Montana’s spring moisture can boost winter wheat tillering, help spring wheat get established, and improve hay and pasture growth—but stacked storms and lingering leaf wetness can quickly raise rust risk. Here’s what to watch by region, how to scout, and how to think through fungicide timing and haying windows.
Across Montana, it doesn’t take much of a weather swing to turn a decent-looking crop into a question mark. Dryland acres can go from “hanging on” to “rolling leaves and stalled growth” in a week of heat and wind. Then a fast-moving thunderstorm can add hail strips on top of drought stress, leaving producers staring […]
On a good year in Montana, you can drive a section line and feel like the crop is doing fine—until harvest proves otherwise. On a tough year, you might already know where the wheels are wobbling, but pinning down exactly why can be the hard part. That’s where modern aerial imagery is trying to earn […]
When corn starts showing pale, yellow striping across the newest leaves, it can turn a calm drive-by into a stop-and-scout moment. Across the northern plains, reports indicate more growers are noticing striping early in the season, and sulfur (S) is often one of the first nutrients agronomists consider—especially when conditions slow root growth or limit […]
Across Montana, it doesn’t take much of a weather swing to turn a promising crop into a tough decision. A few weeks without meaningful moisture can stall growth, and one fast-moving hail cell can shred leaves, bruise stems, and knock heads to the ground. When both show up in the same season, the questions come […]
On a Montana farm, you can do a lot with a pickup, a shovel, and a good set of boots. But when you’re covering thousands of acres—or trying to keep a close eye on a few hundred under tight labor and time constraints—there’s a point where walking every corner just isn’t realistic. That’s where aerial […]
Across Montana’s Golden Triangle, Judith Basin, and the Hi-Line, winter wheat remains a cornerstone crop—often the one that helps spread workload, capture early moisture, and keep equipment moving when spring turns busy. But winter wheat is also a crop where small management decisions can stack up fast, for better or worse. A tough fall, open […]