Past Inside Ag Newsletters

See below for Inside Ag newsletters older than the current year. For the most up-to-date news, visit https://ag.montana.edu/publications/newsletter.html. 

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2024 Newsletters

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In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • COA Faculty of the Month
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

COA Faculty of the Month

The November faculty member of the month is Emily Sewell of the Department of Agricultural and Technology Education! Dr. Sewell is one of our newest faculty members, and we are so lucky to have her. She was nominated for her enthusiasm in teaching and advising, her contagious positive attitude and her immediate impact on her students and colleagues. Congratulations, Dr. Sewell!

Recent Events

  • What a week we had at Celebrate Ag 2024! We welcomed more than 1,500 attendees to campus across 19 events from Nov. 4-9, and we’re so grateful for each and every one of them. 
  • LRES graduate student Meghan Robinson presented “Soil Texture and Seasonal Changes in Soil Structure Control Deep Percolation and Nitrate Leaching in an Irrigated Cropping System” at the CANVAS conference in San Antonio earlier this month. 
  • Extension Sheep and Wool Specialist Brent Roeder recently spent three weeks in Australia, supported by a faculty excellence grant. His trip had three purposes: 1) Attend LambEx in Adelaide, the largest technical sheep expo in the world, 2) Tour Australia’s wool testing and research facilities to get ideas on equipment needs for the Montana Wool Lab and 3) Visit and tour studs and wool industry locations to better understand how the Australian system works.

Upcoming Events

  • The MSU Range Management Club will be selling Christmas trees at the BART Farm December 2-7. 
  • Registration is now open for the Montana Organic Vegetable Expo in Missoula, January 9-10!  More information is available at eventbrite.com.
  • MSU’s HORT 343 Commercial Plant Production class is growing poinsettias for the PSPP department fall semester graduation party next month. Thank you to these students, led by Dr. David Baumbauer, for a beautiful and festive addition to commencement!

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Publications

Funding Opportunities

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In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • COA Faculty of the Month
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications, Grants and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

  • Eric and Emma Wickens, owners of Wickens Salt Creek Ranch and MSU alumni, will be recognized with the 2024 Montana Leopold Conservation Award at the Montana Farm Bureau annual convention in November. Read more about their award here!

COA Faculty of the Month

The October faculty member of the month is Rachel Frost of the ARS department! Dr. Frost is the director of the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program, and she was nominated for constantly going above and beyond as a teacher and adviser. She connects her classes with industry professionals, demonstrates a commitment to each student and tailors their educational experience to help them succeed. Congratulations, Dr. Frost!

Awards and Achievements

  • Denise De La Garza, administrative associate in Animal & Range Sciences, received the Director’s Distinguished Staff Award for MSU Extension.
  • Numerous COA, MAES and Extension faculty and staff were recognized at MSU’s Milestones in Service ceremony this month (including our very own dean Dr. Sreekala Bajwa celebrating 5 years at MSU!) Thank you to these exceptional individuals for their dedication to MSU’s mission!
    • 35 years: Bridget Westfall, PSPP; Mark Quinn, WIMU; Denise Thompson, ARS
    • 30 years: Sandy Rahn-Gibson, Extension; Tim McDermott, LRES; Tamera Marcotte, Animal Resource Center; Jeanne Gripentrog, PSPP; Irene Decker, PSPP
    • 25 years: Jane Wolery, Extension; Ed Schmidt, MCB; Sharla Sackman, Extension; Tracy Mosley, Extension; Peggy Lamb, NARC; Jane Ann Boles, ARS
    • 20 years: Cecil Tharp, ARS; Jamie Sherman, PSPP; Igor Schepetkin, PSPP; Fabian Menalled, LRES; Annette Galioto, Extension; Alan Dyer, PSPP
    • 15 years: Lisa White, ARS; Steve Stowers, MCB; Tracy Sterling, LRES; Stacie Rath, LRES; Deborah Holman, Extension; Greg Gilpin, DAEE; Ronald Brown, EARC; Jack Brookshire, LRES; Eric Boyd, MCB
    • 10 years: Ileana Yates-Johnson, WIMU; Heather Walk, MCB; Megan Van Emon, ARS; Jessica Torrion, DRC; Ryan Thum, PSPP; Deann Snyder, MCB; Dusty Perry, DATE; Lance McNew, ARS; Kari Lewis, Extension; Faye Jorgensen, PSPP; Eleri Haney, NARC; Thomas Gross, EARC; Eva Grimme, PSPP; Hannah DelCurto, ARS; Jackelyn Beardsley, Extension
    • 5 years: Qing Yan, PSPP; Sam Wyffels, ARS; Mike Walach, DATE; Jennifer von Sehlen, ARS; Chloe Rice, PSPP; Joel Raisler, Ft. Keogh; Aaron Mugaas, Extension; Kaleena Miller, Extension; Sarah McCoski, ARS; Melissa LoPalo, DAEE; Christian Larson, LRES; Heather Ireland, MCB; Jenni Hammontree, CARC; Terrill Braaksma, COA; Jennifer Birdsall, LRES; Andrea Berry, Extension; Haley Barker, Extension; Sreekala Bajwa, COA; Rachel Anderson, MCB.

Recent Events

  • The Idaho-Montana chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects held their biennial conference, Rendezvous, at MSU Sept. 19-21, hosting over 100 landscape design professionals and students from MSU and the University of Idaho.
  • Earlier this month, the Department of Ag & Tech Education’s senior Broadfield Teaching Cohort traveled to Billings to attend the Montana Association of Career and Technical Education Conference. 
  • Students in Tim DelCurto's beef cattle management lab attended a foot-scoring clinic held Sept. 26, at the BART Farm. 

A recap of the 2024 Mountain Meat Summit from ARS/Extension’s Tommy Bass

The Mountain Meat Summit brought together over 130 key figures in the local and regional meat supply chain, including chefs, processors, educators and producers. The event was dedicated to advancing market opportunities, building connections and enhancing skill development, with a strong emphasis on business-to-business collaboration. Highlights included educational tours, technical sessions and networking opportunities. We are deeply grateful to our speakers and tour hosts, who took time away from their businesses to share their wisdom and experience. Additionally, the Summit would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. I believe we all gained valuable insights and connections that will further strengthen our meat supply chain. We hope you’ll join us in Colorado in 2025!

Stats from the Mountain Meat Summit:

  • 100% of respondents said they gained new information from the event
  • 94% said the event would help me be more effective in their jobs
  • 92% said the information they gained would help them reduce risk, save money and/or better grow their businesses

Upcoming Events

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Publications

Recent Grants

  • Lance McNew: “Identifying Conservation Priority Areas for Rangeland Wildlife on BLM lands in the Northern Great Plains.” Bureau of Land Management.

Funding Opportunities

Several calls for proposals from Western SARE are currently open:

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In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • COA Faculty of the Month
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications, Grants and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

COA Faculty of the Month

The September faculty member of the month is Mac Burgess of the PSPP department! Dr. Burgess was nominated for his commitment to helping students be involved and his willingness to go above and beyond to create an environment of belonging, including organizing trips and giving farm tours. Congratulations, Dr. Burgess!

Awards and Achievements

  • Two past MSU faculty were recognized by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle in September: Gretchen Rupp (LRES) and George Haynes (DAEE) were chosen for the Ninth Annual Prime Awards, honoring those in our community who make a difference. 
  • MSU faculty were recognized at the national AgInnovation meeting last month for their efforts in research and student support. Congratulations to Blake Wiedenheft (MCB) who was recognized with the Western Region Research Innovation Award of Excellence, and Tracy Dougher and the Indigenous Pathways in Agriculture Program, who received the organizations Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group award!
  • Marsha A. Goetting, MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist, and Jennifer Munter, Assistant Director, MSU Extension Nutrition Education Program, were selected to present about their Alzheimer’s Storybook program at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Conference in Tucson.

Recent Events

  • Tracy Sterling and Dr. Diane Debinski led a 3-day immersion for doctoral students in LRES 593: Challenges in Ecology and Environmental Science in late September. The course provided a common starting point and cohort-building experience for students in the Ecology & Environmental Sciences cross-college PhD program.

Upcoming Events

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Publications

Recent Grants

  • Anna Schweiger, Seth Walk, Stephan Warnat: “Early prediction of maple syrup quality using carbon dynamics spectroscopy."
  • Mosley, J. “Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership: Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring. The Nature Conservancy.”

Funding Opportunities

COA Teaching and Equipment Grants

The 2025 Teaching and Equipment Grant Program is now accepting proposals. Full details, the application form, and instructions for submission are available on the COA website.

COA Minigrant

The 2025 Minigrant Program is now accepting proposals. Submission deadline is Monday, October 21, 2024 Additional details and application instructions can be found on the College of Agriculture website.

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In this Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Welcome to our new Faculty!
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications and Grants

A Message from the Dean

Dear College of Agriculture and MAES,

Welcome to academic year 2024-25!

I hope you had a wonderful summer, whether you were focused on lab or field research, traveling, or spending time with family. I am excited to welcome a new batch of students, along with new faculty and staff, to our college.

With the two new faculty members who joined us in the spring, we have hired 13 new faculty members in 2024, and I am so excited to welcome these brilliant new academics! They bring a wealth of knowledge, ideas and excitement to elevate our research, teaching and service mission to new heights. 

This year, we continue to prioritize student success as our number one goal. The commitment of our faculty and staff to helping and engaging our students in and out of the classroom is the foundation for achieving this goal, and we are set up for continued success this academic year.

I wish you all a successful fall semester,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

  • Dr. Jess Kansman of the PSPP department was featured in the Entomological Society of America’s July newsletter! Read her Q&A here.
  • The Ravalli Republic highlighted ongoing work at WARC with a USDA crop block grant that his helping provide mini-grants to producers. You can read their coverage here.

Welcome to our new faculty!

So far in 2024, we have hired 13 new tenure track faculty! 

  • Ricardo Pinto, Northern Ag Research Center, Precision Agriculture Specialist
  • Emily Sewell, Ag and Technology Education, assistant professor
  • Hannah Speer, Northern Ag Research Center, Assistant Professor of Animal Science
  • Finn Tinsley: Animal and Range Sciences, Towne Livestock Foreman
  • Jack Magee: Animal and Range Sciences, Research Assistant
  • Taylor Kaltenbach: Animal and Range Sciences, Research Associate
  • Glen Collins: Foreman, Red Bluff Research Ranch
  • Joe Jensen: Northwestern Ag Research Center, Cropping Systems Agronomist
  • Anish Sapkota: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Assistant Professor of Data Intensive and Precision Agriculture

Awards and Achievements

  • Our very own dean Sreekala Bajwa has been appointed to serve on USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board! This 10-member board provides expert recommendations to help ensure that USDA research is informed by the best available science.
  • Congratulations to MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Megan Van Emon, who was awarded the 2024 Distinguished Service award by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents in recognition of her Extension education programs!
  • Graduate student Makayla Ogg received the 2024 Dr. Janice Bowman Graduate Student Fellowship Award! Makayla earned her master’s degree in ARS in 2022 and is currently working toward her doctorate.
  • The American Farm Bureau Federation earned a Power of Associations Silver Award for its Social Media Ambassador Program earlier this year. MSU senior Haley Droogsma was an ambassador for the National Young Farmer & Rancher Conference in Omaha. 
  • Wishing a very happy retirement to George Haynes of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics! Dr. Haynes retired this month after an exceptional career in research, service and education.

Events

  • We have two more field days at the BART Farm in Bozeman on August 29 and at WARC in Corvallis on September 12, so we hope you’ll join us once more before the season is over.
  • Faculty in the Department of Ag Econ and Econ are hosting, “Economics in the 2024 Presidential Election.” The course meets weekly on Thursdays through October 31, and is open to the public. 
  • The USDA will host a free webinar, “Leveraging Extension and University Engagement: Developing and Implementing Novel Projects Using Transdisciplinary Approaches” on Monday, September 9 at 11 a.m. MST. 
  • Save the date for the inaugural Cattle Academy Conference set for Nov. 19-20 in Miles City.

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Publications

Recent Grants

  • “Improving and Managing Adaptation of Barley to Abiotic Stress with Stay-Green Trait” (PI: Jessica Torrion, Co-PIs: Jamie Sherman, Kent McVay, Paul Nugent, in partnership with Maryse Bourgault)
  • “Novel methods to enhance detection of equine gene doping agents and vectors” (Amanda Bradbery)
  • “Long Term Whitebark Pine Monitoring in Northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem” (Daniel Atwater)
  • “Immune status and gastrointestinal development in neonatal foals supplemented with anti-endotoxin IgY” (Amanda Bradbery)
  • “Elucidating Gut Microbiota-dependent Health Impacts of Haskap Berries to Inform Agricultural Production Practices that will Maximize Bioactive Potential“ (Mary Miles, Brian Bothner, Zach Miller, Andrej Svyantek, Seth Walk, Zhuoyu Wang, Carl Yeoman)

Funding Opportunities

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In this Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Dear Ag Family,

Congratulations on completing another successful academic year. My heartiest congratulations to all graduates as they end their current chapter at MSU and embark on new and exciting paths. I am so proud of all of you! My gratitude also goes to all our faculty and staff who helped our students to achieve this milestone.

This year brought many successes and recognitions to our college, thanks to the outstanding performance of our students, staff and faculty members. Thanks to your hard work, we made gains in student retention and kept our enrollment steady. More importantly, the impact you make on our graduates as mentors and teachers is invaluable. 

We hired another round of 12 outstanding faculty this year, many of whom will start in August. We have dedicated more resources than ever to support graduate students, our research expenditures have continued to grow and that trend is expected to continue in FY24.

Summer is always an exciting time for our college with field days and numerous other events. Wishing you all an outstanding summer!

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

  • The Professional MS in Land Resources & Environmental Sciences celebrated the milestone of 150 graduates this spring. Since the program began in the fall of 2012, it has had 166 total graduates. Congratulations and thank you to director Dr. Tracy Sterling, program coordinator Dr. Scott Powell, program manager Marni Rolston and department head Dr. Bob Peterson for their commitment to accessible graduate education!

Awards and Achievements

  • MSU medical laboratory science student Gracie Tooke was one of 18 students nationwide to be awarded a scholarship from the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists. 
  • Graduate research assistant Kaelin Smith is one of two graduate students to be recognized with a competitive scholarship from the Montana Grains Foundation. 
  • Earlier this month, we celebrated our faculty who have achieved promotion or tenure this academic year! This is a major milestone and we are so proud to recognize Ryan Thum, (PSPP), Michelle Flenniken (PSPP), Associate Dean Jennifer Thomson and Ravalli County Extension Agent Kimberly Richardson for their hard work and service to MSU.

Recent Events

WARC superintendent Zach Miller and administrative associate Kierstin Schmitt helped the US Forest Service to prune and preserve apple and cherry trees on a historic orchard on Lantz Bar on the Main Salmon River earlier this month. 

Upcoming Events

The 2024 Summer Field Days are here! 

  • June 20, NARC, Havre: 3 p.m.
  • June 26, CARC, Moccasin: 8:30 a.m.
  • June 27, EARC, Sidney: 8 a.m.
  • July 10, WTARC, Conrad: 10 a.m.
  • July 11, NWARC, Creston: 11 a.m.
  • July 17, Post Farm, Bozeman: 8 a.m.
  • August 29, BART and Horticulture Farms, Bozeman: 5 p.m.
  • September 12, WARC, Corvallis: 4:30 p.m.

