything is growing so fast. Moisture conditions are good receiving .97-1.54" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is tillering and barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage. Lambsquarter is showin up as well as russian thistle but still no diseases.

Fergus County - Robert Bold
Done top dressing and spraying winter wheat. Barley is about ready to be sprayed. We are not done with the chemfallow. Starting to look a little hairy. Glad we sprayed it last fall. Had a good "million dollar" rain. The country looks as green as I can remember! Saw some wheat just out of Fort Benton this weekend that is headed and flowering. Our winter wheat does not look that good. We are in the 1/2 winter wheat stand is better than a full stand of spring wheat situation. Not expecting a big bumper winter wheat crop. Just had too tough a time last fall and we are short on sub soil moisture. With this rain, there is a lot of "polaroid" barley and alfalfa. You can almost see it grow by the hour. By the day definitely. There will be a lot of swathers running in 2 weeks. I kind of like to watch my 4 commodity price "canaries" as they appear to be future price indicators with their trend. Oats for the grain market. Oats has gone down 32% from its 22 high and about even with 20. Wheat down 38%. Cotton for the textile and garment market. Down 40% and almost even with 20. The copper canary for manufacturing. 27% retracement and right at even with 2020. I also see the auto industry has surplus with the 0% and 1.9% finance offers. The lumber canary has a 71% retracement and slightly below 2019. Capital investment and building are down. So far wheat is doing slightly better than other markets. Gas has not gone down to $2.35/gallon and urea is not $345/ton. I guess you could say people are still driving, fertilizing and eating bread. Moisture conditions are good receiving 1.25" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering and barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage.

Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things are progressing pretty good. Finished spraying the winter wheat last week. Had Moore Farmers Oil start top dressing the spring wheat. Seems like everyone has a nice stand in their spring crops. I’ve heard stories of good rains throughout the state. What a blessing. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .5" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is jointing, spring wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage.

  
 

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Things are looking great around here!! The fiber hemp we seeded is rowed up well and looking good. I'm out spraying and fertilizing our mustard. The flea beetles are hamering on the canola and we had to reseed one field that just had too much damage. I would expect to see a swather or two running this week in some alfalfa fields. The hay looks great!! Now for a window of opportunity to get some put up dry is always a fight for early cut fields. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .5-2" of precipitation in the past week, just depends on which cloud you were under. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is booting. Flea beetles showing up in canola.

Garfield County - Scott Glasscock
Things look a lot better than they did a week ago. We received some scattered thunderstorms last week. Some places received several inches over the course of 4 days. We got a little over an inch. It looks like we might cut some dry land hay unless the grasshoppers get it first. They are really starting to show up, but they are spotty and not everywhere. Our winter wheat looks better. We got it sprayed and now have moved onto spraying spring wheat and our peas and lentils. Moisture conditions are good receiving 1.2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, peas, corn, lentils, hay and sorghum. Winter wheat is booting and spring wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Grasshoppers and Russian thistle showing have been popping up. 

Hill County - Eric Hanson
Had a very nice Memorial Day weekend. We were able to get away and do some camping after we got rain on Saturday morning. Ended up with .4-.75” of rain in our immediate area. Exceeding the inch mark for some. It will help tremendously. Once again, the crops are living from drink to drink with no subsoil moisture up here. It was starting to show on the winter wheat. Cool weather was a welcome gift this past week as well. Crops really do look pretty good so far. We finished spraying the alopecia winter wheat, and onto the hairy chemfallow. Hoping this forecasted weather of rain and moderate temps over the next couple of weeks holds true. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .4-.75" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat.
 

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
The ww is getting taller and covering up the holes as they are not as noticeable. Harlo, Gap, Ryegate, Lavina and Broadview areas look great as they have received good rain. Still can see were the winter wheat winter killed or blew out with holes where little or no stubble was every where. Musselshell flooding. Barley is getting the ground canopied and looking awesome. Hay looks great. Big rains this last week were Grass Range and the Windham areas. The area is about done seeding with some grass and alfalfa yet to go in, but most are done. Moisture conditions are fair receiving rain on 5 days for a total of 0.54": .03, .01, .18 and .01 in the past week. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 3-leaf growth stage.
 

Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are looking great with the recent rains and sunshine. Talk about a coin flip from the last couple years going from one extreme to the other. Hopefully the crops will continue to look they will cover my increased farm debt ceiling, resultant of the increased crop input prices. Ordered water for the irrigated pastures and irrigated winter wheat last week just to guarantee the rains, and it worked just as in the olden days. The last seeded barley is out of the ground so everyone can keep enjoying their favorite barley pop. A few acres in the area remain unseeded but expect them to be covered by weeks end. Everything is looking especially lush and picturest. Hope you all are enjoying the same view. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1.11" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is jointing, spring wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 3-leaf growth stage. Mosquitoes, cereal leaf beatles and all of the weeds are showing up.

         
 

Toole County - Klayton Lohr
Crops have mostly all rowed out. Some later seeding just started to sprout. Moisture conditions are poor receiving .82" of precipatation in the past week - decent start, but still have a long way to go. Crops being grown are spring wheat, durum and mustard. Spring wheat is in the 1-leaf stage growth stage. Grasshoppers and kochia showing up.
 

