BOZEMAN – The Montana State University Montana Agricultural Experiment Station’s (MAES) research centers across the state are inviting the public to annual MAES field days in June and July.
MAES research center field days include farm, field and facility tours and explanations of research projects and results. They are also a chance for producers, legislators and agribusiness representatives to speak with MSU scientists and Extension agents.
MSU faculty agricultural scientists and support staff operate the research centers. Field days are a long-standing tradition of the centers and date back to the early 1920s, when agricultural producers and faculty would join together to discuss agricultural production challenges and successes before harvest season each fall.
Information about this summer’s field days, including the dates and locations of each event, follows:
Wednesday, June 24, MSU President Waded Cruzado will attend the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center field day and will speak at a luncheon for participants. The field day starts at noon. NWARC is located near Creston on State Highway 35. For more information, call (406) 755-4303.
Wednesday, July 1, the Northern Agricultural Research Center's annual field day begins at 3 p.m. and will host a special lab and office building naming and dedication honoring retired agronomist and NARC Superintendent, Gregg Carlson. The center will also celebrate a 100-year anniversary of agriculture research for north-central Montana. The center is located about seven miles southwest of Havre on U.S. Highway 87. For more information, call (406) 265-6115.
Tuesday, July 14, the Eastern Agricultural Research Center will host a field day beginning at 8:30 a.m., with lunch following a tour. Chengci Chen was recently appointed as the center’s new superintendent. The center is located one mile north of Sidney on State Highway 200. For more information, call (406) 433-2208.
Thursday, July 16, the Central Agricultural Research Center field day starts at 9 a.m. and includes lunch. The center is located 2.5 miles west of Moccasin on U.S. Highway 87. For more information, call (406) 423-5421.
Friday, July 17, the Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center field day starts at 8:30 a.m. with tours and lunch. WTARC is located at 9546 Old Shelby Road, Conrad. For more information, call (406) 278-7707.
Tuesday, July 21, MSU's Arthur H. Post Teaching and Agronomy Research Farm will host a crops and weeds field day at 8:30 a.m. with tours before and after lunch. The Post Farm is located eight miles west of Bozeman on U.S. Highway 191. For more information, call (406) 994-4783.
Thursday, July 23, the Western Agricultural Research Center field day starts at 4 p.m. with dinner at 5 p.m. and a tour following. WARC is located at 580 Quast Lane, Corvallis. For more information, call (406) 961-3025.
Thursday, July 30, the MSU Horticulture Farm will host an open-house field day from 4-7 p.m. The event includes appetizers and farm tours. The Horticulture Farm is located in the Bozeman Agricultural Research and Teaching Farm on West Garfield Street in Bozeman. Visitors are encouraged to park in the Miller Pavilion parking lot. For more information, call (406) 994-2231.
The local teaching and research farms and state-wide research centers are strategically located across Montana to allow research with different soil types, elevations, climate zones and landscapes. A local advisory council guides the research at each MAES research center.
The federal Hatch Act of 1887 authorized every national land-grant university to establish an agricultural experiment station, with research reflecting the university’s curriculum, Extension and public need. The Smith-Lever Act authorized the Extension Service in 1914. MSU College of Agriculture, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension have been cooperatively serving the land-grant mission and the Montana public for the past 100 years.