Publications 

Recent COA/MAES publications

  • Zhuoyu Wang, Andrej Svyantek, Zachariah Miller, Bridgid Jarrett, Stacy Green, and Ashley Kapus. “Postharvest Treatment Effects on ‘Somerset Seedless’ Cold-hardy Table Grapes.” International Journal of Fruit Science.
  • MSU Extension has released a new magazine, Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Support for Montana Farmers and Ranchers. “We developed this magazine because there is little information about Alzheimer’s directed to Montana’s agricultural producers,” said Dr. Marsha Goetting, Professor and MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist and lead author. The magazine is designed for farmers and ranchers facing early to middle stages of Alzheimer's, their families and family caregivers. The magazine is also on-line so readers can click on the link. The magazine is available online via the MSU Extension website or readers can request a hard copy by emailing marsha.goetting@montana.edu.

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In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements
  • New Faces in the COA
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding

News from the College of Ag

More MSU in the news:

  • The Bozeman Daily Chronicle covered AGED student Brittany Mitchell’s work starting a diaper drive and diaper bank for families in need. Check out the story here!
  • Tri-State Livestock News highlighted a new book by Animal and Range Sciences’ Lance McNew, titled “Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.” You can read the article here.

New Faces in the COA

  • Roseann Savino, our new Business Operations Manager for the agriculture dean’s office, will begin on May 1! Welcome, Roseann, we are so happy to have you!

Awards and Achievements

It is awards season at MSU, and we have so many faculty and staff who have received well-deserved recognition this year. Faculty and staff awardees include:

MSU All-Staff Awards:

  • Amy Bowser, Animal & Range Sciences -- Excellence in Innovative Service
  • Rachel Frost, Animal & Range Sciences – Excellence in Outreach

MSU Employee of the Year Service Excellence Awards:

  • David Baumbauer, Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology – Bobcat Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Denise De La Garza, Animal & Range Sciences – Courtesy
  • Kellen Marlow, Animal & Range Sciences – Safety

COA/MAES Awards of Excellence:

  • Amy Bowser, Animal and Range Sciences: Meritorious Service Award
  • Hayes Goosey Animal and Range Sciences/Extension: NACTA Teaching Award of Merit for Faculty
  • Amanda Grube, Animal & Range Sciences – NACTA Teaching Award of Merit for Graduate Students
  • Perry Miller, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences – Excellence in Research and Discovery Award
  • Adam Sigler, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences – Excellence in Impactful Outreach Award
  • Michael Walach, Agricultural and Technology Education – Excellence in Transformative Teaching Award

Additional Awards:

  • Dustin Perry, Agricultural and Technology Education – Outstanding Research Award at the National Association of Career and Technical Education Research Conference
  • Blake Wiedenheft, Microbiology and Cell Biology: Regional Agricultural Research Innovation Award and Induction into the Montana BIoScience Alliance Hall of Fame
  • Mel Wysocki: National Academic Advising Association Region 8 Excellence in Advising Award – New Advisor

Student Awards:

  • PSPP’s Matthew Slivka competed at the national Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet and finished fourth! At the contest, attendees give an opening and closing statement and engage in panel discussion about current issues in agriculture.
  • LRES graduate student Caitlin Mitchell received two prestigious awards recently. She was recognized with the American Geophysical Union Outstanding Student Presentation Award for her presentation “Pathways of nitrate processing across agricultural riparian corridors are characterized through chemical compositions and associated isotopic signatures in shallow groundwater and surface water.” Virginia Tech also recognized Caitlin with the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Recent Undergraduate Alumni Award. 
  • Stacie Rath, Fiscal Operations Manager for the LRES department, was recently recognized by VPR Alison Harmon as an everyday hero of research and innovation at MSU! 
  • Congratulations to the LRES department’s outstanding seniors! Brennan Gaffney was recognized with the Outstanding Graduating Senior Award, and Bryce Pease received the Exceptional Service Award.
  • Graduate students from the Department of Animal and Range Sciences presented research and proposals at the Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum. In the research division, Janessa Kluth took first place, Macy Collins took second and McKenzie Mork took third, and in the research proposal division Clayton Thompson took home first place.

Events

  • Registration is open for the 2024 Mountain Meat Summit, set for May 21-23 at the AC Marriott Hotel in Bozeman. View the agenda and register on the event website.
  • The PSPP department hosted a community building Bouquet Designing event, which was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who attended this great springtime event.

Publications and Funding

  • A New MSU Extension Magazine has been published by Marsha Goetting titled “Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias: Support for Montana Farmers and Ranchers and Their Families. Volume 1 is designed for Montana agricultural producers facing Alzheimer's, their families, and family caregivers to provide information that can make a positive difference in their lives. Copies can be ordered or downloaded for free on the MSU Extension website.
  • Mitchell, Caitlin, Ewing, Stephanie A., Sigler, W. Adam, Jencso, Kelsey G. & Payn, Robert A. (2024). Water isotopic composition traces source and dynamics of water supply in a semi-arid agricultural landscape. Hydrological Processes.
  • Lawver, B., Smalley, S.W., Perry, D. K., & Pate, M. L. (2024). Impact of sequential professional development of school-based agricultural education teachers: In-service implications for safety training. Journal of Agricultural Education. 
  • Perry, D. K., Smalley, S. W., Pate, M. L., & Lawver, R. G. (2024). Five-year analysis of teacher professional development. American Association for Agricultural Education Annual Conference, Manhattan, Kansas.
  • Kibirige, B., Perry, D. K. & Walach, M. (2024). Continued professional development among secondary agricultural education teachers in Uganda. American Association for Agricultural Education Annual Conference, Manhattan, Kansas.
  • Wang, Z.; Svyantek, A.; Miller, Z.; Watrelot, A.A. Assessment of Sequential Yeast Inoculation for Blackcurrant Wine Fermentation. Fermentation.
  • Nunlist EA, Tyers D, Pils A, Sowell BF. 2023. Grizzly bears and humans at alpine moth sites in Wyoming, USA. Human-Wildlife Interactions
  • Wall K, Kerth C, Miller R, Jane Boles. 2024. Sensory and volatile aromatic compound differences of paired lamb loins with 0 or 14 day dry aging. Small Ruminant Research.
  • Vergara-Hernandez FB, Nielsen BD, Popovich JM Jr, Panek CL, Logan AA, Robison CI, Robison CI, Ehrhardt RA, Johnson TN, Chargo NJ, Welsh Jr. TH, Amanda N. Bradbery, Leatherwood JL, Colbath AC. 2024. Clodronate disodium does not produce measurable effects on bone metabolism in an exercising, juvenile, large animal model. PLoS ONE.

Recent COA/MAES grants

  • Cecil Tharp, Adam Sigler. Reducing Toxics in the Upper Columbia through a new Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program (PSPP). Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

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In this Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

Announcements

  • Former LRES student Jason Baldes is featured in the new film “A Buffalo Story,” which premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival earlier this month. You can learn more about the film at https://abuffalostory.org/.
  • Check out this recent interview highlighting the Agritourism Fellows Program! Led by Dr. Shannon Arnold, the program highlights the intersection of agriculture and tourism and is supported by Western SARE.
  • New Faces in the COA
  • A warm welcome to our new COA IT lead, Shane Key!We are so glad to have Shane on board filling a critical position for our college.
  • It is a great pleasure to announce that Dr. Paul Nugent has been selected as the Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan Chair in Precision Agriculture. Dr. Nugent will begin in his new position on August 15. He will be a key part of MSU’s commitment to growing education, research and outreach in precision agriculture.

Awards

  • Congratulations to Amanda Bradbery, recipient of the 2024 American Society of Animal Science’s Western Section Young Scientist Award, and Tim Del Curto, recipient of the 2024 ASAS Western Section Distinguished Teaching Award! 
  • Congratulation to LRES doctoral students Lilly Sencenbaugh and Erin Teichroew, who took first and second, respectively, in the Range, Forestry and Natural Areas graduate student oral competition at the Western Society of Weed Science meeting in Denver earlier this month!Both are advised by Dr. Lisa Rew.
  • Another outstanding LRES grad student, Madisan Chavez, presented on mentoring Native American graduate students at the NIH NIEHS Centers of Excellence Conference at NIEHS headquarters in North Carolina at the end of February. Madisan is advised by Dr. Stephanie Ewing.

Events

  • The MSU Sale Horse Preview Day is set for Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. at Bob Miller Pavilion. Email Alex Trauner at trauner@montana.edu for more information.
  • The Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum will be held April 16-17 at Bozeman's Best Western Plus GranTree Inn. Registration can be found on the ARS Extension website.
  • The deadline for submitting abstracts for the LRES/PSPP Student Research Symposium is March 29. The event will be held April 18 from 3-8 p.m. in Inspiration Hall. More information on the event website.
  • Registration is open for the 2024 Mountain Meat Summit, set for May 21-23 at the AC Marriott Hotel in Bozeman. View the agenda and register on the event website.
  • Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee March Madness event! More than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students presented their research to a packed house. 

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • Recent COA/MAES grants include:
    • Megan Van Emon, Darrin Boss, Julia Dafoe, Katie Schlagel, Hannah Speer, Sam Wyffels. 2024. Impacts of Fit N Forget Calf Cover on Calf Growth and Health. Woolover Limited.
  • WSARE Research and Education Pre-proposal: Researchers from Western institutions may apply. Projects must incorporate research and education, and bring together a team of researchers, students, ag professionals, and producers. 
  • WSARE Sabbatical Grant Program: These grants provide an opportunity for faculty around the world to partner with farmers, ranchers, agricultural professionals and researchers of the Western U.S. region for conducting research, education and Extension activities. 

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Dear Ag Family,

Aside from celebrating Valentine’s Day, we also get our official spring enrollment data in February. As of mid-January, our college has a student headcount of 1,803, with 300 graduate students and 1,503 undergraduate students. While our Fall enrollment has been relatively flat, we have made some important gains in student retention, thanks to your hard work. Our Fall to Spring semester retention of all students grew by over one percentage point to 93.6% and Fall to Fall enrollment increased to 86%. As a university, we recorded our highest Spring semester enrollment ever. You can find the specifics in this news release.

These are important goals, and we are making tangible strides, so thank you for your dedication to this mission! My sincere gratitude to everyone in the college who works with our students and helps them succeed. And while we are making gains, we must also continue our efforts. There is a big gap between the number of college graduates in the country each year and the number of jobs that require a degree in agriculture and related fields. While you are setting goals for the new year, I hope you will continue to prioritize student success among them.

Wishing you an excellent spring break,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

Announcements and Awards

Announcements

Applications for the PREP-MT program are open until Feb. 29. More information can be found on the PREP-MT website.

Awards

Congratulations to Jordan Smith, recipient of a Founder's Day Award for Student Excellence! She chose Dr. Bok Sowell as the impactful mentor to be honored alongside her.

Congratulations to Dr. Jane Ann Boles of the ARS department, recipient of the Women's Faculty Caucus Distinguished Mentor Award at MSU's Founder's Day Awards!. Read more about her work here.

Congratulations to Dr. William Kleindl of the LRES department, recipient of the Excellence in Open Education Award at MSU's Founder's Day Awards! Read more about Dr. Kleindl's work here.

Congratulations to the MSU Undergraduate Range Management Exam team on their 4th-place finish at the annual Society for Range Management Conference held in January!

Events in the COA

Upcoming Events

  • During MSU's Career Fair week, the College of Agriculture will host an Agriculture, Environmental & Life Sciences Employer Mingle on Feb. 27 from 4:30-6 p.m. 
  • Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Bruce Beutler will speak as part of the MCB Seminar Series on March 19 at 2 p.m. 
  • Save the date for the Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum “Owning the Outcome: Proactive Management in Challenging Environments," which will be held April 16-17 at Bozeman's Best Western Plus GranTree Inn.
  • The LRES Graduate Student Organization and the departments of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Plant Science and Plant Pathology invite you to the LRES & PSPP Student Research Symposium to be celebrated on April 18 from 3-8 p.m. in SUB Ballrooms B & C.  More information is available on the event website.
  • The Bimczok lab represented MSU at the 2024 Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases in Chicago in January with three oral presentations about ruminant Mycoplasma infection and diagnostics.

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • Recent COA/MAES publications include:
    • Meili C, El Dein MT, Jones A, Moon C, Andrews C, Kirk M, Janssen P, Yeoman CJ, Grace S, Borgogna JC, Foote A, Nagy Y, Khashef M, Yassin A, Elshahed M, Youssef N. 2024. Diversity and community structure of anaerobic gut fungi in the rumen of wild and domesticated herbivores. Applied & Environmental Microbiology. 
    • Erika Nunlist, Dan Tyers, Andrew Pils, Bok Sowell. 2023. Grizzly bears and humans at alpine moth sites in Wyoming, USA. Human-Wildlife Interactions.
  • Congratulations to the faculty whose projects were recently funded by the Montana Fertilizer Advisory Council! Funded projects include:
    • Animal and Range Sciences: Dr. Hayes Goosey
    • Eastern Ag Research Center: Dr. Chengci Chen
    • Land Resources and Environmental Sciences: Dr. Stephanie Ewing, Dr. Perry Miller, Dr. Clain Jones, Dr. Adam Sigler, Dr. Hayes Goosey
    • Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology: Dr. Mike Giroux, Dr. Jamie Sherman, Dr. Sue Mondal
  • Western SARE is calling for proposal submissions for the 2025 Western SARE Sabbatical Research and Education grant program and the 2025 Farmer/Rancher grant program.

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Dear Ag Family,

Happy New Year and welcome to the new semester!

It is always good to start a new year with some good news. Thanks to the efforts of all of our faculty and staff, our undergraduate student retention increased to 93% from Fall to Spring and 86.2% from Fall to Fall. Please continue the excellent work you have been doing by making student success a top priority. 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for attending the all-college meeting on Jan. 9 and 10. Michelle Miley’s presentation on AI in higher education and the research discussion groups generated a lot of interest, and I am grateful for your engagement and enthusiasm. I hope we can all continue these discussions to identify the most pressing challenges in Montana and beyond and address those problems through research and education.

I hope many of you had the chance to attend the Moral Courage College seminar and listen to Irshad Manji. These opportunities give us additional insight to navigate the complex world of higher education, and I thank you for spending your valuable time on broadening your horizons and continuing your own education. 

Wishing you an excellent semester,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

Announcements and Awards

Announcements

  • A new season of "Working Wild University" podcast by Dr. Jared Beaver of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences is being released this spring. The new season "Imperiled" follows a successful first edition that had over 40,000 downloads across all 50 states! You can learn more here.

New Faces in the College of Ag

  • Welcome to Dr. Joao Souza! Dr. Souza started as LRES’s Assistant Professor of Soil Nutrient Management in January, replacing Rick Engel who retired in August 2020. Dr. Souza received his PhD in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University in 2021.

Awards

  • Dr. Lisa Rew of the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences received the Outstanding Research Award from the Weed Science Society of America.
  • In last semester's Can the Griz food drive, the College of Agriculture collected the most food of any college at MSU! Thank you to everyone who donated to make this profound impact on our community. In total, Can the Griz collected more than 219,000 pounds of food and raised $370,000 for local families in need.