     

MAY 23, 2023

Blaine County - Adam Billmayer
Had a good week seeding. Finished mustard and lentils. Canola and mustard are emerging but may need a little help from good ole Mother Nature as the top has dried out significantly this past week. Switched to spring wheat planting this past weekend and it too is progressing nicely. Soil conditions are dwindling. But I guess that happens with no sub moisture. With any luck should finish up this week. Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Sprayed winter wheat this week, quite depressing. Reseeded some winter wheat after the adjuster finally showed up after twenty days when I first turned the claim in, and it went into powder dry dirt. Seeded the sorghum, there was some moisture in the ground on that end of the place. If it don’t start raining an inch a week, it will all just be an insurance check. Hayfields were really green for about twenty four hours after the rain we got ten days ago, but they are already giving up. BLM grass is barely growing so the cows will get their exercise this summer finding something to eat. Only difference between this year and '21 is that the water holes are full, so at least we won’t have to dig cows out of bog holes all summer. Moisture conditions are poor receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Spring wheat is up and growing at Edwardsfarm as well as on most of Lonesome Prairie. There are just a few scattered parcels in the neighborhood yet to be seeded. Winterwheat stands in the area plagued with innumerable holes where snowmelt sat and froze, plus winterkill areas with poor stubble, such as headlands or recent history of severe hail or severe sawfly. Poorer HRW stands have prompted Edwardsfarm to spray all our winterwheat for broadleaves, for the first time in over 20 years. Areas of thick microscopic hoppers are noted in the area, but a change in the weather could dampen their threat. That’s not been written into the forecast yet, but we think we deserve a big Memorial Day rain. Still no beneficial rain here since the snow ran off. Weekly total is .08 inch. Crested wheat in the yard is taking on a blue tinge. Optimism remains. Moisture conditions are poor receiving .08" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is jointing and spring wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage. Hoppers showing up, as well as mustard, cheat and drought.

Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
Everything is growing fast. Starting to get pretty dry around here. Moisture conditions are poor receiving .09" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is tillering and barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage. Grasshoppers showing up, as well as pigweed, Russian thistle, kochia, lambsquarter and tansy mustard; but no diseases.

Fergus County - Robert Bold
Done spraying winter wheat, no weeds spotted in the barley yet. Had to reseed some small water holes. We are not expecting a big winter wheat yield because we are short on sub moisture. It is going to take 2 wet years to get the sub soil moisture levels back to average. I see Kansas is projected to have a small 178 million bushel wheat crop. Montana at this point has the chance to out produce Kansas--for once. Wheat prices are back or lower than in 2021 when the up market started. It peaked out the very early spring of 2022.  I also remember $345/ton urea and $2.35/gallon gas as compared to today's prices. It wasn't that many years ago that everyone got excited with $5.50 harvest contracts. I have yet to see the grain market go up after the May Crop Report. Even in dry years or low production years, all the news and projections are built into the market by the May Crop Report. Many of the old grain traders refer to May Crop Report as "word from the tomb". This year's tomb must have been the size of a pyramid. A rather big pyramid at that with what has happened to the wheat market. Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering and barley is in the 4-leaf growth stage. First crop of mosquitoes in 3 years. There are big hatches of grasshoppers north of us, but none here--yet. Have some tan spot in the winter wheat, will need to spray fungicide.
 

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Things are progressing rapidly given all the rain and now 85 degree temps. The river is high but thankfully it's still in its banks for now!  Spring seeded crops are now being sprayed for weeds! We just finished up streaming on some N on the winter wheat. Things look really great over here and hopefully we can catch a few more rains to wipe out the smoke that rolled in this past week. Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is jointing. Flea leaf beetles showing up, lots of weeds and might have some wheat streak, waiting for test results.

Hill County - Eric Hanson
No moisture this week. Multiple days of above average heat in the upper 80s. Heavy smoke in the air; like walking into a bar 20 years ago. Yuck. A bit of drought PTSD creeping in. Finished seeding spring wheat and started the multiple day chore of patching the winter wheat. What a mangy predicament that is. Decisions every which way you turn your head and long thoughts of regret. If only I could see clearly enough through the smoke to see where and what to patch. Ha! Started spraying winter wheat, need to also be spraying chemfallow. All in due time. Winter wheat still looks shabby, but plugging along. The good stuff looks really good, the bad stuff makes you shake your head. All in the same field. A good drink and more growing time would do it good. Hopefully in the next week or two it will get some moisture. Or sooner would be fine by me. Spring wheat is all up but the last stuff seeded. Green down the rows; always a pleasant sight. Got a chance to plant some trees for the next generation this week. I try to plant some every spring. My son might remember helping that hot day in May when he looks at them in 20 years, tall and swaying in the wind. The mosquitoes helped too; they kept our motivation steadfast at getting the job done! Wishing everyone a strong finish to seeding and happy Memorial Day! Moisture conditions are poor receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Teeny tiny hoppers, mosquitoes and flies shpwing up and every weed that didn’t germinate in the last few years has shown up.

  

 

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
The fair ww looks better as the fert finally kicked in. The poorer ww still looks poor, but optimistic it will improve this coming week and will be a fair crop, but a lot of holes in it. The fert plant in Moore looks like it was having a sale last week as trucks were nonstop coming and going and waiting in line and could not keep up. All my barley is up and rolled and fertilized and looks good. The chem fallow is all sprayed. Some of the ww will be sprayed Sunday and the rest of ww will be sprayed this coming week for weeds and some wild oats. Still waiting to seed alfalfa but should have it in first of the week. 0.59 of rain last Tuesday, but was really spotty with some getting more and some did not get any. Hay crop looks really good so far as it has not froze hardly at all this spring. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .59" of precipitation in the past week. Barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage. Have not seen any hoppers so far.

