MSU Extension COVID-19 Ag Resources

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension


MSU Extension is a great resource for research-based, factual information.  One resource that has become vitally important over the past month has been a section that can be accessed from the msuextension.org website under a heading titled, “MSU COVID-19 Resources for You and Your Family.”  There are different subsections after you click on the link and I would like to share one resource about agriculture.


COVID-19 spreads through relatively close contact but doesn’t survive long outside of the host.  Contacting respiratory droplets from someone sneezing close to you or picking up the virus from handling a doorknob that is contaminated with mucus from an infected person, can spread the disease.  The good news is that coronaviruses can be killed by many disinfectants and normal handwashing procedures, as well as environmental exposure.


For agricultural producers, it’s important to note that there is no current evidence that this outbreak is affecting livestock or any species besides humans.  The recommendations that follow apply to general precautions against introducing or spreading disease on the farm or ranch, which are excellent practices to follow at all times.

Keeping barns and other farm buildings clean is one of the keys 

to reducing potential disease spread.

Be sure your farm and family biosecurity is strong.  Keep all visitors to your farm, wildlife and new livestock out of direct contact with your animals, as well as their feed and water.


Use good management to keep your family’s and your animals’ innate immunity strong.  Good nutrition, housing, ventilation, water and general hygiene will strengthen immune defenses and reduce the chance of serious disease of any kind.


Be a good observer.  Report serious illnesses to your veterinarian as appropriate.  It’s always good to discuss how to best address illnesses on the farm.  Usual occurrences of disease and losses will occur on farms but shouldn’t be confused with more serious disease.


Keep enough resources on hand to be able to manage if backups are needed.  You should have replacements for essential items at the farm, as well as at least two weeks’ worth of supplies.

So, what about cleaning and disinfecting?  The Centers for Disease Control suggests simple environmental cleaning and disinfecting if respiratory disease is present.  These reasonable steps for both in the home and on the farm include cleaning doorknobs, as well as kitchen and bathroom handles and surfaces.  Surfaces should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.  Diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.  Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface you are cleaning.  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation.  Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date.  Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.  Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.  Prepare a bleach solution by mixing 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water or 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water. 

Watch Your Own Bobber...

Wendy Wedum, MSU Extension Pondera County

Over the past month, I have been feeling very stressed out.  Our 4-H District just hosted a statewide 4-H event, I have a training coming up, I volunteered to teach a couple classes at the high school and my son is moving back, among other things.

The result is feeling over whelmed and has led to poor eating habits, not exercising enough, not sleeping well and stress headaches the size of Beaverhead county.

Last weekend I asked about my son’s plans for moving and wondering about a potential Plan B in case I cannot help him.  Junior looks up at me, grins and calmly says, “Mom, watch your own bobber.”

My first reaction, because I wasn’t thinking clearly, was what does fishing have to do with moving?  Then the fog cleared and I realized what he meant as he said, "I’ve got my move handled and you don’t need to worry about it."  Then he shared he had changed his plans from what we talked about a couple months ago.

Spring can be a stressful time in rural Montana.  Sudden weather changes, calving, seeding crops, unexpected expenses, scholarship applications, graduations, planning for summer fun…whatever your list is, it can get big, fast.

If you are stressing out there are a couple strategies to help you watch your own bobber.  Write down a list of the things you are dealing with.  For each item, ask yourself what do you have control over?  Or What can you do to influence what happens with the item?  If you cannot change or do much about it, then it is time to stop watching that bobber.

If you can do something about it or have some control over the item, then it is time to do some planning or goal setting to better manage what is happening or what needs to be done.

When you are stressed out, it is hard to look at what you are doing objectively.  My son gave me a gentle reminder that he’s got this and he will ask for help when he needs it.

If you are interested in resources to cope with stress, MSU Extension has several MontGuides that may help.  One is called 50 Stress Busting Ideas for your Well Being, and there are others that deal with coping with family stress, helping children cope with natural disasters and dealing with financial crisis.

To get these resources you can call your local Extension office, or you can visit the North Central Montana Extension Blog, visit the Pondera County Extension facebook page or check out the KSEN/K96FM blog for links to downloadable pdf files on the msuextension.org website.

There are many resources available.  You don’t have to let yourself get hooked by things that are outside of your control.  My stress load dropped a lot that day and I got another good life lesson from my son when I listened to his wise words to “watch my own bobber.”

Free Resource Links (Click Download Now below "Add to Cart): 
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https://store.msuextension.org/Products/Understanding-and-Managing-Stress__MT201605HR.aspx

https://store.msuextension.org/Products/Family-Stress-and-Coping__MT201707HR.aspx

https://store.msuextension.org/Products/Helping-Friends-Cope-with-Financial-Crisis__MT200206HR.aspx

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Garlic-Good for More Than Just Vampire Control

Jesse Fulbright, MSU Liberty County Extension

I love garlic.  Whether it be on fries, on shrimp, or a variety of other ways, it is one of my favorite things to see added to different foods.  So, what if you want to grow it?

