From MSU News Service
BOZEMAN – The public is invited to attend free annual field days across Montana to tour and learn about the people, places and projects involved with agricultural research at Montana State University's College of Agriculture andMontana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES). Seven research stations across the state and two local Bozeman campus farms will each host a field day this summer. The experiment station comprises statewide agricultural research of on and off-campus MSU faculty and facilities.
“Statewide field days are a longstanding tradition where we invite the public to tour our facilities, meet our faculty and staff and learn about trends and progress in agriculture research that hopefully makes a difference in their lives,” said Barry Jacobsen, associate director of MAES. “What’s most important about field days is that they serve as an opportunity for statewide producers, farmers, ranchers and agribusiness to share successes and challenges face-to-face with faculty scientists and learn about what the university is doing in response to those challenges and needs. It’s a chance for faculty and stakeholders to engage as an agricultural community and for the university to get feedback on what we need to be focusing on.”
Field days include facility tours, explanations of research projects and results and a chance for citizens, producers, legislators and agribusiness representatives to speak with MSU scientists and Extension agents.
Summer 2016 field days include:
- Central Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, June 21: The field day starts at 9 a.m. and includes a free lunch. The center is located 2.5 miles west of Moccasin on U.S. Highway 87. (406) 423-5421.
- Northern Agricultural Research Center, Wednesday, June 22: The field day begins at 4 p.m. with tours before and after dinner. The center is located about seven miles southwest of Havre on U.S. Highway 87. (406) 265-6115.
- Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center, Thursday, June 23: MSU President Waded Cruzado will attend the field day, which begins at 8 a.m. WTARC is located at 9546 Old Shelby Road, Conrad. (406) 278-7707.
- Southern Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, June 28: The field day begins at 9 a.m. The SARC is located at 748 Railroad Highway, Huntley. (406) 348-3400.
- Eastern Agricultural Research Station, Thursday, June 30: The field day begins at 9 a.m. The center is located one mile north of Sidney on State Highway 200. (406) 433-2208.
- The MSU Arthur H. Post Agronomy Farm and the Horticulture Farm, Thursday, July 7: The Post Farm will begin tours at 8 a.m. followed by lunch, and the Horticulture Farm will host tours from 6-8 p.m., followed by locally made beverages and snacks. The Post Farm is located eight miles west of Bozeman on U.S. Highway 191. (406) 586-6819. The Horticulture Farm is located one mile west of the MSU campus on West Garfield Lane in Bozeman. (406) 994-2231.
- Northwestern Agricultural Research Center, Tuesday, July 12: The field day begins at 2 p.m., with dinner following the tour. NWARC is located near Creston on State Highway 35. (406) 755-4303.
- Western Agricultural Research Center, Thursday, July 28: The field day starts at 4 p.m. with dinner at 5 p.m. and a tour following. WARC is located at 580 Quast Lane, Corvallis. (406) 961-3025.
MAES comprises agricultural research of on and off-campus MSU faculty. The research centers are strategically located across Montana to allow research with different soil types, elevations, climate zones and landscapes, and a local advisory council guides the research at each station. The federal Hatch Act of 1887 authorized every national land-grant university to establish an agricultural experiment station, with research reflecting the university’s curriculum. The Smith-Lever Act authorized the Extension Service in 1914. MSU College of Agriculture, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension have been cooperatively serving the land-grant mission and the Montana public for the past 100 years.
For more information about the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, visit http://agresearch.montana.edu/maes.html. For more information about the station’s research centers, visit http://agresearch.montana.edu/researchcenters.html.
Photo Caption: Statewide producers look on as a Montana State University scientist gives a public talk at a summer field day held at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station, one of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station's research centers. Photo courtesy of the MSU College of Agriculture.