Deer Lodge Valley Supervisors John Hollenback, Chairman Jeff Janke, Vice-Chairman Dwight Crawford, Treasurer Troy McQueary,

Supervisor Don Despain, Supervisor Sharon Scognamiglio, Supervisor Jim Lee, Urban Supervisor Dallis Hunter, Associate Gayle Tomlinson, Associate Conservation District Susie Johnson, Administrative Assistant Cheryle Wood, Office Assistant

North Powell Supervisors Tracy Manley, Chairman Tim Quigley, Vice-Chairman Jim Stone, Treasurer Kevin Ertl, Supervisor Kyle Graveley, Supervisor Natural Resources Conservation Service Glen Green Geoffrey Anderson Nancy Sweeney Kevin Bossert Kailee Bickford

CONSERVATION
DEER LODGE VALLEY AND NORTH POWELL CONSERVATION DISTRICTS

NEWSLETTER
19

Number
MSU Extension Service Jodi Pauley

December, 2011

40TH ANNUAL LIVESTOCK SEMINAR

Saturday, January 14th, 2012
FREE DAYTIME SESSION: COMMUNITY CENTER
12:30 1:00 1:00 1:05 1:05 1:30 Registration Welcome
Chamber of Commerce of Deer Lodge

The public is always invited to the meetings of the Conservation District. Call 846-1703 for time and place of the meetings.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Deer Lodge Valley and North Powell Conservation Districts prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 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.

Rocky Mountain Stockgrowers Got Water? Need Water? What can Solar Power do for you?
Sarah Hamlen MSU Renewable Energy Technology Specialist

CONSERVATION NEWS & VIEWS

Deer Lodge Valley And North Powell Conservation Districts

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Deer Lodge, MT Permit #7

1:30 2:30 2:30 3:00 3:00 3:15

Break WRC
John Hollenback Board Member

Range Days
Jodi Pauley MSU Extension Service and Range Days Committee Member

3:15 4:15

Provider Pals
Bruce Vincent Motivational Speaker and Businessman

1002 Hollenback Road, Suite C Deer Lodge, MT 59722

EVENING SESSION: ST. MARYS CENTER

The evening banquet will begin at 6:00 P.M. with a no host cocktails period followed by a Prime Rib dinner at 6:30 P.M. at the St. Marys Center. The evenings Keynote Speaker will be Bruce Vincent, With Vision, There is Hope. The evening will conclude with dancing to music provided by Steve Fullmer and the Better Half Band. Admission for the evening is $25.00 per person and tickets must be purchased in advance. Door prizes donated by area merchants will be given away at both the afternoon session and the evening banquet.

BANQUET TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY JANUARY 13TH, 2012

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

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 studies were conducted in Montana by Rick Engel and Clain Jones through the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University. With the price of fertilizer, some of you may want to change how and when you apply your fertilizer. Urea broadcast from mid-fall to early spring on soils at or near freezing 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 to 44% 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 urea amended 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 soil surface temperatures were below 41F. 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 followed by at least 2 weeks with no or little precipitation (less than 0.2 inches). Even when the soil surface was frozen at the time of application, volatilization losses were high. In one trial, urea was applied on January 27 to a calcareous soil covered with approximately 5 inches of snow. As the snowpack disappeared, the ammonia losses picked up and peaked 5 weeks after application. By early April, 24% of the applied nitrogen had been lost. The lowest nitrogen losses (<10%) occurred when urea was broadcast on dry soil followed by at least -inch rainfall. Light rainfall (<1/3-inch) on dry soil resulted in nitrogen losses of 10-20%. Urea broadcast on dry soils should have at least -inch of rain or irrigation in one event to move urea deep enough 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 one class of chemical compounds that can be added to urea fertilizers to inhibit transformation to ammonium and ammonia. The most common urease inhibitor is N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT), used in Agrotain. NBPT can reduce ammonia volatilization for 2 to 10 weeks. In general, its longevity declines as soil temperature and moisture content increase. In this study, coating urea with NBPT (0.1% by weight) reduced cumulative ammonia losses by about 2/3. Volatilization protection lasted 2-3 weeks on acidic soils (pH 5.5-6.5), and more than 7 weeks on an alkaline soil (pH 8.4). This study demonstrated that significant ammonia losses from surface-applied urea can occur during 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 for incorporation by tillage or by at least -inch of water in one event. An alternative for dry land no-till producers 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 County website: www.powellcountymt.gov In the menu on the left-hand side of the websites home page, click on Conservation Districts near the bottom of the menu. This will take you to our page and the link to read the latest issue of the Conservation Districts newsletter. 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 newsletter by email 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.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS January 2nd New Years Day Holiday (office closed) 9th North Powell Conservation District Meeting 1:30 P.M. 10th Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District Meeting 6:30 P.M. 14th Livestock Seminar 16th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday (office closed) February

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 their natural or existing state, and to prevent damage to the lands and property immediately adjacent to streams and rivers.

6th North Powell Conservation District Meeting 1:30 P.M. 14th Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District Meeting 6:30 P.M. 20th Presidents Day Holiday (office closed) March 5th North Powell Conservation District Meeting 1:30 P.M. 11th Daylight Savings Time Begins 13th Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District Meeting 6:30 P.M.