Lucky for me, and anyone else that would like to grow garlic in their garden, there is an M.S.U. Extension MontGuide on it.  Garlic is a good thing to grow in Montana as it tolerates our cold winters and short growing seasons well.  If planted at the right time, it should supply all the garlic an average family needs.  Note the “average” part of that statement.  Garlic has been found to be an excellent source of selenium.  Selenium is an antioxidant that fights oxidative stress, meaning it helps protect our cells from damage.  This is not a cure-all of course but one of the side benefits potentially of garlic.  Garlic is also a good source of protein, phosphorus, iron and potassium. 

Traditionally, garlic is planted in the early spring and harvested at the end of summer.  I suppose you could try that here, under the right conditions in the right year.  However, many gardeners in growing areas such as ours have better luck planting garlic between mid-September and mid-October.  This way, the garlic plants have a chance to develop a strong root system, overwinter and are then harvested the next summer.  If you decide on fall planting, be sure to mulch your plants with about six inches of straw or some other good protectant to protect them from winter heaving and desiccation.  You can leave out the mulch if we get a decent snow cover for most of the winter.  The plants will grow beneath the snow and may be two inches tall as the snow melts. 

Photo courtesy of University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

A word on the actual planting now.  Each bulb is made up of several cloves held together by a thin membrane.  You are probably familiar with this if you have cooked with garlic.  Each clove consists of two miniature leaves and a vegetative bud.  Separate the cloves just before planting and plant only the larger outer ones.  Use the smaller inner cloves for cooking, since the size of the resulting bulb is directly related to the size of the clove planted.  The moral of the story is, plant small cloves and you’ll get small bulbs.  Turn under about five pounds of 5-10-10 fertilizer or equivalent per 100 square feet before planting.  Then, work some compost or other rotted organic material into the soil.  Set the cloves into the soil right-side up about two inches deep and four to six inches apart in rows about 12 inches apart.  Five feet of row will satisfy the average person for one year.  You’ll need about one pound of cloves to plant 20 feet of row.  Garlic does best when planted in a sunny location but will tolerate partial shade.  Please let your local county Extension office know if you have any further questions about garlic this fall!

I found a pretty flower...

Common teasel is a designated noxious weed in
Lake county, MT, and is a taprooted biennial that
can grow to six feet tall with spiny heads.  

Kari Lewis, MSU Extension - Glacier County

A couple weeks ago I was visiting with a client who said that while over on the West side of the mountains, he and his wife had come across a unique looking flower.  I was unable to provide an identification of the plant with his over the phone description, so asked him to e-mail me a picture.

A few days later, I received a couple pictures of the flower in my inbox.  It was tall, spiny, and had a purple flowerhead that I wasn’t familiar with (and no, it was definitely not knapweed, I’ve seen plenty of that!)  The client had found the plant near Ronan, noted it was very plentiful over there, and was interested in using the plant in dried flower arrangements due to its unique appearance.  Because I wasn’t personally familiar with the plant, I forwarded the pictures onto the MSU Extension agent in Lake County, who within a few minutes responded that the plant in question was Common Teasel, which is a designated noxious weed in Lake County.  Teasel is a stout, taprooted biennial which grows to 6 feet tall, and produces spiny heads often reaching over two inches with purple flowers protected by spine-like bractlets.  The plant is a native to Europe, and is now widespread as a weed in North America.

I thought this was a very teachable moment for a few reasons. 

First, the clients had participated in my Level 1 and Level 2 Master Gardener classes, where we discussed Integrated Pest Management and how critical it is to properly identify plants in order to correctly manage them.  Further, we discussed the danger of horticulturists transporting ‘pretty flowers’ as that is how most weeds are established.  I was proud that rather than simply bringing the plant home to Glacier county and potentially establishing it here, my Master Gardener students chose to seek out an identification of the plant. 

Secondly, even though I was not able to identify the teasel myself, I was able to quickly get an answer through the MSU Extension network.  Since common teasel is a Lake County noxious weed, it should be not moved across county lines, and I was able to quickly let my client know that this plant should NOT be brought back to Glacier county.

Lastly, I think this serves as a good reminder that if you come across a plant that you are unfamiliar with, please be sure to get proper identification before making plans to use it.  This is not an isolated incident, as occasionally we see weeds in flower beds that were originally introduced as flowers.  I also remember the story of one well-meaning church harvest dinner decorating committee that planned to use some fall like décor in the table arrangements, until someone pointed out that their planned décor was actually a weed and should not be transported to the church harvest dinner!

Your local MSU Extension office is a great resource for plant identification, and we really appreciate diligent clients who serve as ‘first responders’ from the field, noting if there’s new weed infestations we should be aware of, or checking before they add an unknown plant to a flower arrangement.