McCone/Dawson County - Trevor Schock
The final push for seeding is on. Some people are finishing up in the area. We have about a week of seeding left, but it may be difficult to get it all in before May 31st, the spring wheat final plant date in our area, with the forecast of wet days through the end of the month. Everyone has been racing for the end and fertilizers of all types are in tight supply. Multiple Co-Ops were without Urea and any type of phosphate over the weekend and still most fertilizers disappear out the door about as fast as it comes in. The Co-Ops say their suppliers in a multi-state region are facing similar issues. It's generally been good seeding conditions with moisture in the ground from good winter snow and few showers this spring. Most crops have been emerging within 5-7 days. It's been unseasonably warm, reaching into the 80s, and smoke filled skies for several days that makes it feel more like August than May. If we can keep the drill rolling most days and have a couple of rain days I anticipate finishing spring seeding in about 10 days. Moisture conditions are good receiving .2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, peas and mustard. Spring wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage. Flea beetles on mustard and cheatgrass and buckwheat showing up; no diseases.

Teton County - Mitch Konen
Crops are coming along great. The recent heat has shown some stress in the winter wheat proving it needs a drink of water and that it would not take much to turn things into a drought situation again with the current growth conditions. Seeding '23 finished for me last Friday night. There are a few others getting really close to finishing up and should be done this week. But overall, the major majority has been in the ground long enough to start rowing up. Water returned, via the canal, to the Bench last Friday. So water has started being applied to hay ground, grass pastures and winter wheat. The short grass prairie is still green except for the windward slopes that don't collect much snow during winter. Another indication that rain would be much in demand at this time. The recent normal southwest winds have finally cleared out the smoke from the north, but has brought in some big t-storms with spotty rain showers. All in all, everything is looking good. Hoping everyone has a safe and prosperous year. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .18" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is tillering, spring wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage. Tansy mustard, sowthistle and dandelions showing up.

Teton County - Levi Ostberg
Good. Most seeding is done and the warmer temps have made the new barley fields germinate fast. Moisture conditions are good receiving .4" of precipitation the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is jointing and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage. Grasshoppers are terrible on the alfalfa. Tansy mustard and wild oats came like crazy this year with all the spring moisture.

   

     

MAY 16, 2023

Blaine County - Adam Billmayer
Seeding is progressing fairly well. You just never know what daily challenges will present themselves. But hey, that's why we do this, right? The trials and the tribulations? Or is it for the love of the land, family and God. We’ll go with that! I think we’re all in agreement that we’re not in it for an extravagant lifestyle! With that being said, the weather this last week continues to be as uncertain as a squirrel in an acorn orchard. We’ve varied from wind driven mist to .7 of moisture depending on your location. All in all, seeding wise it's been great conditions and hope to finish up yellow mustard in a couple days. Then it’s on to lentils. I hope everyone has a great week with lots of forward progress! Moisture conditions are good. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils and mustard. Spring wheat and are not seeded.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Finally got some rain this week, ended up with 1.25 over the week. The winter wheat seeded after the rain in September has finally started coming up, hopefully it fills in by the first of June. The first seeded winter wheat is looking pretty good now, hope to start spraying later on this week. Canola has just started poking up. Barley and durum are rowable at sixty five down the road so must be good. Put cdrs in replacement heifers today. Probably three quarters done calving in the old cows. Hopefully we don’t have to go another six months for our next rain. Moisture conditions are fair receiving 1.25" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage.

Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
Finally got the barley in and the crop sprayed. We are back to fertilizing winter wheat this week. We are hoping for the pea field to dry out enough to seed it next week. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .15" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and peas. Winter wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Still no beneficial rains at Edwardsfarm since the snow melted a little over a month ago, but we’re looking forward to a traditional Memorial Day rain. Lonesome Prairie is mostly seeded and spring crops are in various stages of emergence. Sprayers will be busy this coming week with no-till fallow and winterwheat on that menu. We’re seeing lots of grasshopper hatch. Beautiful days, and the crested is a healthy green. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .12" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage and spring wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage. Hoppers showing up, as well as tansy, Jim Hill and cheat.

Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
Things are growing fast. Our barley is up and looking good. Our winter wheat is getting big. Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage. No insects or diseases, but cheatgrass, tansy mustard and prickly lettuce are showing up.

Fergus County - Robert Bold
No field work for the past 10 days. Mother's Day was a beautiful day with a light rain shower in the morning and sunny the rest of the day. Need to finish top dressing winter wheat and get it sprayed this week. The moisture was very welcome and a crop saver. Things really dried out fast before this rain. In 6 days the malt barley is out of the ground with a very even stand. However, still a long ways from harvest--about 94 days for barley. I see Bud Light is now the cheapest beer by far--38 cents per can--about half what it was a couple of months ago. Us farmers are a professional that recognizes weather and Mother Nature same as a doctor/patient relationship. That is a reason everyone needs a farmer 3 times a day. Spring is definitely here. Birds are nesting everywhere. The usual flock of Curlews are here nesting then they are gone by harvest time. Curlews, the bird us kids used to identify and point out so we could take the city girls for a Snipe hunting that night. Of course it involved beating the sage brush and grass with a stick while having your gunny sack open in order to catch them. Allegedly they tasted like chicken. Have a good spring! Moisture conditions are good receiving .95" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley.

Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things are looking pretty good so far. Trying to catch up with the winter wheat spraying. Growing really fast this week. Lots of weeds but manageable. Spring crop is up and doing well. Pretty impressed with the run up in wheat prices lately. Moisture conditions are good receiving .33" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering, spring wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage.

Fergus/Judith Basin/Wheatland County - Paul Bradley
Has been very wet, cold, but should be done seeding today! Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .25" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage. Cheat/fan weed and small broad leaf plants visible in winter wheat.

 

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Drills are about done for the spring planting season. We are planting our fiber hemp this week and have some hay fields to plant next week. Winter wheat is being sprayed and is about done. Now on to spring seeded crops. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 5-leaf growth stage. Lots of weeds, but no diseases yet.

Hill County - Eric Hanson
A week ago we thought the rain had all but skirted us. There was minimal chance in the forecast left but a storm on Tuesday night moved through and dumped .4-.75 inches on our different farms. What a blessing. Cool and rainy weather kept blowing through for the first part of the week, catching a few more showers here and there. It was needed and we are grateful. The weather has since turned warm and dry and we are back in the field; in final push mode. Hopefully seeding is a wrap Wednesday or Thursday. Our first spring wheat we put in the ground is up and looking good. Everything green really grew the last few days with sun and 80+ degree temps. And more heat to come. Close to 90 degrees forecasted for today. The weeds are loving it. The rain from all our fog days that everyone has been talking about for the last 90 days can start showing up. There’s still a deficit in the ground if you do much digging. And these hot days will start taking moisture from us. Things look good for now but still not far from drought. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .4-.75" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and spring wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage. All the weeds have come to the table.

Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Hope to have planting wrapped up midweek (knock on wood). HRW needs its UAN and some patching done where water sat. Fallow will be the next immediate project. Barley looks good along with earlier planted mustard. Spotty rains around this last week mostly being west of us. Everyone stay safe while at full throttle. Moisture conditions are good receiving .46" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage.

     

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
The good looking WW is really taking off and looking good and some of the poorer WW is also, but the really poorer looking WW is still looking poor. My early seeded WW looks okay and the late season WW looks poorly, worst looking WW ever had. Hopeful that the top dressing of fert will jump start it but have doubts. Spring barley showed up this week and see no problems yet. WW is about all top dressed and some of the spring crops. Still waiting to seed alfalfa. Will start to spray chem fallow this week. Only received .45 for the week but that amount was on 4 days of last week, no big amounts. Do not like the forecast of 70's and 80's for the upcoming week. Still a lot of drills moving. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .45" of precipitation in the past week.

Teton County - Mitch Konen
Fields finally dried out enough to get back into them and finish seeding '23. Folks are pushing hard to finish up. Barley I drilled before getting rained out is emerging 4 days later as I get back in to finish. Spent a day spraying the winter wheat as have others. I would guess the bench is close to 65-75% planted. Everything is as green as green can be and really growing. Most should be done by the end of this week. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .02" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is tillering, spring wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage. Tansy mustard and sowthistle showing up.

     

Toole County - Korey Fauque
We should wrap up seeding this week. It’s getting pretty dry here with only 9/10” of rain since January and the grass is starting to go backwards. Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, peas, oats and flax. Spring wheat is not seeded and barley is in the 2-leaf growth stage. No insects or diseases, and no weeds-good prespray kill this year.

     

MAY 9, 2023

Blaine County - Adam Billmayer
Finally got the drill moving, got a short stint this last week. Got the canola planted under irrigation, so that’s good. Still playing catch up on applying granular pre emergence and pre spraying for the mustard and lentils. As always in North Central MT, Mother Nature likes keeping you on your toes trying to out guess the weather. Lots of wind this last week with a wind and rain event on Saturday. We received .35 of precipitation. Very welcomed for the shallow seeded canola. Hopefully ya’ll are making progress too. Have a blessed week ahead and hammer down! Moisture conditions are good receiving .35" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils and mustard. A lot of emergence of weeds in this last week.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Getting really dry, wind has blown almost every day it seems. Sprayed some crop aid nutrition on 3/4 of the winter wheat acres last week. Some looks ok, some still hasn’t even come up, and some might be dead already. Durum and barley have been in the ground almost 25 days and still really hasn’t come up. Pasture grass isn’t even growing. We did get two little showers that were about a quarter inch, but hardly seemed the dust. Hauled replacement heifers to summer pasture. Old cows are half done calving. Moisture conditions are poor receiving .25" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is germinating.

Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
Rain last week interrupted seeding. Barley 80% complete. Peas not in yet. Winter wheat looks excellent. It is just short of being completely canopied. We still have one more day of spraying to finish the WW. Very heavy cheat grass in most fields. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and peas. Winter wheat is tillering and barley is germinating.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Much of Lonesome Prairie shut down seeding operations over the weekend, with many farms receiving 3 or 4 tenths of rain, and in some cases, over a half inch. Edwardsfarm stopped for a few hours to let the sticky evaporate from .08 of spit. Our official rain log at our home fieldhouse was .18. I expect wholesale seeding to resume in the area shortly. Just a guess, but I would say spring seeding is more than half done in this area. Mustards have emerged, and the earlier seeding is up. Winter wheat is generally ratty, and appears to have been hurt by ice in March and winter exposure on headlands and anywhere the cover was diminutive. Cooler weather has increased the optimism, along with decent topsoil conditions! Moisture conditions are fair receiving .18" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage and spring wheat is germinating. Cheat and mustard showing up.

Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
WW is getting big. The heat and moisture has allowed it to flourish! We do have several areas in our WW that needs to be reseeded due to winter kill. Our barley that we risers seeded is up and looking great. We are currently seeding mustard. Our alfalfa looked dead this spring but it has come alive and growing very well. We may even get to cut it this year! I do hope all the grasshoppers are dead. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .7" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage. No insects or diseases, but tansy mustard is showing up.

 

Fergus County - Robert Bold
We started seeding malt barley Monday and finished in the rain Friday night. I could not believe how fast the soil surface dried out. With no to little sub soil moisture, we had no "money in the bank". Glad the rain came when it did. Some of the early seeded barley is up. Got some winter wheat reseeding to do. Crusted and run away cheat due to the dry soil, Olympus didn't work. Also, got the first hail storm of the season. Just small hail and no wind. The Montana Legislative Session is over. What impressed me was the number of MGGA's past directors and officers in the Legislature. From experience, the training MGGA offers its officers and directors is well worth the time spent away from your home and operation. For me, I brought home many times more that I gave up. Glad to see those past MGGA individuals in Helena this past Session. Moisture conditions are good receiving 1.52" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage and barley is germinating. No hoppers. Yet anyway. Not even on the south slopes with the reflective heat. Fingers crossed. All my "indicator" weeds are showing up. Soil temperature in the low 50's.

Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Last week was pretty productive. We finished seeding on Thursday night. On Friday it started raining and we received .75 over the weekend. Things look good with the warmer temperatures. Will start spraying the chem fallow this week and then the winter wheat following that. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .75" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering, spring wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage and barley is germinating.

 

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Planting is in full force with guys hoping to finish up by the weekend. Some of the first crops seeded are poking their tiny little heads out, so that is always fun to see. We are going to start spraying winter wheat tomorrow, so hopefully we don't kill any of it. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1.7" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage.

Gallatin County - Dale Flikkema
Spring planting is about 1/2 done. Could use a rain to get good germination. Moisture conditions are good receiving .2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils, hemp, corn, sunflowers and hay. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are germinating.

Hill County - Eric Hanson
Last week started with 4 days of low to mid 80s combined with wind. Never a welcome combination in this neck of the prairie. Felt familiar, perhaps droughty. And my blood is still thickened from the winter, so it just felt plain hot. But it helped in making up for lost time. Crops were going in at a steady, if not expeditious rate. The top soil was back to its flour dry state, blowing in freshly seeded ends, but still moisture there to get seed into. The grass in the ditches actually has a lushness and greener hue than in recent springs. Crops aren’t jumping yet, just rooting down. The forecast was giving us a generous looking amount of much needed moisture. We received 2/10ths, but places only a handful of miles away got anywhere from 2/10 to an inch or better. Spotty. Disappointing for our farm. Or just to me maybe. But still very thankful for it. It will help. It all does. The last few days have been postcard perfect for farm work and the sky has been breathtaking at times. We push on with the hope that next time it will be our turn to catch the rain. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat.

Hill County - Trevor Wolery
58% completed with spring planting. Very grateful and blessed to have received .92 of precipitation in three separate storms since Saturday. Barley is emerging, winter wheat is greening up along with fallow. Everyone stay safe. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .92" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage.

    

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
Finished seeding malt barley Thursday morning, now waiting to seed alfalfa. Early WW looks fair to good and late seeded looks fair to poor. Will start spreading fert on WW as soon as it dries up. Received .71 so far over the weekend and Lewistown got a lot more. Rain was varied in amounts all around in the county, with more to the east towards Lewistown and less to the west. Cattle people still feeding hay and hay piles are about gone for some. Grass is slow to come with all the cold. Snow on the ground to the west of me this Sunday morning. The weather person says two more days of rain then clearing up. Hope he is right and everybody gets some rain. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .71" of precipitation in the past week. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage.

Teton County - Mitch Konen
Seeding is on hold due to recent rainfall. That is a good thing. Most are about a third to half done in the area. Spring wheat drilled in April is emerging. Winter wheat needs some heat, but also needs to be sprayed as the weeds are in overdrive in growth mode. Just got a good start on barley seeding when the rain came. Will probably be back in the field later today or tomorrow. Getting fertilizer spread has been a little slow due to breakdowns and fertilizer placements to keep inventories up, but since everything broke wide open, the demand has stressed the system. But it will work out. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1-1.5" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is germinating and barley is not seeded. Weeds are prolific on all counts.

     

MAY 2, 2023

Blaine County - Adam Billmayer
Finally starting to warm up. Hope to get in the field next week. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving a few showers in the past week, not amounting to much. Fairly windy too. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils and mustard. Spring wheat and barley is not seeded. A few weeds are just getting started.

