8/3/2019 December 2011 Deerlodge Valley Conservation District Newsletter

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CONSERVATION

DEER LODGE VALLEY AND NORTH POWELL CONSERVA

DISTRICTS

NEWSLETTERNumber 19 De

40TH

ANNUAL

LIVESTOCK SEMINAR

Saturday, January 14th

, 2012FREE DAYTIME SESSION: COMMUNITY CENTER

12:30 – 1:00  Registration

1:00 – 1:05 Welcome 

Chamber of Commerce of Deer Lodge1:05 – 1:30  Rocky Mountain Stockgrowers

1:30 – 2:30 Got Water? Need Water? What can Solar Power do for you?Sarah Hamlen – MSU Renewable Energy Technology Specialist

2:30 – 3:00  Break

3:00 – 3:15 WRC John Hollenback  – Board Member

 Range DaysJodi Pauley – MSU Extension Service and Range Days Committee Member

3:15 – 4:15  Provider PalsBruce Vincent – Motivational Speaker and Businessman

EVENING SESSION: ST. MARY’S CENTER  

The evening banquet will begin at 6:00 P.M. with a no host cocktails period followed by a Prime Rib dinner atthe St. Mary’s Center. The evening’sKeynote Speaker will be Bruce Vincent, “With Vision, There is Hop

evening will conclude with dancing to music provided by Steve Fullmer and the Better Half Band. Admissievening is $25.00 per person and tickets must be purchased in advance. Door prizes donated by area merchanaway at both the afternoon session and the evening banquet.

BANQUET TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY JANUARY 13TH

, 201

Contact the Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District Office At (406) 846-1703 ext 4

Deer Lodge Valley Supervisors

John Hollenback, Chairman

Jeff Janke, Vice-ChairmanDwight Crawford, TreasurerTroy McQueary, Supervisor

Don Despain, Supervisor

Sharon Scognamiglio, Supervisor

Jim Lee, Urban SupervisorDallis Hunter, Associate

Gayle Tomlinson, Associate

Conservation District

Susie Johnson, Administrative Assistant

Cheryle Wood, Office Assistant

CONSERVATION NEWS & VIEWS

Deer Lodge Valley

AndNorth Powell

Conservation Districts

1002 Hollenback Road, Suite C

Deer Lodge, MT 59722

North Powell Supervisors

Tracy Manley, Chairman

Tim Quigley, Vice-ChairmanJim Stone, Treasurer

Kevin Ertl, Supervisor

Kyle Graveley, Supervisor

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Glen Green Geoffrey Anderson 

Nancy Sweeney

Kevin BossertKailee Bickford

MSU Extension Service

Jodi Pauley

The public is always invited to the meetings of the Conservation District. Call 846-1703 for time

and place of the meetings.

PRESORTED

STANDARD

U.S. Postage Paid

Deer Lodge, MTPermit #7

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Deer Lodge Valley and North Powell Conservation Districtsprohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, maritalstatus, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual'sincome is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternativemeans for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voiceand TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

8/3/2019 December 2011 Deerlodge Valley Conservation District Newsletter

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DLVCD Newsletter, Jodi Pauley, MSU Powell County Extension 846-9791

Urea fertilizer application on Cold Soils.

I recently came across an article that discusses urea application on cold soils. These studieswere conducted in Montana by Rick Engel and Clain Jones through the Department of Land Resourcesand Environmental Sciences at Montana State University. With the price of f ertilizer, some of you maywant to change how and when you apply your fertilizer. Urea broadcast from mid-fall to early spring onsoils at or near fr eezing was historically considered fairly safe from ammonia loss to the atmosphere,termed volatilization. Not so, according to recent research in Montana. Engel and Jones found that up to44% of urea surface broadcast between October and April was lost to volatilization.