Events in the COA

  • MSU's WellCheck series will be taking place once again this spring! You can schedule your wellness check in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Corvallis, Dillon, Glendive, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Miles City, Missoula, Moccasin, Sidney or Yellow Bay. 

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • Recent COA/MAES publications include:
    • Jared Beaver of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences published a new textbook, "Applied Wildlife Habitat Management" earlier this month. The is meant to provide a practical guide for users of various levels and backgrounds. It provides a foundational base of wildlife management principles and translates emerging research and management ideas into a language that is most useful to on-the-ground managers.
    • Erdei, E., O'Donald, E.R., Luo, L., Enright, K., O'Leary, M., MacKenzie, D., Doyle, J., Eggers, M., Keil, D.,Lewis, J. and Henderson, J.A., 2023. Comparison of circulating and excreted metals and of autoimmunity between two Great Plains Tribal communities. Journal of Autoimmunity, p.103117. 
    • Doyle, J., Eggers, M.,Martin, C., Young, S., Lefthand, M., LaFrance, J., Chavez, M.  Addressing Water Contamination and Water Insecurity, Crow Reservation, Montana.  NIAID NIH DEIA Quarterly Topic Meeting.
    • Meili C, El Dein MT, Jones A, Moon C, Andrews C, Kirk M, Janssen P, Yeoman CJ, Grace S, Borgogna JC, Foote A, Nagy Y, Khashef M, Yassin A, Elshahed M, Youssef N. 2024. Diversity and community structure of anaerobic gut fungi in the rumen of wild and domesticated herbivores. Applied & Environmental Microbiology.
  • Recent COA grants include:
    • Chris Posbergh. 2023 - 2028. Measuring the Climate Benefits and Emissions of Prescribed Sheep Grazing, and Promoting the Consumption of Climate-Smart Lamb. American Lamb Board.
    • Sam Wyffels, DelCurto-Wyffels H, DelCurto T, Boss D. 2024 - 2025. Utilizing sensory equipment to monitor cattle intake, health, and stress response to changing environmental conditions in a Montana feed yard. Bair Ranch Foundation.
    • Lance McNew. 2023-2027. Tactical Misinformation to Reduce Predation and Improve Reproductive Success of Ground-Nesting Birds in the Northern Great Plains. Lanceleaf Foundation.  
    • Christian Posbergh, Brent Roeder, Carl Yeoman. 2024-2025. Assessing the prevalence of Chlamydia abortus in Montana Domestic Rangeland Sheep. Bair Ranch Foundation.
    • Megan VanEmon, Tim DelCurto. 2024-2025. Impacts of forage quality, forage type, and energy supplementation on dry matter digestibility and ruminal nitrate release. Bair Ranch Foundation.
    • Clayton Marlow. 2023-2028. Human Trends in the Absoroka Beartooth Wilderness in Relationship to Grizzly Bear Range Expansion and Habitat Use. USDA Forrest Service.
    • Tuddenham Sue (Johns Hopkins), Rebecca Brotman, Xin He (U. Maryland), Carl Yeoman. 2023 - 2025. The vaginal microenvironment in asymptomatic versus symptomatic Bacterial Vaginosis. NIH-NIAID   
  • Western SARE is accepting submissions for the 2025 Sabbatical Research and Education Program from January 29 until November 21. These grants provide an opportunity for faculty around the world to partner with producers, agricultural professionals, and researchers of the Western U.S. to conduct research, education, and Extension activities. 

2023 Newsletters

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Happy Holidays Team Ag!

As we are about to celebrate the New Year, I want to thank you for a great fall semester and wonderful year for our college. The success we’ve seen wouldn’t be possible without your hard work in inspiring our students to learn and succeed, conducting cutting-edge research that benefits our society, extending our education to the public, and contributing to our land-grant mission. I am grateful each day for our wonderful team, and am so proud of all we’ve accomplished together.

And of course, I want to take a moment to also congratulate our students who graduated this semester! It is always a joy to celebrate our graduates and their families at commencement, and our ceremonies on Dec. 15 were a wonderful event. Many thanks to our faculty and staff who work so hard in supporting and guiding our students toward their degrees.

I hope you will take the time to relax and celebrate the holiday season with family and friends. Wishing you all the best in 2024!

Sincerely,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

More faculty in the news:

Announcements and Awards

  • The Dan Scott Ranch Management Program welcomes seven new students. The 2026 Ranching Systems cohort consists of (left to right), Major Harms (Georgia), Buster Reis (South Dakota), Paige Carda (Montana), Chase Shunk (Colorado), Sierra Bajek (Colorado), Adrien Ambrosio (Colorado) and Conor Clay (Montana). These students are looking forward to serving internships on partner ranches in the summers of 2024-2025!
  • Kierstin Schmitt, administrative associate at the Western Ag Research Center, has been elected to the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce board and will serve as the interim chair of the newly reestablished Agriculture (and Local Foods) Committee. 

Awards

  • A special shoutout to the recipients of our Outstanding Undergraduate Awards! These students were recognized at Celebrate Ag weekend in November:
    • Outstanding Undergraduate in Research: Pilar Santos - Environmental Health
    • Outstanding Undergraduate in Engagement: Gloria Baldevia - Economics, Global Health and China Studies
    • Outstanding Undergraduate in Leadership: Joe Lackman - Agricultural Education and Agricultural Business
  • Dr. Lisa Rew of the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences received the Outstanding Research Award from the Weed Science Society of America.
  • Congratulations to Dr. Brent and Tracie Roeder, recipients of the Distinguished Producer Award from the American Sheep Industry Association! 

Events in the COA

Upcoming Events

  • The Spring 2024 Bair Ranch Foundation Seminar Series will kick off at noon Thursday, January 25, in ABB 134, with Travis Mullinks, Glenn & Mildred Harvey professor of beef cattle at Oregon State University. 

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • Recent COA/MAES publications include:
    • Romanok, K.M., Bradley, P.M., Smalling, K.L., Doyle, J.T., Eggers, M.J., Gray, J.L., Hladik, M.L., Kanagy, L.K., McCleskey, R.B., Meppelink, S.M., Richards, C.L., and Roth, D.A. Target-chemical concentrations and microbiological results in surface water and tapwater, Montana U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9R7MV6I
    • Peoples, Logan M., John E. Dore, Evan M. Bilbrey, Trista J. Vick-Majors, John R. Ranieri, Kate A. Evans, Abigail M. Ross, Shawn P. Devlin, and Matthew J. Church. "Oxic methane production from methylphosphonate in a large oligotrophic lake: limitation by substrate and organic carbon supply." Applied and environmental microbiology: e01097-23.
    • VanWieren, Rebekah, and Nina Barfoot. “Story Mill Community Park.”Landscape Performance Series. Landscape Architecture Foundation, 2023. https://doi.org/10.31353/cs1990
  • The Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee invites applications for funding. The links to submit project proposals and reports are on the website. 

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Happy Thanksgiving colleagues and friends!

This time of year is a great opportunity to tell you what an honor and privilege it is to work with you all. You make our college the most successful it can be, and your efforts are making a difference for our students, the people of Montana, and beyond every day.

We had a great week of celebrating the agriculture foundation of MSU and its impact across the state earlier this month. We introduced a new tradition to Celebrate Ag Weekend, a horse painting event in partnership with MSU’s Native American Studies program and American Indian Council. Many thanks to Angelina Toineeta, a first-year student in Agricultural Education, for the great idea and her efforts in organizing the event.

Another exciting new addition to Celebrate Ag was our very first tailgate, where our students (thank you Alpha Gamma Rho and Sigma Alpha!) set up fun activities for everyone who stopped by. A big thanks to our college crew, led by Laura Wilson in her first Celebrate Ag, for making the weekend a great success. 

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Thank you to all our amazing people who make this college an inspiring and rewarding place to work.

Sincerely,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

More faculty in the news:

Announcements and Awards

Announcements

  • If you are an administrator on any College of Agriculture social media account (Facebook, Instagram, X, etc.) please review the MSU social media policy. All university accounts must be registered with the MSU social media office.
  • Indian Education for All of Us: From Jennifer Lachowiec, College of Agriculture Academic Diversity Partner
    Starting in 2023, all incoming faculty and staff complete this training during their orientation. If you started at MSU before then, you can complete the training at your convenience at https://msubozeman-mt.vectorlmsedu.com/training/home. The College of Agriculture is targeting 100% completion by all faculty and staff by May 2024. Help us achieve this goal and spread the word!
  • A new high-throughput, multi-parameter Flow Cytometer is now available in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology's Cellular Analysis Core Facility. This shared instrument was funded through a USDA equipment award to Dr. Diane Bimczok. 
  • A new postbaccalaureate research education program, PREP-MT, is recruiting undergraduates from underrepresented minorities who are interested in obtaining graduate degrees in the life sciences. 

Awards

  • Marsha A. Goetting, Extension Family Economics Specialist and professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, has been appointed to the Montana Supreme Court Commission of Continuing Legal Education for a term expiring in 2026.

Events in the COA

Recent Events

  • MSU welcomed hundreds of Montana FFA student to campus for the annual John Deere Ag Expo! Beef from the MSU Steer-A-Year program was served at the expo banquet. Calves from this year's donations were also used in the livestock judging contest.
  • MSU Farrier School Program Director Diego Almeida and Assistant Professor Amanda Bradbery presented their preliminary findings for “The Impact of Heel Wedges on Gait Kinematics and Hoof Morphology in Horses” to a packed room at the American Farrier's Association Annual Convention held Nov. 6-10 in Reno, Nevada.
  • The Montana Livestock and Nutrition Conference, organized by Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension beef cattle specialist, drew more than 100 people this year. Twenty students shared their research or proposals to attendees.
  • The Wool Lab advisory committee met on Nov. 17. As part of the daylong meeting, attendees met in the historic wool lab building and toured the future site of the new Wool Lab building.

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • Recent COA/MAES publications include:
    • Francavilla , F., Sarcina, F., Schepetkin, I.A., Kirpotina, L.N., Contino, M., Schirizzi, A., De Leonardis, G., Khlebnikov, A.I., D'alessandro, R., Quinn, M.T., Lacivita, E., and Leopoldo, M. (2023) Development of Potent Isoflavone-based Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 (FPR1) Antagonists and their Effects in Gastric Cancer Cell Models.  J. Med. Chem. 
    • Schepetkin, I.A., Danilets, M.G., Ligacheva, A.A., Trofimova, E.S., Selivanova, N.S., Sherstoboev, E.Y., Krivoshchekov, S.V., Gulina, E.I., Brazovskii, K.S., Kirpotina, L.N., Quinn, M.T., & Belousov, M.V. (2023). Immunomodulatory Activity of Polysaccharides Isolated from Saussurea salicifolia and Saussurea froloviiLedeb.  Molecules.
    • Dosoky, N.S., Kirpotina, L.N., Schepetkin, I.A., Khlebnikov, A.I., Lisonbee, B.L., Black, J.L., Woolf, H., Thurgood, T.L., Graf, B.L., Satyal, P., and Quinn, M.T. (2023) Volatile Composition, Antimicrobial Activity, and In Vitro Innate Immunomodulatory Activity of Echinacea purpurea(L.) Moench Essential Oils. 
    • James M George, Jessica Leatherwood, Carolyn Arnold, Kati G Glass, Brittany L Paris, Matthew B Conrad, Rafael Martinez, Fernando Vergara Hernandez, Brian D Nielsen, Aimee Colbath, Thomas H Welsh, Amanda N Bradbery. Extra-Label Bisphosphonate Effects on Intra-Articular Inflammation in Juvenile Horses Challenged with Intra-Articular Lipopolysaccharide. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Makayla A Ogg, Rodrigo S Marques, Sidney Stratton, Julia Dafoe, Darrin L Boss, Carla Sanford, Sarah McCoski. Supranutritional Mineral Supplementation During Pregnancy Alters Placental Blood Flow and Calf Mineral Concentrations. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Amanda Caroliny Marques de Queiroz, Rodrigo S Marques, Aline Naime Rodrigues, Keuven Nascimento dos Santos, Igor Machado Ferreira, Mateus José Inácio de Abreu, Fernando Rossi Camilo, Laura Franco Prados, Flávio Dutra de Resende, Gustavo Rezende Siqueira. Effects of Calcium Salts of Soybean Oil Supplementation to Nellore Heifers During Second and Third Trimesters of Gestation and Offspring Sex on Milk Production and Performance of the Offspring. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Vinicius Alves Cruz, Rodrigo S Marques, Keenan Kvamme, Makayla A Ogg, Iorrano A A Cidrini, Keuven S Nascimento, Sarah McCoski, Christian Posbergh, Amanda Bradberry, Vinicius N Gouvea, Eduardo Colombo, Reinaldo F Cooke. Maternal Supplementation with Different Sources of Trace Minerals and Its Effects on the Offspring. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Jeremiah Peterson, Janessa A Kluth, Thomas Hamilton, Taylre Sitz, Jackie Pondolfino, Sam Wyffels, Megan L Van Emon, Jed Eberly, Timothy DelCurto. The Influence of Supplemental Protein Level on the Intake, Digestion, and Metabolism of Beef Cattle Consuming Low-Quality, High-Fiber Roughages. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Taylre Sitz, Timothy DelCurto, Hannah DelCurto-Wyffels, Megan L Van Emon, Sam Wyffels, Jeremiah Peterson, Thomas Hamilton, Kelli J Retallick, Esther Tarpoff, Andre Garcia, Kurt Kangas. Characterizing Foot and Leg Scores for Montana Registered Angus Cattle. Journal of Animal Science.
    • Thomas Hamilton, Sam Wyffels, Makae Nack, Janessa A Kluth, Jeremiah Peterson, Timothy DelCurto, T J Carlisle. The Influence of Supplemental Protein Levels on Beef Cattle Grazing Winter Foothill Rangelands: Cow and Subsequent Calf Performance. Journal of Animal Science.
  • Recent COA/MAES grants include:
    • Hayes Goosey, Daniel Atwater, Sam Wyffels. "The Response of Dung Beetles, Soil Health, and Dung Pat Degradation Rates to Herd Parasite Management." Pheasants Forever.
    • Jed Eberly. "Characterizing the Microbial Contribution to Integrated Fertility Management in Organic Dryland Cropping Systems," USDA NIFA.
    • Jared Beaver, Brent Roeder. "Wild-domestic sheep comingling," Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
    • Tim DelCurto, Megan VanEmon, Sam Wyffels. "Degradation Dynamics of Cargill 150-d Sustained Release Mineral Boluses with/without a Fly Bolus and Conducted in both Winter Grazing and Subsequent Spring/Summer Grazing Environments." Cargill Inc Nutrena Feed.