Blaine/Phillips County - Raymond Keller
It will be a week or so to see how the winter wheat looks. Haven't started planting anything. Hopefully next week, May 3rd or 4th, we can start. Moisture conditions are good receiving .5" of rain and snow mixture in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, lentils and mustard. Winter wheat is germinating, spring wheat is not seeded.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Done seeding, except for a little sorghum when it warms up. Finished canola on Wednesday night and had showers on Thursday, so ended up just perfect. Barley and durum are both starting to poke through. Some winter wheat looks really good. Some looks pretty bad, but hopefully some warm weather will wake it up. Old cows have really started calving and weather has been perfect, much better than last year. Got new tires put on the sprayer today, so the ride should be way better. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .2" of precipitation and 3" of wind in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage and barley is in the 1-leaf growth stage.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
Lonesome Prairie’s planters emerged from hibernation this past week. Edwardsfarm fired up a drill 10 days ago, but we were only knifing in some urea. We will start seeding spring wheat later this week, with soil temperatures just now getting close to what we want. In the interim, we have been repairing some of the gullies in the fields. September planted winterwheat is looking pretty good. Our Halloween seeding is trying to emerge, and the jury is still out on that. Nice days, and the meadowlarks are in fine form! Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is not seeded.

Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
Seeding barley. Moisture conditions are poor receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is not seeded and barley is germinating. No insects or diseases, but cheatgrass is showing up.

  

Chouteau County - Shaud Shwarzbach
With the warmer temperatures, the winter wheat is really starting to kick in and grow. Sprayers are rolling and drills are hitting the fields to get started on the spring planting. The race against the clock to get all the crop planted has begun! Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, lentils, garbanzos and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is not seeded. No insects or diseases at this time, but normal spring weed infestations showing up.

Eastern Stillwater/Northern Yellowstone - Michelle Jones
Overall a good start to the growing season - albeit a little later than usual. We’re most of the way done with barley and safflower seeding. That will just leave us alfalfa to do. The winter wheat overall looks excellent - especially summer fallow wheat - any wheat planted on expiring CRP acres definitely looks a little rougher and is showing some impact of wireworm. It got a little drink a few days ago - hopefully that’ll liven it up some. Moisture conditions are good receiving .2-.3" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, safflower and hay. A few cutworms showing up.

Fergus County - Robert Bold
Spring seeding in progress. Soil temperature just over 50 degrees. The surface moisture is good, but no sub soil moisture. This year's crop will be made from rains. For us here, it's just as picture prefect as you could get under the Big Sky. Our little dome under the Big Sky has the 7 mountain ranges we can see from our place--all have their tops white and the outlines of their roughness outlined with white snow. Lower, the grass is about as green as I can remember--pastures, road ditches, field edges. Then here we are seeding malt barley, making the ground brown even with no till. So drink up and be happy to make room (and market) for this year's barley crop. Moisture conditions are good receiving .65" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage.

Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
We were able to start seeding again last Saturday. Things are going good with lots of action in the area. The winter wheat is looking pretty good and the first seeded spring wheat is poking out of the ground. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .6" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering, spring wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage and barley is not seeded.

 

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Seeding is finally underway and moving along well. Hay fields are greening up nicely and with some rain forcasted for the end of the week it should really help get the fertilizer that has been applied working. Just about to start spraying some winter wheat. These 75 degree days has really jump started the weeds, so it's about time to go smoke um! Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage. Lots of weeds and some snow mold in the winter wheat.

Hill County - Eric Hanson
The week was a blur. This part of the country is at full throttle. The winter wheat is still trying to shake winter off. I’ve got some that needs 2” of warm rain, a pile of urea, and a young priest and an old priest. And a real whack of patching. Let’s just suffice to say, it’s got a long ways to go. Lots of drills in the fields; most everyone is going. Not a whole lot greening up for pre-plant burn down in our fields. I'm not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. We’ve had beautiful weather, short of there being no additional moisture since the snow left. But that keeps progress at maximum efficiency for now. In a week to 10 days a majority of our place will be furrowed with seed in its place. Then hit the resume button on top dressing. If you happen to venture through our area, keep your eyes peeled for our suicidal antelope. They’ll test out your reflexes and brake pads! Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage.

Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Planting began Friday evening, with progress being made by small victories every other day. Finished our barley last night and now have switched to mustard. Days are warm which is allowing the weeds to germinate. My daughter came home after her finals week to relax on the rock picker which has helped immensely, along with my youngest son working water cuts. Hope to keep productivity churning for the next couple weeks. Still will need rain to make this plan work. Everyone work safe and enjoy the greatest job on earth. Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage. 

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
WW still is slowly greening up. Started seeding on Sunday after spraying preplant ground on Saturday. The seed plant was in full swing on Friday with lots of trucks. Spreaders were going full steam with some dry days finally here. But they buried one truck this last week south of Judith Gap. Have not seen any real wet spots yet and do not think I will. Got .03 on Tuesday and .24 on Thursday. Hobson got 1.2 inches last week as did Garneill. The rains were really spotty and varied in amounts. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .27" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and hay.

McCone/Dawson County - Trevor Schock
The snow finally finished melting off around 7-10 days ago and so now the entire area is busy with drills, spreaders, and sprayers in the field. The night temps have occasionally dipped below freezing still in the last week and daytime highs have also been near 80 at times. There are still some snowbanks left on the steep creek banks and still wet spots in fields where snowbanks have just melted within the last few days. The ground has been great for seeding into with moisture from the snow and a decent amount of moisture deeper in the soil. We should be done with planting peas this week and then on to mustard for a few days before we start the spring wheat. Moisture conditions are good receiving .2" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, peas, mustard and sugar beets. Spring wheat is not seeded. No insects or diseases yet, but tansy mustard and cheatgrass are showing up.

