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Garfield County

Agriculture in Garfield County

Published: 2020
By Eric Mlller
Garfield County is agriculture. As such, a large portion of the work in the MSU Extension office is directed to production agriculture and working with producers to be efficient, productive, proactive and up-to-date with current issues. Forage production is key to livestock viability. MSU Extension in Garfield County works with forage producers year-round to evaluate livestock feeding requirements and safety. The development of mixed rations for livestock help growers to reduce total feed cost and meet the nutritional demands of their animals based on production year. Nitrates can play a large role in hay production and livestock health. Elevated nitrates can lead to discounted hay prices, poor livestock performance, and potential livestock deaths. To minimize the risk of nitrates for hay producers and livestock operators, MSU Extension works to provide research-based production methods to reduce nitrate accumulation in forages and offers testing of forages for nitrate levels. The new testing procedures used by Extension agents offer more reliable results that can be used in management decisions. MSU Extension in Garfield County has been working with farmers to identify potential herbicide resistance and methods to mitigate the impacts of resistant weeds. In the past few years, area farmers have been faced with resistant Kochia and Marestail. These plants can be a challenge to control when traditional herbicides no longer work. In cooperation with landowners in 2020, the Extension agent worked to identify potential resistant plants and develop management plans to address the problems with area farms.
Grasshopper damage to squash.