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In This Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

News from the College of Ag

  • It's time for Celebrate Ag 2023, which takes place this weekend on our campus. Find the full agenda and read about our Outstanding Ag Leader, Charlie Cahill, here.
  • Research by Eric Boyd of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology was published this month in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Read more about Dr. Boyd's work with unique microorganisms here.
  • With recent NIFA funding, research led by Andreas Fischer of the Department of Plant Science and Plant Pathology is examining the variables that control protein content in wheat and barley. The research has future applications for plant breeding, which you can read about here.
  • Lance McNew of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences served as the lead editor on a first-of-its-kind book on rangeland ecology and conservation. Read more about the book and find it via open access here.
  • Greg Gilpin of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics spent part of this month on an exchange with Nha Trang University in Vietnam. The international collaboration is made possible by a Fulbright Specialist Award, which matches academic experts with institutions around the world who have projects relevant to their fields of study. Read more here.
  • Recent research on CRISPR immune systems by postdoctoral researcher Andrew Santiago-Frangos in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology was published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Read more about Dr. Santiago-Frango's work on CRISPR DNA bending here.
  • A research team made up of Anthony Bertagnolli, Frank Stewart, Stephanie Ewing and Rob Payn is using recent funding to explore a unique organism that lives in riparian areas and its ability to process nitrogen and methane.  Read more here.
  • Artem Nemudryi and Anna Nemudraia, postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, recently published new knowledge of how CRISPR systems can be used for RNA editing. Read more about their unique genetic research here.
  • Research at our Western Ag Research Center in Corvallis has received statewide coverage recently! Read about their work in the Havre Daily News, Ravalli Republic and Bitterroot Star.

Announcements and Awards

Announcements

  • We are pleased to announce Dr. Jessica Torrion as the new head of the Department of Research Centers. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Torrion! She will continue serving as the superintendent of the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center.
  • Our very own VP and Dean Dr. Sreekala Bajwa has begun her term as chair of the Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, which encompasses 13 western states and several U.S. territories. The association guides multi-state research and fosters connection among western land grant universities.

Awards

  • We are so very proud of our faculty and staff who were honored at MSU's Milestones in Service Ceremony this month. Between on- and off-campus faculty and our partners in MSU Extension, more than 50 members of our team celebrated milestones from 5 years to 55 years of exceptional service to our land grant mission.
  • Alexis Trauner, a doctoral student in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, is the recipient of the 2023 Dr. Janice Bowman Graduate Student Fellowship. The fellowship, which comes with $5,000 to use toward graduate school expenses, honors Janice “Jan” Porter Bowman, who served as an ARS faculty member from 1992 to 2019. 
  • Congratulations are in order for Dr. Chengci Chen of the Eastern Ag Research Center! Dr. Chen was recognized in the American Society of Agronomy's Outstanding Paper Awards for 2023 for his team's paper "Evaluation of Environment and Cultivar Impact on Lentil Protein, Starch, Mineral Nutrients and Yield." 
  • Congratulations to Dr. Marsha Goetting, who was recognized at the Epsilon Sigma Phi national conference last month with the 2023 ESP Distinguished Ruby Service Award. Thank you for your excellence in service and engagement, Dr. Goetting!
  • Congratulations to our DAEE Scholarship Exam winners, Ethan Carney, Jonas Kahila and Joel Kunzelman!

New Faces in the COA

  • The Department of Research Centers is happy to announce Dr. Hannah Speer as the new Assistant Professor of Animal Science at the Northern Ag Research Center in Havre.

Events in the COA

Upcoming Events

Recent Events

  • MSU's Collegiate Cattlewomen toured Storey Hereford Ranch during the first week of October, where they learned about the operation, viewed replacement heifers, and discussed challenges faced by Montana ranchers and the importance of being involved with agricultural groups.
  • The Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences hosted MSU's first-ever OLLI on Campus event for lifelong learners. Visitors to campus met with COA leadership and researchers, toured facilities and conducted some experiments of their own.

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • You can find a full list of recent publications from MSU's Library and Office of Sponsored Programs here.
  • Recent COA/MAES grants include:
    • Hayes Goosey, Daniel Atwater, Sam Wyffels. "The Response of Dung Beetles, Soil Health, and Dung Pat Degradation Rates to Herd Parasite Management." Pheasants Forever.
    • Jed Eberly. "Characterizing the Microbial Contribution to Integrated Fertility Management in Organic Dryland Cropping Systems," USDA NIFA.
    • Jared Beaver, Brent Roeder. "Wild-domestic sheep comingling," Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

View as PDF

In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Dear COA family and friends,

As I sit down to write this message, MSU's fourth week enrollment numbers have just been released. MSU announced a record enrollment of 16,978. Thank you to our faculty, staff and department heads for the outstanding job you do in making sure our students stay the course and succeed in reaching the goal of graduating with a college degree. I am also grateful to the outstanding student leaders in our college for their work to create a welcoming environment for all new and returning students.

This year, we moved from being the third largest to the fourth largest college on our campus. We will continue to be creative in our recruitment, persistence and success efforts, and continue to evaluate and improve our strategies.

MSU has begun a month-long celebration of Hispanic heritage month, with the first event being a chat with Javier Zamora last week. I am reading his memoir, "Solito," and very much enjoyed listening to his conversation with President Waded Cruzado. Hispanic students represent the largest underrepresented ethnic group in our college, and I encourage everyone to participate in at least one event celebrating Hispanic heritage.

Wishing you a great fall season and a successful semester,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

  • For the fifth year in a row, MSU has set a new record for research expenditures at $230 million. Once again, the College of Agriculture constituted the largest portion of the university's total with $50 million. Read more about MSU's research report here.
  • Congratulations are in order for LRES department head Dr. Bob Peterson! Dr. Peterson was named an honorary member of the Entomological Society of America earlier this month - one of the highest honors the society bestows. Read more about his recognition here.
  • Forty-six individuals will be honored this weekend during Homecoming, including five members of our COA team: David Gettel, Jane Mangold (Extension), Ryan McCormick, Megan Shroyer and Carl Yeoman. Read the full announcement here!
  • MSU will co-host the annual Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum in November, and registration is now open. Read the event preview here.
  • The Steer-A-Year program is seeking donations of steers, feed and financial support for the 2023-24 academic year. You can read more about the program here.
  • Students in Sonya Gimon's landscape design class implemented a unique project this spring exploring wildfire resilience and drought tolerance. They collaborated with local homeowners and experts to create new landscape design suggestions that center those climate considerations. You can read more here.

Announcements and Awards

  • COA/MAES is pleased to announce an equipment RFP for each component of our operations, as well as the reopening of the COA Mini-Grant Program. Information on the equipment RFP can be found here, and information about the mini-grant program can be found here. 
  • Congratulations to Joe Atwood of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics! Dr. Atwood was selected for two awards at the 2023 Western Agricultural Economics Association meeting in Whistler, Alberta. He was awarded an Undergraduate Teaching Award and recognized as a WAEA Fellow for his excellence in research, teaching and service throughout his career.
  • Tegner Jacobson, a graduate student in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology in the lab of Dr. Diane Bimczok, received a prestigious USDA pre-doctoral fellowship to study the role of biofilms in the pathogenesis of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection in sheep. 

New Faces in the COA

Welcome to our new faculty and staff!

  • Stacy Nation-Knapper joined us this summer as our new HR Business Partner. Welcome, Stacy!
  • Seunghyun Lee and Nicole Karwowski joined the faculty of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, and Jess Roner joined DAEE as media and course coordinator (she's also a recent MSU graduate!)

Events in the COA

Upcoming Events

  • The first Bair Ranch Foundation Seminar for Fall 2023 will be held Thursday, September 28 at noon in ABB 138. James Reecy, professor of animal science and vice president for research at Iowa State University, will deliver “International Collaboration and Development: Benefits Abound."
  • Join the College of Agriculture over Homecoming Weekend to celebrate 130 years of MSU and the College of Agriculture!
    • We will celebrate our alumni and award winners in a reception on the Linfield Hall front lawn this Friday, September 29 at 3:30 p.m.
    • Meet us at the Rockin' R Bar on Saturday, September 30 starting at 9:30 am to watch the MSU Homecoming Parade!
  • Our Meet the Ag Employers event will take place Tuesday, October 3 at 5 p.m.

Recent Events

  • Thank you to Tami Parrott, veterinarian and instructor of Equine Lameness (EQUS 327), who led a hands-on class on equine anatomy outside of ABB.
  • Lovreet Shergill of the Southern Ag Research Center in Huntley was invited by the Argentine Association of Weed Science to present at the MALEZAS 2023 conference. He presented "Harvest Weed Seed Control: A Valuable Addition to the Weed Management Toolbox” at the conference in Argentina. Thank you for your incredible outreach, Dr. Shergill!

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • You can find a full list of recent publications from MSU's Library and Office of Sponsored Programs here. Recent publications include:
    • Book: Lance McNew, associate professor of wildlife habitat ecology, published "Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation." Expert contributors include our own Tim DelCurto, Sam Wyffles, Chris Posbergh and Jeff Mosley, along with other university and federal scientists, state and federal rangeland and wildlife managers, NGO scientists and conservationists and ranchers. The book is open access here.
    • Baber, K.W., C.A. Jones, K. McPhee, P.R. Miller, and P. Lamb. "Nitrogen fixation among pea and lentil varieties in the northern Great Plains." Agron Jour. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21419
    • Baber, K., C. Jones, P. Miller, P. Lamb, and S. Atencio. "Lentil nitrogen fixation response to fertilizer and inoculant in the northern Great Plains." Agron Jour. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21421
  • Recent grants include:
    • Jessica Torrion, NWARC: $139,981 sub-award with UC-Davis from a $760,000 USDA-NIFA grant.  “Partnership: Decision Support Tool for Precision Management of Alfalfa for Yield and Quality Improvement”. Collaborators: UC-Davis, Univ. of Florida, and USDA-ARS.
    • Jane Boles, Tommy Bass: SARE Meat and Poultry Processing Project. Western SARE. $410,000.
    • Chris Posbergh, Brent Roeder, Carl Yeoman. Prevalence of Chlamydia abortusin Montana Domestic Rangeland Sheep. Bair Ranch Foundation. $89,700

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements
  • Upcoming Events
  • Publications and Funding Opportunities

A Message from the Dean

Dear COA family and friends,

Welcome to the new academic year, 2023-24. We are excited to welcome our many new and returning Bobcat students to our programs this fall.

For this new academic year, our college is focusing on improving student persistence and graduation (SPG) as well as Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DIE) as our major goals. We will measure the successes of the SPG plan through metrics such as Spring to Fall retention, Fall to Fall retention and 6-year graduation.

Also crucial to these goals are student participation in activities focused on creating and strengthening college and department identity, opportunities to create and belong to their community and knowledge of where to receive the help they need to succeed. We need your help and support in welcoming our students, engaging with them and making yourself available to mentor them. As our Convocation speaker, Stephanie Land, reminded us, many students are in a new environment for the first time - let's make it as accessible and welcoming as we can.

Successfully educating our students to be contributing members of their community, state and nation is a core part of MSU’s mission as a Land Grant University. Let us all work together to achieve this great mission.

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

  • Professor Bill Inskeep of the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and associate professor Mensur Dlakic of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology collaborated with Yellowstone National Park on two new educational displays in Norris Geyser Basin. You can read more about the research behind the collaboration here. 
  • Frank Stewart and Zoe Pratte of the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology will use new funding to continue research into the microbiomes of sea anemones and clownfish, examining how the symbiotic relationship results in mutual benefits. Read more about the project here.
  • Maria Fernandes-Martins, a doctoral candidate in the MCB department, traveled to Hawaii's Big Island in May to take part in an analog Mars mission. Read more about her experience here.
  • Ellie Jackson, a 2022 MSU graduate in cell biology and neuroscience, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the nation’s oldest collegiate honor society, Phi Kappa Phi. Read more about Ellie and her plans to pursue medical school here. 
  • Joanna-Lynn Borgonga, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Animal and Range Science, received a highly competitive MOSAIC research award from the National Institutes of Health that will help her to establish her own laboratory. Learn more about Dr. Borgonga's work here.
  • Assistant professor Andrew Felton in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences recently received funding to examine how forage plants use environmental water at different parts of the year and their response to drought. Read more about that project here.
  • Rachel Frost, head of MSU's Dan Scott Ranch Management Program, recently published an article titled "Why Do I Need a College Degree to be a Rancher?" You can read it here.

Announcements and Awards

Administrative Updates

Congratulations are in order for two members of our faculty who have accepted new positions within our college!

  • Darrin Boss has begun as Associate Director of MAES and Associate Dean of Research for the College of Agriculture. Dr. Boss has served MAES and the College of Agriculture at the Northern Agricultural Research Center for 28 years, most recently as Superintendent of NARC and since 2017 as the Department Head of the Research Centers.
  • Jennifer Thomson will now serve as Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the College of Agriculture. She has actively engaged in high-impact teaching practices and has a documented history of engaging with students both inside and outside the classroom.

Further Announcements

  • Congratulations to professor emeritus Dave Ward! Dr. Ward was recognized by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle's eighth annual Prime Awards, 24 Over 64.
  • The Ravalli Republic did an excellent write-up on our last field day of the summer in Corvallis. You can read all about it here!

Upcoming Events

  • The first meeting of MSU's brand-new student chapter of the American Society for Microbiology will take place August 30 at 5:30 pm in Lewis Hall 306.
  • Join us for an MSU Debut Treasure Hunt! This amazing welcome back event is hosted by academic units across campus, and we need volunteers! The treasure hunt is scheduled for Thursday, August 31 from 6pm-7:30pm. 
  • The College of Agriculture fall semester ice cream social will be held September 6 from 3-5pm in the Leigh Lounge in the Strand Union Building.
  • The Department of Animal and Range Sciences will host a Welcome Back Party for students on Thursday, September 7.
  • Join the College of Agriculture over Homecoming Weekend to celebrate 130 years of MSU and the College of Agriculture! Meet us at the Rockin' R Bar on Saturday, September 30 starting at 9:30 am to watch the MSU Homecoming Parade!

Publications and Funding Opportunities

  • You can find a full list of recent publications from MSU's Library and Office of Sponsored Programs here. Recent publications include:
    • Book Chapter: B Webber, R Cousens, Daniel Atwater. Assumptions: respecting the known unknowns. In: Effective Ecology: Seeking Success in a Hard Science. pg 97 - 126. Roger D. Cousens (Ed). 
    • Vergara-Hernandez FB, Nielsen BD, Kottwitz JJ, Panek CL, Robison CI, Paris BL, Welsh TH, Bradbery, AN, Leatherwood, JL, & Colbath AC. 2023. Pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of a single dose of clodronate disodium are similar for juvenile sheep and horses, American Journal of Veterinary Research In press. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.23.03.0051
    • Martinez RE, Leatherwood JL, Bradbery AN, Silvers BL, Hammer CJ, Kelley D, Baker FW, Wu G. 2023. Evaluation of Dietary Arginine Supplementation to Increase Placental Nutrient Transporters in Aged Mares, Translational Animal Science, 2023 txad058, https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txad058
  • Recent grants include:
    • Sam Wyffels, Timothy DelCurto, Jed Eberly, Hayes Goosey, Paul Nugent. 2023. Sustainability of beef production systems: The effects of alternative Spring forage and delayed turnout on rangeland soil moisture, temperature, microbial community dynamics and vegetation production. National Cattleman’s Beef Association $149,280 
    • Amanda Bradbery. Evaluation of dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP) on digestive function, and markers of stress, joint inflammation and metabolism in young exercising horses. CAN Technologies Inc. $71,953.20 
    • Jeff Mosley, Jared Beaver, Lance McNew, Robert Walker. Jake Creek Road Project: Will ending a public land road closure increase or decrease elk use of private grazing lands? Montana Grazing Land Conservation Initiative. $37,840 
    • Rodrigo Marques. Forage intake, digestibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics of beef cows supple-mented with a Bacillus-based probiotic. Car Hansen. $27,500

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In This Issue

  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Upcoming Events

News from the College of Ag

Announcements and Awards

  • PhD alum Dr. Vinicius Ferreira received the 2022 Jean Theodore Lacordaire Prize from the Coleopterists Society.The Lacordaire Prize is awarded annually for the best published paper based upon a PhD dissertation on the biology and evolution of beetles. Dr. Ferreira's winning paper was published in the Journal Insect Systematics and Diversity. He completed his dissertation in MSU's PSPP department in 2021 and is currently finishing a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoc at the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen. 
  • Alex Trauner, a recent master’s graduate in Animal and Range Sciences, placed first in the equine reproduction section of the graduate student competition at the Equine Science Society Symposium in Texas for her thesis "Late gestation maternal overnutrition alters gene expression and histomorphology in neonatal foal testes.”
  • Matt Conrad, a recent master’s graduate in Animal and Range Sciences, presented his thesis "Clodronate Use in Yearling Exercising Horses on Endocrine Regulation of Bone Growth and Development" at the Equine Science Society Symposium in Grapevine, Texas.  
  • LRES faculty Tracy Sterling and Bob Peterson were recognized for their long histories of research and discovery at last month's Western Directors Joint Meeting! Dr. Sterling and Dr. Peterson are part of the ongoing project "Agrochemical Impacts on Human and Environmental Health: Mechanisms and Mitigation," which includes faculty nationwide and has conducted research for nearly 70 years. Researchers in that group have produced over 100 publications and secured more than $5 million in collaborative grant funding. Congratulations and thank you for your excellent work, Drs. Sterling and Peterson!