The three year study measured ammonia volatilization loss from surface-applied urea and ureaamended with a urease inhibitor designed to decrease volatilization on producers’ fields in southwest,central and north central Montana. In 8 of 13 field trials, peak urea volatilization loss occurred when soilsurface temperatures were below 41°F. Cumulative ammonia losses from urea varied, but averaged

about 20% of applied nitrogen.Surface soil moisture was a major contributor to overwinter urea volatilization on these fields. The

largest nitrogen losses (30-44%) occurred when surface applications were made to moist soils followedby at least 2 weeks with no or little precipitation (less t han 0.2 inches). Even when the soil surface wasfrozen at the time of application, volatilization losses were high. In one trial, urea was applied on January27 to a calcareous soil covered with approximately 5 inches of snow. As the snowpack disappeared, theammonia losses picked up and peaked 5 weeks after application. By early April, 24% of the appliednitrogen had been lost.

The lowest nitrogen losses (<10%) occurred when urea was broadcast on dry soil followed by atleast ¾-inch rainfall. Light rainfall (<1/3-inch) on dry soil resulted in nitrogen losses of 10-20%. Ureabroadcast on dry soils should have at least ½-inch of rain or irrigation in one event to move urea deepenough into the soil to minimize volatilization and yield reductions associated with nitrogen loss.If a producer wants to make an application onto cold soils, Urease inhibitors can be used. They are oneclass of chemical compounds that can be added to urea fertilizers to inhibit transformation to ammoniumand ammonia. The most common urease inhibitor is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), used inAgrotain®. NBPT can reduce ammonia volatilization for 2 to 10 weeks. In general, its longevity declinesas soil temperature and moisture content increase. In this study, coating urea with NBPT (0.1% byweight) reduced cumulative ammonia losses by about 2/3. Volatilization protection lasted 2-3 weeks onacidic soils (pH 5.5-6.5), and more t han 7 weeks on an alkaline soil (pH 8.4).

This study demonstrated that significant ammonia losses f rom surface-applied urea can occurduring cold weather months. Ideally, broadcast urea should be incorporated by tillage, rainfall or irrigation.Coating urea with NBPT can help protect surface applied urea for several weeks to allow time forincorporation by tillage or by at least ½-inch of water in one event. An alternative for dry land no-tillproducers who do not want to rely on unpredictable rain events is to double-shoot, or sub-surface band,urea into the soil at seeding.

Would you like to reduce your paper mail?

The Conservation Districts’ newsletter is now available on-line and in color. Please go to the Powell Cou

www.powellcountymt.gov 

In the menu on the left-hand side of the website’s home page, c lick on Conservation Districts near t he bo

menu. This will take you to our page and the link to read the latest issue of the Conservation Districts’ n

Click here and you will see the color version of the newsletter.

We can also reduce your paper mail by e-mailing you the newsletter. If you would like to get your newsmail or no longer need the paper version sent to you, please let us know at: (406) 846-1703 ext 112 or

Cheryle.Wood@mt.nacdnet.net 

The 310 Permit applications are also

available on the Powell County

website. It is a link to the DNRC that

will give you instructions as well as a

fill-in 310 form to submit to the

Conservation District.

A 310 permit is REQUIRED if you

are planning ANY project that

physically alters or modifies the bed

or banks of a stream. The purpose of 

the permit is to minimize soil erosion

and sedimentation, protect and

preserve streams and rivers in theirnatural or existing state, and to

prevent damage to the lands and

property immediately adjacent to

streams and rivers.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January

2nd –   New Year’s Day Holiday (offic

closed)

9th – North Powell Conservation Dis

Meeting 1:30 P.M.

10th  – Deer Lodge Valley Conservatio

District Meeting 6:30 P.M.14th  – Livestock Seminar

16th  – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Ho

(office closed)

February 

6th  – North Powell Conservation DistMeeting 1:30 P.M.

14th  – Deer Lodge Valley ConservatioDistrict Meeting 6:30 P.M.

20th  –  Presidents’ Day Holiday (offic

closed)

March

5th  – North Powell Conservation DistMeeting 1:30 P.M.

11th  – Daylight Savings Time Begins

13th  – Deer Lodge Valley ConservatioMeeting 6:30 P.M.