Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], October 15, 1949, Image 1

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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—Montana Extension Service Photos
ABOVE; This display of Montana approved va
rieties of cereal grains was prepared for the U. S.
department of agriculture in Washington, D. C.,
by Ralph Williams, superintendent of the Central
Montana experiment station at Moccasin, LEFT: A
field of foundation seed increase at the station at
Moccasin. RIGHT: Head row plantings at the Moc
casin station. Seed is taken from such plantings for
the production of foundation seed.
, - .
" Know What You Sow'
By RALPH MERCER, Extension Agronomist and
Secretary, Montana Seed Growers Assn.
KNOW WHAT YOU SOW' has been the
U
slogan of the Montana Seed Growers Assn,
for the past quarter of a century. It has
stood for the best varieties as well as a
product of high purity and known germina
tion.
The Montana Seed Growers Assn, came
into being in 1921 when a small group of
growers decided to band together to protect
the quality of the seed they were producing.
From this humble beginning this association
of seed producers has continued to grow
year by year and exert an ever present in
fluence in maintaining quality in cereal,
legume and grass seed produced in Montana.
Demand Exceeds Production
During these years the demand for Mon
tana seed has continued to be in excess of
the annual production. While the cereal
grain certification program is designed
primarily to take care of the needs within
the state, there are many tons of seed
shipped to neighboring states each year,
Mark Haley, grower, Rosebud county, standing in
bis field of foundation Ranger alfalfa seed. Thin
stands, clean cultivation and supplementary mois
ture take some of the hazards out of alfalfa seed
production.
AND NORTHERN WYOMING
S
Mm
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with an occasional lot of several thousand
pounds going to foreign countries.
About 90 percent of the legumes and grass
seed production goes to consuming areas
where this type of seed is not readily pro
duced. The alfalfa seed program is for the
most part rather tightly bound with the
livestock industry. Each supplements the
other and tends to make for a better bal
anced agriculture.
Research, Extension Co-operation
From the very beginning the Montana
Seed Growers Assn., which is the certifying
agency for small seeds and cereals in Mon
tana, has been very closely correlated with
the research program of Montana State col
lege and with the Montana extension serv
ice. The agronomist of the agronomy depart
ment of the Montana agricultural experi
ment station has always been an ex-officio
member of the board of directors and the
extension agronomist has always served as
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• -
An aerial view of the Central Montana branch ex
periment station at Moccasin, showing the build
ings, shelterbelt and seed and test plots for crops
adapted to the area.
the secretary-treasurer of the association.
In addition the county extension agent in
each county in the state having an extension
service represents the association in the
county. In this way the crop standardization
program in the state is correlated from the
research findings of the Montana Agricul
tural experiment station to the production
of commercial grain by all growers in the
state.
Grain, Grass Seed
The certification program in Montana,
which embraces the production of founda
tion registered and certified seed, consists
of two types of production: (1) The produc
tion of cereal grains, flax, corn and beans
and (2) the production of legume and grass
seed. As the system used in each is some
what different, they must be treated sep
arately.
The Montana Seed Growers Assn, places
a variety on the standard list for certifica
tion when it (please turn to page 6)
H. S. Parker, Flathead county (left), and A. A.
Johnson. extension agronomist. New York stale, ex
amine a planting of breeders seed of Kenland clover
on the Parker farm. Planting supervised by West
ern Montana branch experiment station.