Upcoming Events

  • The 406 Grazing Academy was held June 6-8 in Anaconda. Attendees learned about rangeland health assessment and utilization and heard from ranchers who shared their grazing strategies and lessons learned. The field day was a collaboration between MT DNRC Rangeland Resources Program, MSU Extension, MT Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative and the MSU Dan Scott Ranch Management Program.  
  • The Department of Animal & Range Sciences held its first Peaks and Potentials workshop this year. The workshop, “Who let the Cows Out? Modern Animal Science,” introduced campers to animal and range sciences, including genetics, animal breeding, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and technology applications in studying domestic animals and wildlife. The course was coordinated by associate professor Jennifer Thomson and graduate student Nate Schaff, with graduate student Matt Conrad helping with instruction.

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In This Issue

  • A Message from the Dean
  • News from the College of Ag
  • Announcements and Awards
  • Upcoming Events
  • Recent Publications

A Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

Let me start by congratulating all our graduates and everyone who helped them get to the finish line. As faculty and staff members of the college, you play a crucial and unique role in helping our students achieve their goals and become successful graduates. Thank you for the many ways in which you shape the next generation of professionals.

Deep thanks are also in order the many community members, alumni and donors who support our college and its students. You are instrumental to all we do, and your commitment to and appreciation for Bobcat agriculture is critical to the success of our brand-new graduates.

In legislative news, HB 5 (Long Range Building Plan) has been transmitted to the governor for approval, while HB 2 (budget) is making its way.

This summer, whether you are traveling for field research or to enjoy the summer, take some time to enjoy all that our beautiful state has to offer. Attending a field day and stopping on the way to experience something unique is a great way to get started! This summer, I also have two books on my reading list: “First, Break All Rules” by Don Clifton and “Wooden on Leadership” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison. I am looking forward to learning some new lessons that I can bring back to our MSU community.

Wishing you an enjoyable and productive summer,

Sreekala Bajwa

News from the College of Ag

Announcements and Awards

2023 COA Awards of Excellence

Congratulations to our winners of the 2022-23 COA Awards of Excellence! 

  • Dr. Jennifer Lachoweic received the NACTA Teaching Award of Merit for Faculty
  • Dr. Ryan Thum received the Transformative Teaching Award
  • Ileana Yates-Johnson received the Meritorious Service Award
  • Dr. Hayes Goosey received the Impactful Outreach and Community Engagement Award
  • Dr. Chaofu Lu received the Excellence in Research and Discovery Award

New Faces in the COA

The COA is thrilled to welcome a number of new faculty and staff!

  • Entomologist Dr. Jessica Kansman in Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology
  • Entomologist Dr. Tiziana Oppedisano at Western Triangle Ag Research Center
  • Entomologist Dr. Will Wetzel in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
  • Watershed Analyst and Associate Professor Tim Covino in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
  • Ecosystem ecologist and Assistant Professor Andrew Felton in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
  • Research Associate Daniel Chichinsky in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences

Further Announcements

  • Dr. Bruce Maxwell and recent doctoral graduate Hannah Duff have been invited to attend the national Agroecology Summit in Kansas City to create a research agenda for the discipline of agroecology.
  • Congratulations are in order to COA students Andee Baker and Sheridan Johnson! They have been selected as two of Montana's delegates to the Western Governors’ Leadership Institute, a program designed to recognize leadership by young adults across the West. Andee and Sheridan will travel to Colorado later this month to attend the Western Governor's Association annual meeting.
  • The College of Agriculture mourns the passing of longtime professor Ron Johnson, who spent 20 years with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics from 1981 to 2001. You can find Dr. Johnson's obituary here.

Upcoming Events

2023 Field Days

More Events

The Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics will host its second annual Applied Economics Summer Conference in June 20-21. Economists from more than a dozen institutions will present their research on topics such as land use policies, development density, air quality, industrial water pollution and agricultural production. 

Recent Publications

  • "Neutrophil Immunomodulatory Activity of Nerolidol, a Major Component of Essential Oils from Populus balsamifera Buds and Propolis," Schepetkin, I.A., Özek, G., Özek, T., Kirpotina, L.N., Kokorina, P.I., Khlebnikov, A.I., and Quinn, M.T.
  • "Cardioprotective Effects of a Selective c-Jun N-terminal Kinase Inhibitor in a Rat Model of Myocardial Infarction," Plotnikov, M.B, Chernysheva, G.A., Smol'yakova, V.I., Aliev, O.I., Fomina, T.I., Sandrikina, L.A., Suhodolo, I.V., Ivanova, V.V., Osipenko, A.N., Anfinogenova, N.J., Khlebnikov, A.I., Atochin, D.N., Schepetkin, I.A., and Quinn, M.T. (2023)
  • "Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase by Novel Lupinine Derivatives," Schepetkin, I.A., Nurmaganbetov, Z.S., Fazylov, S.D., Nurkenov, O.A., Khlebnikov, A.I., Seilkhanov, T.M., Kishkentaeva, A.S., Shults, E.E., and Quinn, M.T.

In this Edition

  • A Message from the Dean
  • Recent Publications
  • New Grants
  • Awards and Recognitions
  • Update from the LRES Online Master's Program
  • Announcements
  • Recent Events
  • MANRRS Conference Recap
  • COA/MAES in the News

A Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

It is good to welcome spring (finally), which means planting time for many of our agricultural researchers. It also means our livestock researchers and producers are done with calving. The semester will conclude in a few short weeks, with the graduation ceremony on May 12. I hope to see many of you there! 

Summer is a busy time for the College of Agriculture, with field research across the state and beyond, field days and many opportunities to engage with the wonderful people we serve in Montana. We have eight field days scheduled throughout June and July. 

I always enjoy personally meeting with the people of the state who support our college in so many ways, including state appropriations that fund MAES and MSU. So far, it has been a great year of legislative support for MAES, and we have our wonderful community members to thank for their continued advocacy of and appreciation for agriculture. 

MSU is the fourth land grant university I have the fortune to associate with. I feel proud every day to be part of an institution and lead a college that puts students first and stays true to the land grant mission. Our campus is by far the most welcoming and one of the safest campuses I know of. It is because of all of you dedicated people helping and supporting our students; being kind and welcoming to people around you; and keeping our mission at the center of everything you do. As you sprint toward the end of the semester, a big thank you for everything you do for our students and constituents.

Sreekala Bajwa

Recent Publications

Find a full list of recent publications here, through MSU's VPR and Library.

New Grants

  • FY24 Grants from the Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee have been announced! PIs on those awards are:
    • Chengci Chen
    • Stephanie Ewing
    • Mike Giroux
    • Hayes Goosey
    • Clain Jones
    • Peggy Lamb
    • Perry Miller
    • Manbir Rakkar
    • Jamie Sherman
    • Adam Sigler
    • Jessica Torrion

Awards and Recognitions

  • Lance McNew and Jason Hanlon were featured in a great story from the Billings Gazette for their work on sharp-tailed grouse research that utilizes drone technology. 

  • Tommy Bass was awarded the Extension Risk Management and Education Program Western Region Outstanding Project Award for Western Meat School: A hybrid learning experience for farmers & ranchers to reduce marketing, financial and legal risk and strengthen local meat supply chains.

  • Three current and former DAEE students were recently accepted to PhD programs to begin this fall. 

    • Sadiq Salimi Rad will be starting the PhD program next fall at Carnegie Melon's Heinz College of Public Policy.

    • Jadon Buzzard will be starting the PhD program next fall at Cornell's Brooks School of Public Policy.

    • Nicholas Sweeney will be starting the PhD program next fall in the Department of Economics at Michigan State University.

  • The Crow Water Quality Project, led by John Doyle (Little Big Horn College), Mari Eggers (MSU) and colleagues, was selected by the Urban Institute as one of 15 U.S. case studies for their national review of participatory methodology, conducted for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families. 
  • Sarah Warnke, a senior in the Environmental Health Program, will present her research, “Cumulative Health Risk Assessment of Drinking Water Contaminants in Cascade and Lewis and Clark Counties, MT,” at the National Water Quality Monitoring Conference this week in Virginia.
  • Emory Hoelscher-Hull, also of the Environmental Health Program, earned second place at the Association of Environmental Health Academic Program's Student Research Competition. Emory's research was an assessment of health risks from home well water quality in Gallatin and Madison counties.

Update from the LRES Online Master's Program

LRES held an Instructor Hybrid Retreat on April 17 for our Professional MS Program to review our past decade and plan for the next. Since 2012, we have created a series of two dozen online courses across the environmental sciences and several face-to-face, intensive field courses. Annual student enrollment has grown to 110 professionals (60% female; average age of 32; 30% from Montana), many of whom are working in government/non-profit agencies, industry, and extension in the U.S. and abroad.

Over the past decade, 119 students have earned their MS degrees. Outcomes from the past decade put us in the top-ten Best Online MS Programs and suggest our approach provides an excellent model to improve access to graduate education. 

Announcements

  • The Department of Research Centers would like to announce the hiring of Dr. Tiziana Oppedisano for the Agricultural Entomology position at Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center. Dr. Oppedisano will begin in early summer at WTARC, Please help the Department welcome her! She can be reached at Tiziana.oppedisano@montana.edu.
  • A recent video outlines novel research by Jennifer Lachowiec on crop yield and how wheat cultivars respond to their environment. You can watch the video here!
  • The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee has set up a 24/7 webcam at our Northern Ag Research Center, where the public can watch growing season progress of winter wheat, spring wheat and barley. You can find the live feed here.
  • Check out this new video on a project to restore high-elevation sagebrush meadows using small dams. 

Recent Events

The College of Agriculture hosted its first Three-Minute Thesis Competition on March 30! Eight graduate students presented their work for an audience and panel of judges. DAEE's Laura Sikoski took first place, while PSPP's Jessica Williams received the People's Choice Award. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in or attended the 2023 LRES Research Colloquium! Undergraduate and graduate students presented on subjects from invasive plants to wheat stem sawfly, and the night was capped with a wonderful keynote by Cathy Whitlock. Award winners included:

  • Outstanding Graduating Senior Award: Paige Schlegel
  • Exceptional Service Award: Lexi Emeny
  • Land Grant Excellence Award: Sasha Loewen
  • Best poster presentations: Henry Stowell, Meghan Robinson and Rich Schonenberg
  • Best spoken presentation: Jackson Strand, Paige Schlegel and Erin Teichroew

MANRRS Conference Recap

MSU's chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences traveled to the national MANRRS conference in Atlanta earlier this month. Here's what our attendees had to say: 

Emmanuel Annan (PSPP):

The Diversity Summit was a valuable workshop to attend. I learned a lot about how some involuntary actions and speeches could be offensive to others, as well as how the world is populated with people from different backgrounds, cultures and behaviors. The talk was also illuminating regarding the importance of showing love to each other and appreciation for the work of others.

Melissa Wysocki (LRES):

Attending the 37th MANRRS National Conference has confirmed my commitment to creating a more diverse and accepting culture in the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. I had the brief but incredibly impactful opportunity to experience what many of our colleagues and students may feel on a regular basis; being the only one in the room. I now have a better understanding of the backgrounds that shape the history of systemic and structural racism in the field of agriculture. My time in Atlanta served as a great reminder that while I have made personal strides in being a better friend and colleague to underrepresented communities, there is an overwhelming amount of work to still be done personally and systemically. 

Brian Kibirige (DATE):

At MANRRS, I got the opportunity to interact with diverse students, faculty & staff, and industry professionals discussing issues related to internships/volunteer opportunities for international researchers and Ph.D. funding opportunities at their colleges. Additionally, the conference had several workshops and side events where students presented their research, and I found this a good avenue that students can utilize to disseminate their research findings and grow their communication skills. In regard to the Diversity Summit, it was huge learning opportunity for me. It offered insight on grey areas around DEI, leaving me with several takeaways. Oftentimes, students suffer academic burnout and having events like this conference may help rejuvenate their souls and re-energize their bodies for the next academic year.

COA/MAES in the News

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In this Edition

  • A Message from the Dean
  • Announcements
  • New Grants
  • Funding Opportunities
  • Upcoming Events
  • COA/MAES in the News
  • Awards and Recognitions
  • Recent Publications

A Message from the Dean

Dear Colleagues,

Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day to you all.Earlier this month, I visited our congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. along with Mr. Dale Schuler, our representative on the Council on Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, and other MSU representatives. We had excellent visits with the offices of our four congressional representatives from Montana. We shared with them the research challenges important to Montana for consideration in the Farm Bill and the FY24 budget.

An exciting update from the state legislature: the combined request from MAES and Extension for base funding support for our precision agriculture program was brought back as a decision package. It was voted by the House and will be moving forward to the Senate. This wouldn’t have happened without strong, continued support from the agriculture producers of Montana, and we are so grateful.

I am pleased to announce that Laura Wilson joins us today, March 27, as the new assistant to the VP for Agriculture. She will be in the Dean’s Office in Linfield Hall, and I am excited about the new ideas and energy she will bring to our college. Please take some time to introduce yourself to her and welcome her to our wonderful college family!

As many of you know, Susan Fraser will be leaving us after 10 years of service. It will be a big loss for the college, as many people think of Susan as the face of college. I join our entire COA/MAES family in thanking Susan for the many years she has given to our college and wishing her the very best in the next adventure she will be embarking on.​​​​​​​

Dr. Sreekala Bajwa

Announcements

  • Former ARS professor Raymond Ansotegui passed away March 2. You can read his obituary here. 
  • Professor emeritus Nancy Callan, formerly of the Western Ag Research Center, passed away March 16. 

  • The ARS department is pleased to welcome Dan Atwater, assistant professor of rangeland ecology!  Dan can be reached in ABB 313 or at daniel.atwater@montana.edu.

  • The Fulbright Scholar Award competition is now open.
  • Student employment opportunity: NWARC is seeking summer employees/interns for its Field Crop Physiology Program. 
 

