Montana State to offer pest management tour Sept. 29-Oct. 3 across northcentral Montana

BOZEMAN - The Montana State University Extension Pesticide Education Program is offering a pest management tour for pesticide applicators at nine locations across northcentral Montana from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

In order, the tour will visit Havre, Chinook, Chester, Shelby, Cut Bank, Conrad, Choteau, Great Falls and Fort Benton. At each stop, speakers will present on a variety of topics, including management of grasshoppers, alfalfa insect pest management, management of crop diseases in small grains, herbicide resistant weeds, weed management in a crop rotation, Richardson's ground squirrel management, managing drift and carryover, pesticide performance and water quality, novel technologies for targeted weed management, benefits of spot spray systems for weed control, and regulatory pesticide education updates. Presentations will vary by location.

Tour speakers include:

• Ricardo Pinto, MSU Precision Agriculture Research and MSU Extension specialist
• Tim Seipel, MSU Extension cropland weed specialist
• Stephen Vantassel, Montana Department of Agriculture vertebrate pest specialist
• Cecil Tharp, MSU Extension pesticide education specialist
• Tiziana Oppedisano, MSU Extension agronomic entomologist
• Raissa Debacker, MSU Extension plant pathologist

Private applicators can attend morning or afternoon sessions for three credits or both sessions for six credits. Commercial applicator credits are also available and can be viewed on the Pest Management Tour website.

Individuals licensed as private applicators at these locations, in Private Applicator Training District 3, need to earn six private applicator credits before Dec. 31 to avoid losing their private applicator certification, according to Tharp. Applicators can check their credits on the MSU Pesticide Education Program website by selecting "license and credit search" and entering their license number. Applicators can also contact their local MSU Extension office for license information.

Details for the tour stops are:

• Sept. 29, Havre. 4-H Chuckwagon, 1676 U.S. Highway 2. Cost is $10. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 22 by contacting Colleen Pegar, Hill County MSU Extension Agent, at 406-400-2333 or [email protected].

• Sept. 29, Chinook. Blaine County Fairgrounds, Commercial Building, 300 Cleveland Ave. Cost is $10. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 24 by contacting Blaine County MSU Extension, at 406-357-3200 or [email protected].

• Sept. 30, Chester. Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 10 E. Madison Ave. Cost is $10. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 26 by contacting Jesse Fulbright, Liberty County MSU Extension Agent, at 406-759-5625 or email [email protected].

• Sept. 30, Shelby. Comfort Inn, 455 McKinley Ave. Cost is $15. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 26 by contacting Kim Woodring, Toole County MSU Extension Agent, at 406-424-8350 or email [email protected].

• Oct. 1, Cut Bank. Glacier County Library, 21 1st Ave S.E. Cost is $15. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 26 by contacting Kari Lewis, Glacier County MSU Extension agent, at 406-873-2239 or [email protected].

• Oct. 1, Conrad. Moose Lodge, 617 S. Main Street. Cost is $10. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 15 by contacting Grace Rooney, Pondera County MSU Extension agent, at 406-271-4053 or [email protected].

• Oct. 2, Choteau. Choteau Baptist Church, Community Room, 217 2nd Street N.W. Cost is $10. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 29 by contacting Jenn Swanson, Teton County MSU Extension agent, at 406-466-2491 or [email protected].

• Oct. 2, Great Falls. Holiday Inn, 1100 5th Street South. Cost is $30. Lunch is provided. Register by Sept. 30 by contacting Rose Malisani, Cascade County MSU Extension agent, at 406-454-6980 or [email protected].

• Oct. 3, Fort Benton. Ag Center, 1205 20th Street. Free. Lunch on your own. Registration not required. For questions, contact Tyler Lane, Chouteau County MSU Extension agent, at 406-622-3751 or email [email protected].

A detailed program agenda with starting times is available online at montana.edu/extension/pesticides/events/pmt.html. Information is also available from local MSU Extension offices. For other questions, contact Tharp at 406-994-5067 or [email protected].

The MSU Extension Pesticide Education Program is an educational program promoting the proper use of pesticides to protect public health and the environment. The program supports all applicators, businesses and homeowners by combining educational resources and knowledge from scientists, governmental agencies and the public.