Sheridan County - Terry Angvick
Little or no field work at this time. I think that there will be some activity mid to late week. Still pretty wet in places. Snow in the northern part of the county. Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are durum, peas and hay. Some winter annual weeds starting to show up.

Teton County - Mitch Konen
It is go time here on the Greenfields Bench. The neighborhood is getting busy on the roads and fields, kinda like a beehive. Finished seeding my spring wheat last night and changing gears to start on the malt barley. Being it is Monday, the local input supply businesses are really feeling the crunch. With the lack of equipment, and personnel to operate the equipment, they have put a strain on the efficiency of the system. Didn't get any field work done today as I am waiting for fertilizer to be spread ahead of the plow and drill. But did get a grain bin moved and set in concrete. Always something to keep one busy. The winter wheat is rowing up well with this heat and sunshine. The grass has gone into hypergrow as well. It sure has been nice to seed into moisture and not rolling along in a dust cloud. Hammer down and stay safe. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .08" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is germinating and barley is not seeded.

    

     

APRIL 25, 2023

Blaine County - Adam Billmayer
Cold & wet, nothing planted. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 2-3 inches of snow in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, canola, lentils and mustard. Spring wheat is not seeded.

Carter County - Michael Hansen
Seeded barley and durum last week. Was supposed to rain on Tuesday but just got wind. Turned cold Wednesday and haven’t started again. Heifers are just about done calving, old cows just started. Hope to seed canola next week. Winter wheat has started greening up. Moisture conditions are fair receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, durum, barley, canola, hay and sorghum. Winter wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are germinating.

Cascade County - Steve Sheffels
So far, so good. The winter wheat seems to have come out of dormancy very well (along with the cheat grass). Very little new growth on spring ground or summer fallow as soil temperatures are low. Waiting for ground to dry up enough for spraying, seeding spring crops and spreading fertilizer. It's going to get busy soon. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1.25" of mostly wet snow in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and peas. Barley is not seeded.

Chouteau County - Lochiel Edwards
A long winter! Although total water was not great, Edwardsfarm was a few miles north of the chinook line all winter, until snowmelt at Easter. Frozen ground gave us a pretty healthy runoff, and Lonesome Lake is full. Soil profile is poor, but surface moisture will be good to get a crop started. July 5 hailstorm gave us enough water on our northern edge to do some September HRW seeding, and a few tenths mid-October inspired us to do some frost seeding at Halloween. That late seeding has an eighth-inch sprout, destination unknown; the soil is still too cold to grow anything. September seeding has iffy areas where the no-till stubble was sparse from 2021 hail and/or headlands. Our farm has never before had this few acres in winterwheat (in my tenure), but hope springs eternal, and we've got a lot of spring seeding to do! We will be out this week deep-banding nitrogen, but will try to wait for 50-degree soil before planting spring wheat. Don't know when that will be- last week was January 103rd, with flurries and cold north wind. Montana farmers will find a way to grow a better crop this year. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .19" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is germinating, spring wheat is not seeded.

Chouteau County - Dyke Kalanick
It is progressing well. Just starting to seed spring wheat and the conditions are excellent. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1.5" of rain and snow in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded.

Chouteau County - Nathan Keane
Very slow. It’s been snowy and cold. Hoping to be in the field by Monday, April 24th to start seeding. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .7" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, canola, mustard, garbanzos, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded. No insects or diseases as of yet, but cheatgrass is showing up.

Daniels County - Paul Kanning
The progress meter is stuck at zero, I'm not aware of anyone who has started seeding. I suspect the first week of May will see the start in this corner. Moisture conditions are good receiving 4" of snow in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, canola, peas and lentils. Spring wheat and barley are not seeded.

Eastern Stillwater/Northern Yellowstone - Michelle Jones
Welp - it insists on still being winter. We didn’t get nearly the snow that central Montana did…but we did finally pick up enough to maybe make the 50MPH winds worth it. Winter wheat does look good. Just looking for more warm weather. There’s finally been a few acres of spring crops seeded this week but overall slow progress on spring work. It’s going to be a very busy May - especially for an area that is accustomed to being done with 90%+ of the barley and SW seeding by May. Moisture conditions are good receiving .25ish" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, safflower and hay. Winter wheat is in the 4-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded. A few cutworms showing up.

Fergus County - Robert Bold
We may start preplant spraying Wednesday or Thursday, will have to super coulter ahead of the drill to dry it out some and get good soil flow. As you know, Lewistown got over 2 feet of snow. It is still white there. However, a Lewistown area producer said he is going to start seeding Thursday no matter what. The question was what day does he plan to get stuck. Thursday. Spring just does not want to come around after a long tough winter; we had January in November and no long winter warm ups either. Mother Nature was quite cruel on her wildlife this winter. They did not go into the winter in good shape due to drought and hoppers and then a super early winter which made for a long winter, especially for them. As spring longingly approaches, we plan to do our part as 1 of 2.05 million farmers and ranchers and put food on tables. Farmers and ranchers at 2.05 million are by far a minority. There are 2.8 million in prisons and jails. An inch or more of precipitation was received in the past week. Good surface moisture, very poor sub soil moisture. It will take 2 wet years to rebuild sub soil moisture. Crops being grown are winter wheat and barley. My indicator weeds are just starting to show up. Good time for an effective preplant spray job.