Recent Grants

  • Lance McNew: Evaluation of Motus technology for monitoring ground-dwelling birds. Montana's Outdoor Legacy Foundation. $11,716
  • Chris Posbergh: Evaluating the influence of breed and management on the carbon sequestration capacity of Montana range wool. Bair Ranch Foundation. $25,925 
  • Hayes Goosey: Assessing Sulfur Fertilization as a Means to Improve Statewide Forage Quality and Value by Reducing Nitrate Accumulations in Cereal Forages. MT Fertilizer Advisory. $62,693 
  • Jamie Sherman, Hayes Goosey, Jessica Torrion, Kent McVay, Patrick Carr: Relationship between fertility and water management, production and quality of advanced spring forage, feed and malt barley lines.  MT Fertilizer Advisory. $52,400.
  • Jessica Torrion, Hayes Goosey, Peggy Lamb: Nitrogen requirement for sustained yield and optimal quality of cool-season perennial forages. MT Fertilizer Advisory. $48,862.
  • Perry Miller, Clain Jones, Hayes Goosey, Stephanie Ewing, Manbir Rakkar: pH remediation by perennial forages following 18yr of N management in alternative crop rotations. MT Fertilizer Advisory. $26,643.
  • Mosley, J.C., D.A. McGranahan, C.L. Wonkka, S. Dangi, and J. Angerer:  Rangeland Resilience Following Wildfire: Opportunities for Livestock Grazing?  USDA-NIFA. $258,000
  • Jeff Mosley also received $1,000 gift from the Stillwater County Range Committee to support efforts in outreach youth education. 
  • Sarah McCoski, Carl Yeoman: The development of a bovine uterine organoid co-culture system for improved in vitro Embryogenesis. Bair Ranch Foundation. $76,313.
  • Sarah McCoski, Rodrigo Marques, Makayla Ogg. Maternal injectable mineral supplementation effects on progeny growth and reproductive performance.Bair Ranch Foundation. $64,100.
  • Rodrigo Marques, Sarah McCoski, Christian Posbergh: Maternal fatty acids supplementation and its impacts on offspring. National Sheep Improvement Center / USDA $39,860.50
  • Sam Wyffels: A synthesis of the literature related to conifer expansion and impacts to sustainable range beef cattle production across the western United States. National Cattleman’s Beef Association. $10,000
  • Susan Tuddenham, Rebecca Brotman, Carl Yeoman: The vaginal microenvironment in asymptomatic versus symptomatic bacterial vaginosis. NIH-NIAID. $482,098
  • Cornelia Jessen, Abigail Morgan, Carl Yeoman: Exploring psychosocial, behavioral, and biomedical factors associated with reproductive and gynecological health among Alaska Native women. NIH-NIGMS-AK-INBRE. $42,000.
  • Adam Sigler, Mari Eggers, Michelle Grocke: Pilot funding - “Uncovering and addressing environmental health risks associated with Montana groundwater,”

Funding Opportunities​​​​​​​

Upcoming Events

  • The deadline to nominate awardees for the COA/MAES Awards of Excellence is March 29​​​​​​​. 
  • The COA's Inaugural Three-Minute Thesis Competition will be held on March 30 ​​​​​​​at 1:30 p.m. in SUB 235.
  • The Bair Ranch Foundation Seminar "A Forest Service Approach to Leveraging Technology to Aid Public Land Administration” will be held at noon on March 30 with speaker Matt Reeves.
  • The Montana Spring Biocontrol Meeting will be held April 4 in Billings, with our own Jeff Littlefield presenting!
  • A number of COA students will present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Eau Claire, Wisconsin April 13-14. Participating students include:
    • Andee Baker, DATE
    • Emma Dardenne-Ankringa, MCB
    • Jessica DeWit, MCB
    • Emory Hoelscher-Hull, MCB
    • Ella Horgan, MCB
    • Elsa ONeill, Biotechnology
    • Natasha Peterson, MCB
    • Joseph Triem, MCB
    • Sarah Warnke, MCB
    • LaShae Zanca, MBC
  • The Central and Eastern Montana Invasive Species Team will host an Eastern Heath Snail public meeting on April 25 in Stanford, MT. Jeff Littlefield will also present at that meeting - thank you for your outreach, Dr. Littlefield!

COA/MAES in the News

Awards and Recognitions

  • Mariana Carrera ​​​​​​​of the DAEE accepted a position as Associate Editor at the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. Dr. Carrera also served as a mentor in the American Economic Association's CSWEP CeMENT program and was promoted to Research Associate at the National Bureau for Economic Research. Congratulations, Dr. Carrera! 
  • Taylor Bayne, master's student in ARS, took third place in the oral presentation competition at the Society for Range Mangement's annual meeting in Idaho. Bayne's presentation was titled, "Smart wildlife monitoring: Evaluating camera traps enabled with artificial intelligence." Faculty co-authors are Jared Beaver, Lance McNew and Jeff Mosely.
  • The College of Agriculture was well-represented by faculty and students at the meeting of the Western Society of Weed Science and the Western Aquatic Plant Management Society. Erin Teichroew, MS student in LRES advised by Lisa Rew, took second place in the oral presentation contest for Weeds of Range, Forest and Natural Areas. Two students received scholarships to participate in the conference: Lilly Sencenbaugh, Ph.D. student in LRES advised by Lisa Rew, and Zach Fighter, M.S. student in LRES advised by Jane Mangold and Scott Powell. Additionally, Teichroew, Sencenbaugh, and Colter Mumford, Ph.D. student advised by Lisa Rew, received scholarships from College of Ag, the Graduate School and the LRES department.

Recent Publications

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In this Edition

  • A Message from the Dean
  • Upcoming and Recent Events
  • Awards and Recognitions
  • COA/MAES in the News
  • Announcements
  • Funding Opportunities 
  • Recent Publications

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear Colleagues,

Early this month, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Agriculture College of the State of Montana, which later became Montana State University. The growth and impact MSU had and continues to have on our state and beyond in the last 130 years is simply inspiring. It is the hard work and contributions of our faculty, staff and students that got us where we are today. My sincere gratitude to all of you who make MSU an amazing place to work, and a special congratulations to the faculty and students who received awards and were recognized on Founders Day.

Aside from all the excitement on campus, the legislative session is ongoing and our MAES asks to the legislature are foremost in my mind. Our MAES Advisory Council played a crucial role telling our story and making a powerful case for MAES budgetary needs to the legislative committees. Our generalbudget request is part of HB 2. Aside from our base budget with an inflationary adjustment, MAES and MSU Extension asked for new funds to support the new precision agriculture program.

Our Advisory Council presented four items to the legislative committee in support of MAES:

  1. support for our new precision agriculture program,
  2. base fund support for our Seed Lab and Wool Lab,
  3. a higher inflationary adjustment to support MAES operations and
  4. additional budget to support variety testing at research centers.

So far, the HB 2 Section E committee approved a $300K raise in our MAES budget and moving the Seed Lab and Wool Lab to base funding. Additionally, there is a present law adjustment of 6% and a pay plan of 4% raise each year of the biennium and a one-time-only bonus.

Our capital project requests are part of HB 5. We asked for a soil, seed and plant processing lab along with restrooms and sanitation lines to the Horticulture building as the first priority for MAES. That project is moving forward. Two of our maintenance project requests ($450K for demolition of feed mill and hay shed at BART farm and $2 million for renovation of lambing barn) are moving forward but with less money than we originally requested: $400K and $200K respectively. Our request for inflationary adjustment for Research Center labs approved in 2021 is moving forward with a $1.6M allocation instead of the $9.3M we requested, while our Wool Lab inflationary adjustment is moving forward at the requested amount.

These bills have a long way to go before they are finalized, and we will be watching. The only bill that has gone through all the processes and is ready for the Governor’s signature is the academic brewing license for our researchers that was moved forward by external partners.

We were Aggies before we became Bobcats. Happy 130th Birthday Aggies and Bobcats!

Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming and Recent Events

  • The inaugural COA Three-Minute Thesis Competition is coming up on March 30. 

Awards and Recognitions

  • ​​​​​​​Professor Ed Schmidt of the MCB Department has been awarded a Distinguished Guest Fellowship from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his upcoming sabbatical at the Laboratory of Redox Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest. Dr. Schmidt has also been awarded research grants from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Eötvös Loránd Research Network to support the continuation of this work through 2027.
  • DAEE master's graduate Neil Silveus recently accepted an assistant professor position at Hope College. He is currently finishing his PhD in economics at the University of Pittsburgh and will begin his new position in the fall.
  • DAEE professor Mark Anderson recently accepted a position on the editorial board of the American Journal of Health Economics.
  • Recent graduate and former Ag Ambassador Erin Brush was featured by the University of Montana School of Law, where she is now studying. Read UM's story about Erin here!

  • Graduate students and faculty in the LRES department shared their research with members of the Montana Weed Control Association at the organization’s annual meeting in Helena on February 8. Dr. Lisa Rew and graduate students Lilly Sencenbaugh, Zach Fighter, Erin Teichroew and Colter Mumford presented their research in a session on invasive annual grasses, which was organized and moderated by Drs. Jane Mangold and Lisa Rew. Noelle Orloff and Jane Mangold presented in a session on revegetation of invasive and noxious weed-infested areas, and this session was organized around a recent publication co-produced by MSU Extension and NRCS. Over 240 people attended the MWCA conference.

 

COA/MAES in the news

Announcements

  • The Montana Agricultural Business Association's Pam Langley Memorial Scholarship is open for student applications until May 13. Three $2000 scholarships will be awarded to students in pursuit of post-secondary education. You can learn more and find the application here.

Funding Opportunities

 

Recent Publications

 

2022 Newsletters

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A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear Colleagues,

As I sat down to write this message, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation on campus for the Brawl of the Wild game and ESPN coming to campus for College GameDay. It was a terrific game and we got a well-deserved win over the Griz. Additionally, the Board of Regents meeting was held on campus Nov. 17 and 18. I hope you too felt the energy and excitement all around us.

Aside from all the buzz on campus, the MAES budget and upcoming legislative session are very much in my mind. On Nov. 15, the Governor’s budget was released. The budget includes a 6% present law adjustment for MAES, a life-safety project at the BART farm for $10 million and inflation adjustment for capital projects – such as the Wool Lab, horticulture building and research center labs – that were approved during last legislative session. This is the official beginning of the legislative process and we have a long way to go before a final budget comes out. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Lastly, please join me in welcoming Dr. Dusty Perry as the new head of the Department of Agricultural and Technology Education, effective Jan. 1, 2023. I am excited to have him in the leadership team and for the ideas he has for strengthening the department and its programs. Dr. Carl Igo has been an outstanding member of the college leadership team for the past three years. I thank Dr. Igo for the great leadership he gave to the department and as a member of the college leadership team.

For this Thanksgiving month, I acknowledge the great contributions you make to our college, your profession and for society at large through your work. THANK YOU for everything you do to make our college a great place to work. I am very proud of our college and thankful for the honor of serving as your dean and director.

Sincerely,
Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming and Recent Events

  • Registration is now open for MSU’s first-ever Research Development Day, which will be held on Jan. 12, 2023. The goal of the event, hosted by the Office of Research Development, is to stimulate scholarship and research activity, highlight existing resources and opportunities, and enhance MSU’s success when competing for externally sponsored research funds.
  • ​​​​​​​The Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology will host a new interdisciplinary seminar series focused on sheep health. Monthly seminars with internal speakers, guest speakers and journal club presentations will be held on the first Wednesday of the month from 1:10 to 2 p.m. in ABB 138.

New Grants

  • Marques R. 2022. Productive and physiological responses of feeder cattle supplemented with a probiotic during preconditioning and feedlot receiving period. CHR Hansen. $180,562
  • Mosley JC.  2022. Improving the efficacy of climate information for water use decisions. USDA-NIFA, AFRI (Subcontract from University of Montana). $18,730. 
  • The department’s External Advisory Board held its inaugural meeting this November. Meghan Shroyer, Montana President of NWFCS, John Grande, First Vice President of Montana Stockgrowers Association, and Bob Lowry, Vice President and Commercial Lender of First Security Bank, have agreed to serve three-year terms. The purpose of the EAB is to improve the quality of the department’s programs by facilitating engagement between faculty, students, industry and communities through enhancements in curriculum, courses, faculty composition, outreach, scholarship and infrastructure.

COA/MAES in the news

  • Manjinder Kour, postdoctoral research associate in Eric Boyd's research group, recently received one of the 10 best poster awards at the Triennial Congress of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists in Vancouver, Canada. As a winner, Manjinder is entitled to a free publication in a PeerJ journal (PeerJ Physical Chemistry) and a feature about her research on the PeerJ blog site.
  • Gracie Hively, an environmental health major, has been selected for the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center - Student Leaders in Public Health Fellowship. She is one of 27 students awarded $3,500 to assist with field placements and faculty-student collaborative projects.

  • The four-part webinar estate/legacy planning series Estate/Legacy Planning for Parents and Grandparents Raising Minor Children was accepted for a virtual presentation during the Association for Financial Counseling Conference in November. The webinar series was hosted by Marsha Goetting and Mandie Reed, MSU Extension Wheatland County agent, in February. Past recordings can be viewed at montana.edu/estateplanning​​​​​​​.

  • The MSU Initiative for Regulation and Applied Economic Analysis will hold a "Doing Economics Research" workshop on Friday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Linfield Hall 406. The workshop is free and students from all majors at MSU are welcome to attend. 

Recent Publications

  • Marsha Goetting has revised MSU Extension MontGuides on important estate planning topics. These free MontGuides and others are available for download at montana.edu/estateplanning/eppublications.
  • Nick Hagerty in the Department or Agricultural Economics and Economics published an op-ed in High Country News about the Colorado River crisis: hcn.org/articles.
  • Beaver JT, Grantham C, Cooksey ML, Skow K, Pierce BL, Lopez RR. 2022. Effectiveness, economics, and safety of drop nets and helicopters with net-gunning for capturing white-tailed deer. Wildlife Society Bulletin e1365. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1365
  • Bourgault M, Wyffels SA, Dafoe JM, Lamb PF, Boss DL. 2022. Introducing cover crops as fallow replacement in the Northern Great Plains: II. Impact on fallowing wheat crops. Renewable Agriculture and Food systems 37:303-312. doi:10.1017/S1742170521000508 
  • Thomson JM. 2022. Sustainability of Wild Populations: A Conservation Genetics Perspective. In: Animal Breeding and Genetics. 2nd edition Ed: Matt L. Spangler. Pg: 355-368. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2460-9.
  • Eberly JO, Bourgault M, Dafoe JM, Yeoman CJ, Wyffels SA, Lamb PF, Boss DL. 2022. Soil bacterial community response to cover crop introduction in a wheat-based dryland cropping system. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 6: 948220. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.948220
  • Mosley JC. 2022. Adjusting livestock stocking rates in good years and bad. Lives & Landscapes. Pg 22 - 23 Lives & Landscapes - Fall 2022 (msuextension.org)
  • Hancock, Stacey A. and Hill, Andrew J., 2022. "The effect of teammate personality on team production," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C)
  • Mendu, L., Ghose, K. and Mendu V.* (2022) Population genomics of cotton, in Population Genomics: Crop Plants, [Om P. Rajora (Editor-in-Chief)], Springer-Nature, https://doi.org/10.1007/13836_2022_105.​​​​​​​
  • Gangurde, S.S., Xavier, A., Naik, Y. D., Jha, U.C., Rangari, S. K., Kumar, R., Chennale, S., Zwart, R., Mir, R.R., Sharma, V. K., Sudini, H.K., Pandey, M.K., Mendu, V., Reddy, U., Dutta, B., Guo, B., Zhao, C. and Thudi, M. (2022) Two decades of association mapping: Insights on disease resistance in major crops. Frontiers in plant science, doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1064059.

View as PDF

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you enjoyed the most beautiful fall weather in Bozeman. So far this month, we have had plenty of celebrations. Early October we honored homecoming week with a few alumni foundation awards. Congratulations to all our award winners, Rik Miller (PSPP ’83) for Alumni Achievement Award, Dr. Clayton Marlow for Honorary Alumni Award, Dr. Joe Atwood for Distinguished Faculty Award and Emi Smith for Distinguished Staff Award. It is a great honor to work with such great faculty, staff, students and alumni.

I am excited to announce a transformative gift of $10 million to the College of Agriculture and ag-related programs from an anonymous donor. The gift includes $5 million to establish an endowed chair in precision agriculture, $3 million to support 4-H Youth Development, $1 million to ag student scholarships, and $1 million for the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program. My sincere gratitude goes to the donors for a gift that will support research, teaching, our students in our college and have a lasting impact on Montana agriculture.

Celebrate Ag was held Oct. 20-21. This is our annual celebration of the college and the legacy of agriculture in Montana. Although we do not have the full history of this event, we do have some facts on record.

  • Montana Wheat and Barley Committee has been supporting the event for over 20 years.
  • The earliest record we have of the Outstanding Ag Leader Award is in 1995. Bob and Kathy Lee, Chuck and Stephanie Merja, Dean and Hope Folkvord, Larry and Molly Descheemaeker, and Rick and Mary Sampsen were listed as award winners. This year, Jay Bodner was honored as the Outstanding Ag Leader.

As part of this year’s celebration, we held the Agricultural Economic Outlook conference on Friday and our Celebrate Ag breakfast on Saturday with a poster slam for our students. The Bobcat vs. Weber State football game was dedicated to Celebrate Ag. And we crowned Taylor Kennedy, a graduate student in LRES, the winner of our “Science as Art” competition for students.

I thank the faculty, staff, students and alumni who joined us last week for upholding the wonderful tradition of celebrating agriculture and our college. Kudos to Susan Fraser and the Celebrate Ag organizing team who did an amazing job of putting together an impressive event.

Sincerely,

Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming and recent events

  • The College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station will host a research pitch competition open to all College faculty at the all-faculty meeting on Jan. 11, 2023. There will be two $10,000 awards. Come with your idea for a $10 million grant to your agency of choice: USDA, NSF or NIH. Selected PIs will be notified by Jan. 6 that they are invited to submit their proposal to the pitch competition. The lead PI will have three minutes and one infographic (PowerPoint slide) to sell their idea to a panel of experts. 
  • The November nightly MSU MAES and Department of Animal and Range Sciences Miller Stock Pavilion snippet will be held 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 8 and presented by Dr. Stacie Boswell. This hands-on presentation will focus on prepping your horse for veterinarian care.
  • The 2022-23 Issues in Ranching Seminar Series schedule has been announced. The first seminar, "Agriculture Labor, Immigration, and Innovation" will be held on Nov. 1 in ABB 134 and via Webex.

New Grants

  • Michael Ivie, "Wild Bees of Montana Supplement: Accelerating Discovery, Expanding Capacity, Outreach and Impact." Montana Department of Ag, $630,000.
  • Jasmine Neupane and Gaurav Jha, both grant co-leads, and Paul Nugent, Nina Zidack and Zach Miller ​​​​​​​received a specialty crop block grant (MDA/USDA) to develop a water management network in specialty crops in Montana. The grant is worth $402,273.
  • LRES graduate students Zane Ashford, Lilly Sencenbaugh and Emma Kubinski and their respective PIs have won SARE grad student research grants. 

Awards and Recognition

  • Marsha Goetting and her team received the Western Region Distinguished Team award during the Epsilon Sigma Phi National Conference in September. The award was for the virtual MontGuide Mondays presented during the COVID pandemic.  MSU Extension team members include Mat Walter, Lewis and Clark County; Kimberly Richardson, Ravalli County; and Jane Wolery, Teton County and now Montana 4-H Foundation Director.

Recent Publications

  • Kevin Berry, Alexander James, Brock Smith, Brett Watson. 2022. Geography, Geology, and Regional Economic Development. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. doi: 10.1016/j.jeem.2022.102715
  • Daniel I.Rees, Brock Smith. 2022. Terror attacks and election outcomes in Europe, 1970–2017. Economics Letters. doi: 10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110770 
  • Mendu, L., Mauricio, U., Paxton, P., Monoclava C.S., Jennifer, C., and Mendu, V. 2022. Lignin and cellulose content in root of different cultivars associated with different levels of Fusarium wilt race 4 (FOV4) resistance-response. Journal of Agri. and Food Research.
  • Mendu, L., Cobos, C., Tengey, T.T., Commey, L., Balasubramanian, V. K., Williams, L. D., Dhillon, K. K., Sharma, D., Pandey, M.K., Falalou, H. Varshney, R.K., Sudini, H.K., Burow, M.D., and Mendu, V.* 2022. Seed coat mediated resistance against Aspergillus flavus infection in peanut. Plant gene, 32, 100381, doi: 10.1016/j.plgene.2022.100381
  • Shumayla., Mendu, V., Singh, K. and Upadhyay, S.K. 2022. Insight into the Roles of Proline-Rich Extensin-like Receptor Protein Kinases of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Life, 2022, 12(7), 941. doi: 10.3390/life12070941​​​​​​​
  • Hill, N., Meyers, C., Li, Nan, Doerfert, D. and Mendu, V. 2022. How does the public discuss gene-editing in agriculture? An analysis of Twitter content. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 3(2), 31–47. doi: 10.37433/aad.v3i2.187
  • Hill, N., Meyers, C., Li, Nan, Doerfert, D. and Mendu, V. 2022. Persuasive Effects of Metaphors Regarding Gene-Editing in Agriculture. Journal of Applied Communications, Vol. 106: Iss. 1. doi: 10.4148/1051-0834.2416
  • Paul B. Hegedus, Bruce D. Maxwell and Taro Mieno. 2022. Assessing performance of empirical models for forecasting crop responses to variable fertilizer rates using on-farm precision experimentation. Precision Agriculture. doi: 10.1007/s11119-022-09968-2

COA/MAES in the news

2021 Newsletters

View as PDF

In this Edition

  • A Message from Dr. Bajwa
  • Important Notes
  • Upcoming Events
  • New Grants
  • Recent Publications
  • Funding Opportunities
  • Awards and Successes
  • COA/MAES in the news

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,Happy New Year 2021 and welcome to a new spring semester! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones and found time to rest and relax after a hectic fall semester. I also hope your spring semester is to a good start.I had the opportunity during December and January to talk to several of our partner commodity groups, MAES advisory councils and some of our research centers. It is always a pleasure to meet with our stakeholders to hear their perspectives.The big thing happening now in Montana is the legislative session. The Governor's budget that came out in the first week of January included a reduction in the present law adjustment to our base budget. It also included our Long Range Building Plan (LRBP) request. MSU's first priority for LRBP was an $11 M request to the state, with authority to raise another $1.3 M for new chemistry and instrumentation labs at five of our research centers (NWARC, NARC, WTARC, CARC, SARC), a horticulture building at WARC, and a new wool lab in Bozeman. The legislative committee will be discussing the agency budgets, which includes MAES and MSU Extension, on Jan. 25, and LRBP on Feb. 3. We will know the final outcome of the legislative discussion on our budgets in April.In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I picked up a book to read. It is a book titled "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent" by Isabel Wilkerson. Some parts of the book are difficult to read but I highly recommend it to you. Each of us has a unique capability to promote equality in our world, and together there is much progress to be made.Wishing you a wonderful start to the spring semester, 

Sreekala Bajwa

Notes

  • The COA annual impact report for 2020 is live on our website! You can view the report here.
  • A warm welcome to Quinn Bates in the Department of Ag and Tech Education! Quinn joined the department in December as Departmental Business & Operations Manager. Welcome, Quinn!
  • Welcome also to Hayes Goosey, new MSU Extension Forage Specialist! He begins February 1st, 2021.   
  • MSU Farrier School will start a new session in February 2021 with new program director Diego Almeida. While students are in session, clients can bring horses to the school for discounted shoeing services. If you have questions or are interested or would like more information, contact Diego at diego.almeida@montana.edu or 708-297-7620.

Upcoming Events

  • Hosted by Dr. Kristen Intemann, How Will Climate Change Impact Health in Montana? will feature Dr. Alexandra Adams, Dr. Rob Byron, and Dr. Bruce Maxwell and will take place January 26, 7 pm. Tune in at http://www.montana.edu/stes/  
  • The next seminar in the MonDak Ag Research Summit will take place on January 28 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. In his presentation "The Mechanical Aspects of Precision and Variable Rate Irrigation," Dr. Thomas Scherer will address methods for maintaining or checking mechanical problems that can hinder good irrigation management. Click here for the Zoom login. 
  • MUS Teaching Scholar Meta Newhouse will offer a Faculty Learning Circle on "How to Diversify your Course," a weekly seminar from February 19-March 26. The goal will be to work toward diversifying courses that are already offered in the curriculum through subject matter, readings, assignments and discussion. 
  • The Climate Change and Human Health in Montana webinar will take place February 17 at noon, featuring Drs. Alex Adams, Rob Byron, Lori Byron and Mari Eggers. Register via Zoom here.
  • Peer review grant panels have been scheduled for February 25 and March 31 from 9 a.m. to noon. A week prior to the meeting, participants will need to deposit the relevant RFA, an executive summary, and a list of objectives with a brief summary of methodology and expected outcomes to the Box upload homepage for their respective date. At the peer review meeting, primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewers will be assigned to your proposal.
  • The MSU $50K Venture Competition will be a two-day virtual competition taking place April 7-8. Application deadline is March 7, and more information can be found at https://www.montana.edu/business/venture-competition/
  • For PIs, staff, students and administrators interested in more training on grants and their management, training is available online here. There will be two opportunities for a "PI Refresher Course" on March 23 for PSPP, DATE, ARS, LRES and Research Centers and March 30 for MBI. These courses will be interactive and focused on issues in the COA/MAES. 
  • MSU Extension continues to offer MontGuide Mondays 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays through February via WebEx. Sessions are hosted by Marsha Goetting and run like a book club, where participants will read a MontGuide and take part in a virtual discussion. Registration can be found here.
  • Also from MSU Extension, Tuesday Tips seminar series on estate and legacy planning continues Tuesdays from 10 to 10:45 am through February, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Marsha Goetting and Emily Standley will host. Registration can be found here.

New Grants

  • Center for Native American Environmental Health Equity Research. Sub-award to MSU Bozeman (Eggers, PI) from University of New Mexico, Award 9P50MD015706-06 from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH. ~ $247,000.
  • Dan Bigelow, David Lewis: How Do Urbanization and Other Large-Scale Drivers Affect Timberland and Farmland Markets? A Parcel-Level National Econometric Analysis, NIFA. $499,686.

Recent Publications

  • Yale Insights highlighted Mark Anderson's paper "The Federal Effort to Desegregate Southern Hospitals and the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap," in a recent article. Read Yale's coverage of Dr. Anderson's excellent work here.
  • Limede, A. C., R. S. Marques, D. M. Polizel, A. A. Miszura, J. P. R. Barroso, A. S. Martins, L. A. Sardinha, M. Baggio, and A. V. Pires. 2021. Effects of supplementation with narasin, salinomycin, or flavomycin on performance and ruminal fermentation characteristics of Bos indicus Nellore cattle fed with forage-based diets. Journal of Animal Science. Doi:10.1093/jas/skab005 
  • Van Emon, M.; Sanford, C.; McCoski, S. Impacts of Bovine Trace Mineral Supplementation on Maternal and Offspring Production and Health. Animals 2020, 10, 2404. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122404
  • Adams A, Byron R, Maxwell B, Higgins S, Eggers M, Byron L, Whitlock C. 2021. Climate change and human health in Montana: a special report of the Montana Climate Assessment. Bozeman MT: Montana State University, Institute on Ecosystems, Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity. 216 p. https:// doi.org/10.15788/c2h22021.
  • Martin, C., Simonds, V., Young, S.L., Doyle, J., Lefthand, M., Eggers, M.J. 2021. Our Relationship to Water and Experience of Water Insecurity among Aps?alooke (Crow Indian) People, Montana. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. In press.
  • Carrera, M., Lawler, EC, White, C: Population Mortality and Laws Encouraging Influenza Vaccination for Hospital Workers, Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M20-0413 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

  • The WSARE Graduate Student Call for Proposals is open until February 9. Full-time graduate students who are conducting research in sustainable agriculture in the Western region are eligible. This program funds up to $30,000 to conduct research and outreach on sustainable agriculture during one or two years. 
  • Student opportunity: A new microbiology program including Frank Stewart, Eric Boyd, Mari Eggers and Zoe Pratte has been funded by the NSF. The Microbiology of Low Oxygen Ecosystems REU is a paid undergraduate summer research program. Please encourage interested undergrads with a passion for microbiology to consider applying. This is a 10-week research experience with a generous stipend, social activities, housing and a meal plan included. Deadline for application is February 15. 
  • NIH Outstanding New Environmental Scientist Award: LOI due January 26, application due February 26.
  • USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative: Pre-application due January 26.
  • NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track 4: EPSCoR Research Fellows (RII Track-4): MSU LOI due February 26, Application due May 28 
  • NIH Team-Based Design in Biomedical Engineering Education (R25): MSU LOI due February 26, LOI due April 26, Application due May 28

Awards and Successes

  • ARS's Amanda Bradbery has been invited to serve as a Clinician in both the Latin American and Australasia-Africa 2021 Virtual Summit hosted by American Quarter Horse International. She will speak on Equine Nutrition and Management to producers and veterinarians from around the world including China, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. Congratulations to Amanda and thank you for being a wonderful MSU ambassador to agriculturalists around the world!
  • Congratulations to Uta McKelvy, MSU Extension Field Crop Pathology Associate Specialist, on receiving the "Outstanding Doctoral Student Award" from the International IPM Symposium! Read more in the "News" section.
  • Molly Masters, Big Horn County Agent, is being recognized for her outstanding pesticide education/outreach with the Pesticide Education Early Achievement Award from the MSU Extension Pesticide Education Program. Congratulations, Molly!
  • COA alumnus Miles Maxcer, who graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies in May, was one of two MSU students selected for a fellowship program designed to increase the impact of their startup businesses. You can read more about Miles' company, The Ant Network, here.

COA/MAES in the News

2020 Newsletters

View as PDF

In this Edition

  • A Message from Dr. Bajwa
  • Notes
  • Upcoming Events
  • New Grants
  • Recent Publications
  • Funding Opportunities
  • Awards and Successes
  • In the News

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,  

This holiday season, I thank you for everything you have done to achieve your goals, support others, and be an important member of your college and departmental teams. I am proud of everything you have accomplished to make this year a success in spite of the great challenges you faced. What a blessing to have you in our team. 