Fergus County - Boyd Heilig
Things are progressing slowly is this area. Very few acres have been seeded. Top dressing of the winter wheat is underway. Moisture conditions are good receiving 14" of snow in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is tillering and spring wheat is germinating.

 

Fergus/Judith Basin/Wheatland County - Paul Bradley
Things are slow in our area. We had roughly a foot of snow this last week and a few small rain showers since. The ground is still very cold. Starting to see a few weeds coming, (fan weed, cheat is just popping through, little bit of volunteer). A few farmers are spreading fertilizer, but I have not seen any drills moving in our area yet. Moisture conditions are good receiving 1" of snow in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. Winter wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded. Do pocket gophers count as insects? Fan weed is showing up, cheat is just starting and volunteer is poking through. No diseases visible yet.

Flathead County - Tryg Koch
Planting has started off at a snail's pace. Very few drills in the field, but this week should change all that. Winter wheat for the most part looks awesome, but we sure can't say the same thing for the winter canola. She dead!! We will be replanting to spring canola. Just finishing up spreading fertilizer on our hay fields and those look to have survived winter extremely well. We hope to be seeding mustard by the end of the week. Good luck out there everyone!! Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .5" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, canola, mustard, hemp and hay. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded. Some winter wheat has snow mold.

Gallatin County - Dale Flikkema
Snow continues to melt out of the draws and higher elevations of the valley. Some farming is going on in the lower and dryer regions of the valley. The rain overnight will keep us out of the field for a few more days. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving .75" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, canola, lentils, hemp, corn, sunflowers and hay. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded.

Hill County - Eric Hanson
The snow is gone, the sun has come out, and we all rejoice. We had been under its white blanket since November. Not complaining, it just got to be long. Finally the hustle and bustle of spring is about to go full throttle. Everything is 3-4 weeks behind. The winter wheat looks to have fared pretty well, but it too is lagging. Some that didn’t come up last fall looks nonexistent from the road. But on foot and with the right light, the plant count appears to be there. Time will tell. It will make a run in the next few weeks with its feet in moisture and longer, warmer days. We’ve been waiting for years to get a winter like that to help replenish the soil. It did some of that, but the runoff that also came with it was destructive. We could likely have equal amounts of time into dirt work as we could have into seeding if we choose. But it will be the most basic of repairs in a hurried fashion all in the name of progress. Remember, we are behind. More dirt work later. And the county has plenty of work ahead of them with roads damaged or destroyed everywhere you turn. We mostly missed the big snow up here that everyone else got a week or so ago, but no one’s feeling seemed too hurt. Everybody is ready for moisture in another form. Spreading, spraying, seeding, praying; all in full force this week. Off to the races! Moisture conditions are good receiving no precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage, spring wheat is not seeded. No insects or diseases and weeds are just starting to show.

Hill County - Trevor Wolery
Easter weekend began with an epic water runoff. Many miles of roads and fields with damage. Every reservoir or water hole has filled and spilled over in this country. Field work is in its early stages this week, rock picker was stuck yesterday so we will wait for a bit before leaving yard with drill. HRW in this area is just beginning to wake up from dormancy, just needs more hours of heat and sunshine. Moisture conditions are good receiving .07" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and mustard. Winter wheat is in the 1-leaf growth stage.

      
 

Judith Basin County - Greg Mathews
In one word, SLOWLY. Very little spring crop in so far, WW is slow to green up, very little weeds coming in with anything that was sprayed last fall, and grass slow to green up. Fertilizing of WW is slow because of the snow and rain and wet fields. Deep sub moisture is not there and only the top foot to foot and half is good. Did not get the big snow this last week like Lewistown, Moore and Hobson. Stanford got very little, as did the Musselshell valley; Billings got mostly rain. Good luck to all with spring seeding and hope everybody got some moisture. Moisture conditions are fair receiving .35" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley and hay.

Teton County - Mitch Konen
Winter wheat is trying to come out of hibernation, but keeps getting blanketed by snow and cold temps. Now I am not complaining, just stating facts. Winter has been relatively mild with a few cold spells and more snow of late than in the recent past. University researchers were digging pits to put some soil water sensors and buckets in the ground about 2 weeks ago and there was plenty of moisture down to the 2.5 ft level of their dig. So it looks to be a good start to the year with a full profile of soil moisture, especially after this last snow storm. The prairie grasses and road ditches are starting to get a green tint. As soon as it dries up enough, we will be hard at it to get this year's crops in. Have done a little prep field work in the couple of days we had good weather before this last storm, but barely got the engine warm. Here is to a prosperous year...Good Luck all. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 1.25" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, spring wheat, barley and hay. Winter wheat is in the 2-leaf growth stage, spring wheat and barley are not seeded.

Teton County - Levi Ostberg
Slow. Moisture conditions are excellent receiving 12" of snow the past week. Crops being grown are winter wheat, barley, hay and pasture. Winter wheat is in the 3-leaf growth stage, barley is not seeded. Wild oats and broadleaf have germinated in the winter wheat.

 

Toole County - Korey Fauque
Not started seeding yet which is pretty crazy. Moisture conditions are good receiving .15" of precipitation in the past week. Crops being grown are spring wheat, barley, peas and flax. Spring wheat and barley are not seeded. No insects, weeds or diseases.

Valley County - Tony Gundermann
Slow. Staying cooler and still melting snow. Moisture conditions are fair. Crops being grown are spring wheat, hay and tame pasture. Spring wheat is not seeded.