May this holiday season fill your homes and hearts with peace, positivity and joy. I hope you will have time to rest and recover, and enjoy holiday cheer with loved ones.  

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful (and safer) new year, 

Sreekala Bajwa 

Notes 

Faculty interested in the Incentive Program for Researchers for spring 2021 must contact Jody Barney no later than Wednesday, Jan 6. More information can be found at https://www.montana.edu/research/osp/ipr_description.html 

MSU Farrier School will start a new session in February 2021 with new program director Diego Almeida. While students are in session, clients can bring horses to the school for discounted shoeing services. If you have questions or are interested or would like more information, contact Diego at diego.almeida@montana.edu or 708-297-7620. 

An update from the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program:  

The DSRMP welcomes the Class of 2023 to the Ranching Systems major. For the next 2 years, this cohort of 4 students will take courses in animal science, rangeland ecology and business while completing 2 summer internships on working ranches to sharpen their leadership and management skills. Visit our website to learn more about the career plans of Arena Plenty, Cayden Rose, Georgie Wortman and Julia Hudson. 

 “I found everything I was looking for in the Ranching Systems Major. I believe with the wide range of education I will receive while in the program, as well as getting the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the summer internship, I can build a strong foundation to take with me as I continue to pursue my goals of becoming a successful rancher in today's world. “ – Arena Plenty, Class of 2023 

Upcoming Events 

  • MSU Extension will begin offering MontGuide Mondays discussions beginning January 4. The sessions will run 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays in January and February via WebEx. Sessions will be hosted by Marsha Goetting and will run like a book club, where participants will read a MontGuide and take part in a virtual discussion. Registration can be found at montana.edu/familyeconomics/montguidemondays.   
  • MSU Extension will offer its Tuesday Tips online seminar series on estate and legacy planning beginning January 5. The series will run from 10 to 10:45 am each Tuesday in January and February followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. MSU Extension educators Marsha Goetting and Emily Standley will host. Registration can be found at https://www.montana.edu/estateplanning/tuesdaytips 
  • MBI’s Seth Walk will give a virtual lecture on January 12 as part of the annual Provost’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The lecture will feature a virtual tour of MSU’s COVID-19 testing lab and will be streamed on MSU’s website. 
  • The annual USDA MonDak Ag Research Summit will take place virtually via webinar series beginning January 14. The event is a partnership between MSU’s EARC, the USDA Northern Plains Ag Research Lab in Sidney and NDSU’s Williston Research Extension Center. More information can be found at https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/sidney-mt/northern-plains-agricultural-research-laboratory/nparl-docs/mondak-ag-research-summit/ 
  • Peer review grant panels have been scheduled forFebruary 25andMarch 31 from 9 a.m. to noon.A week prior to the meeting, participants will need to deposit the relevant RFA, an executive summary, and a list of objectives with a brief summary of methodology and expected outcomes to the Box upload homepage for their respective date. At the peer review meeting, primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewers will be assigned to your proposal.

 New Grants 

Congratulations to the 12 recipients of the COA’s minigrant program! Funded proposals include: 

  • Clain Jones, Jessica Torrion, Justin Vetch, Dave Gettel, Scott Powell, Perry Miller: Evaluating the extent of low pH soils at the MSU Post Farm, Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center, and Northwestern Agricultural Research Center 
  • Michelle Flenniken, Nina Zidack, Brian Ross: Investigating the role of callose deposition as a mechanism of resistance to Potato virus Y in potato plants 
  • Jared Beaver, Jeff Mosley, Lance McNew: Bringing Wildlife-Livestock Conflict Mitigation into the 21st Century: Exploring Emerging Technologies to Reduce Wildlife Conflicts on Montana Ranches 
  • Jovanka Voyich, Phil Stewart: Mechanisms of Neutrophil Evasion during Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation 
  • Eric Boyd, Rachel Spietz: Subsurface geohydrological monitoring following a fuel spill in Yellowstone National Park 
  • Mike Giroux, Peggy Lamb: Enhancing Durum Adaptation and Yield by Optimizing Tillering and Plant Height 
  • Agnieszka Rynda-Apple, Diane Bimczok, Mark Jutila: Evaluation of VLP-based platform for vaccine against Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae 
  • Diane Bimczok, Agnieszka Rynda-Apple, Mark Jutila: Understanding immune evasion strategies of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in sheep 
  • Rodrigo Marques, Sarah McCoski, Amanda Bradbery: Effects of supplementing calcium salts of omega-3 fatty acids to late-gestating first-calf beef heifer on performance and physiological response of the offspring. 
  • Doug Kominsky, Mark Jutila: Inhibition of CD73 as a novel therapy for Salmonella-induced calf scours 
  • Amanda Bradbery, Sarah McCoski: The effects of maternal overnutrition on testicular development in foals 
  • Uta McKelvy: Comparing active and passive spore samplers for their efficacy in capturing airborne spores of important wheat fungal pathogens in the Montana environment 

Recent Publications

Funding Opportunities

Awards and Successes

The Montana Med Lab Science Program is proud to announce the fall 2020 recipients of the Sonja Wegner Scholarship. The recipients are Ticha Padgett-Stewart and David McCoy. This scholarship goes to MMLS interns who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement over the summer and into the fall sessions of their internship. Applicants must also demonstrate the potential to become a leader in the med lab science profession. Ms. Padgett-Stewart is completing her internship with Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, MT, and Mr. McCoy is with Community Hospital in Missoula, MT. 

News 

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In this Edition

  • A Message from Dr. Bajwa
  • Upcoming funding opportunities 
  • Awards and Successes
  • Important Notes
  • COA/MAES in the news

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,This month, we got to see the vagaries of weather and effects of climate change up close. My heart goes out to those of you who were impacted by the Bridger Foothills Fire. Be aware of the conditions around you and take the utmost care to protect yourselves.In spite of the stresses of fires and the pandemic, we do have things to celebrate. While MSU had a year of record research expenditures of $167 million, our college excelled with nearly $45 million in total expenditures, more than any other college on campus. MSU has reported its fifth-highest enrollment at 16,249, even amidst all the uncertainty that this pandemic has brought. Along with that, to see our highest-ever rate of retention at 78.2% is truly inspiring. This means that more students are choosing to remain at MSU to continue their studies, to trust us with their health and safety as well as their education, and to walk away with an MSU diploma. The Fall enrollment in the college showed a slight decline from last year with 1903 students, the second highest in the history of our college.As the semester continues, remember to take stock of your well-being and remember that we are in this together. I appreciate your participation in the college health challenge and joining me on my urban hikes. These walks are fun and relaxing. I hope to see many more of you joining me in those hikes in the future. Our new faculty onboarding program is off to a great start. The group had a great discussion of the book "Land-Grant Universities of the Future" by Stephen Gavazzi and Gordon Gee. It will give you a good insight into the mission, history, and challenges and opportunities facing land-grant universities today. I recommend this book to everyone in our college.I have been so proud to watch the care and compassion with which our faculty, staff and students are approaching this, a school year unlike any other. Wishing you a safe, successful and inclusive fall semester.Sincerely, 

Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Awards and Successes

  • Animal and Range Sciences undergraduate Haylee Barkley is a coauthor on a new document outlining plants that are poisonous to livestock in Montana and Wyoming. Haylee partnered with the USDA, MSU Extension and the University of Wyoming, making contributions alongside prominent researchers in the field of natural resources. We are lucky to have such incredible undergraduates! You can see the final document attached to this email.  
  • Clain Jones received the Soil Science Society of America's Soil Science Education and Extension Award: Clain provides information to gardeners, farmers, Extension agents and crop advisers on soil nutrient cycling and management. He is actively involved in research of issues that affect farm sustainability and shares results through presentations, bulletins, popular press articles, video, on-line tools, as well as one-on-one interactions. The Soil Science Education and Extension Award recognizes these educational achievements and scientists making outstanding educational contributions through activities such as resident, extension, or industrial education. 

Important Notices

The University Research Capacity team has shared the following resources for faculty, which can be accessed through their respective links: Online and Blended Teaching, Welcome New Faculty Website, Guidance for Faculty and GTAs Around COVID-19 Procedures and Best practices for facilitating an online workshop. The annual report of activities for the CFE is attached to this email.

The MSU Leadership Institute has created resources on COVID-19 and racial justice as they pertain to cultivating leadership, developing racial consciousness, building resilience, facilitating high-stakes conversations, and mobilizing positive social change. You can find those resources here.  

COA/MAES in the News

View as PDF

In this Edition

  • A Message from Dr. Bajwa 
  • Upcoming events
  • Strategic Plan Highlight - Engagement and Outreach
  • Upcoming funding opportunities 
  • Recent Grants
  • Important Notes
  • COA/MAES in the news

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,Welcome, once again, to the beginning of another semester. I know that this fall looks unlike anything we have seen before, but I am so proud of the work that faculty and staff from all corners of this university have put in to prepare for the return of our students and the resuming of our classes.I would like to once again offer my sincere thanks to all the faculty and staff who put in so much work to make our virtual field days such a success. We received many positive messages about the content we created, and I commend you for your adaptation and hard work to continue such incredible outreach efforts.On that note, as we start another academic year, I would like to pick up again with highlighting our strategic goals and members of our community who are striving to make them a reality. In past newsletters, we have highlighted our goals of a people-centered environment, impactful research and development, and transformational teaching and learning. In this edition, we will note some of our faculty and staff who are contributing heartily to our goals of inclusive and pertinent engagement and outreach. Thank you to everyone who made submissions to Reagan Colyer for this newsletter. In September, we will be focusing our strategic highlight on strategic stewardship of our resources, and we welcome your submissions for that topic as well.With the beginning of this new school year, constant adaptation is necessary on all of our parts. There is much we need to do, including continued focus on welcoming and engaging with all members of our community. This includes our marginalized populations and our minorities, people of color and LGBT community members. We each have a responsibility to welcome, engage with and amplify the voices of those who are not always heard.We welcomed our students back with a welcome tent on the first day of class. Many of our students stopped by to have an ice cream or collect their "clean cat kit". Our new faculty onboarding program is set to start with their first meeting on Aug. 28 at noon. In September, our new faculty members will be joining with last year's group to discuss a book "Land-grant Universities of the Future" by Stephen Gavazzi and Gordon Gee. It is important to understand the mission, history, and challenges and opportunities facing the organization you work for. I recommend this book to everyone in our college.I cannot thank you enough for the work that you all do to make Montana State University such an exceptional place to work and teach. I hope you will all continue to comply with the new protocols implemented for the safety and health of our community. Please continue to social distance, wear masks, wash your hands and stay home if you are ill. We are all in this together, and that is the only to move forward.Sincerely, 

Sreekala Bajwa

Stragetic Plan Highlight - Outreach and Engagement

Thank you to everyone who submitted highlights of their engagement and outreach efforts for this newsletter! We are so proud of the work you continue to do, especially in the midst of a pandemic that necessitates considerable adaptation. 

  • Faculty from the MBI department are collaborating closely with Bozeman City-County Health Department and Montana DPHHS in researching and testing for COVID-19, led by Seth Walk, Deborah Keil, Michelle Flenniken and Blake Weidenheft. Assistant professor Steve Swain, research associates Nicholas Pinkham and Michael Dills, and postdoctoral fellow Paul van Erp have also assisted with that critical outreach. 
  • DATE's Dusty Perry hosted a week-long workshop for high school agricultural and technology education teachers. The attendees built a 10 ft. utility trailer and a 25 ft gooseneck dovetail. Due to the pandemic, many summer professional development activities had been canceled and many teachers were looking for alternative ways to gain new experience and skills. Dr. Perry engaged with 17 educators from around the state to fill that need! 
  • Work by Jed Eberly, Pat Carr and Tim Seipel, with the Montana Biocontrol Coordination Program examining Canada thistle biocontrol was featured by the Organic Advisory & Education Council, providing a platform for producers across the region to learn about biocontrol of that invasive plant!
  • The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) Project, on which John Priscu serves as chief scientist, has reached more than 80,000 people with outreach efforts through its website and more than 5,500 people through social media engagement.
  • Clain Jones, Kathrin Olson-Rutz, and Rick Engel have been using a multi-pronged engagement and outreach approach for the past four years to increase awareness of soil acidification and provide strategies to combat it. They have worked with stakeholders to identify research questions and outreach approaches that best fit Montana. Their efforts recently culminated in a video by MSU grad Nate Kenney that features farmer-collaborator Brent Hanford on the causes of, and solutions to, soil acidification.
  • Cathy Zabinski will be releasing book September 15! "Amber Waves: The Extraordinary Biography of Wheat, from Wild Grass to World Megacrop," seeks to make evolutionary genetics in our crop plants accessible to the general public, by talking about it in terms of a biography of wheat.  

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

Recent COA/MAES Grants

  • Mary Burrows, PSPP: "Montana: National Predictive Modelling Tool Initiative for wheat 2021," USDA Forest Service; "Wheat Diseases for Farmers," MWBC. 
  • Chengci Chen, EARC: "Statewide Pea Lentil and Chickpea Variety Evaluation in Montana," U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council. 
  • Jason Cook, PSPP: "Fusarium head blight resistance for Montana spring wheat," USDA; and "Development of Montana Adapted FHB Resistant Winter Wheat Varieties," USDA NIFA. 
  • Ed Davis, LRES: "Weed control research in pulse crops 2020," U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council. 
  • Jed Eberly, CARC: "Evaluating the effects of seeding rates and inoculant performance on nodulation weed suppression and relative yields of different lentil varieties grown in the northern Great Plains," Organic Farming Research Foundation. 
  • Huang Li, PSPP: "A transcriptomic-guided phenomic approach to develop new rust-resistant germplasm in wheat," USDA-ARS. 
  • Carl Igo, DATE: "A Retrospective Approach to Guide Agricultural Literacy in the 21st Century," USDA. 
  • Michael Ivie, PSPP: "2020 Exotic Woodborer and Bark Beetle traps," MTDA. 
  • Jeffrey Littlefield, LRES: "Enhance Mitigation of the Eastern Heath Snail Xerolenta obvia in Montana," MTDA. 
  • Jamie Sherman, PSPP: "Barley Breeding for Montana: Ensuring a stable malt supply with new traits to improve quality," American Malting Barley Association. 
  • Adam Sigler, LRES: "2020 - 2021 Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Support," Montana DEQ. 
  • Jovanka Voyich, MBI: "CTRP Carry over Year 3 CEO Pop up," NIH. 
  • Blake Wiedenheft, MBI: "Repurposing Arc-capsids for delivery of designer RNA cargos for treating monogenic diseases," SurGene LLC; "Sewage Testing Contract," City of Bozeman; and "Understanding of the evolution and regulation of CRISPR," Burroughs Wellcome Fund. 
  • Samuel Koeshall, LRES: WSARE Graduate Student grant proposal: "Measuring intra-field variability in pea protein to understand influencing factors in Montana cropping systems." 

Important Notices

The MSU Leadership Institute has created resources on COVID-19 and racial justice as they pertain to cultivating leadership, developing racial consciousness, building resilience, facilitating high-stakes conversations, and mobilizing positive social change. You can find those resources here.  

COA/MAES in the News

2019 Newsletters

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In this edition

  • A Message from Dr. Bajwa
  • Upcoming events
  • Recent grants in the COA/MAES
  • Upcoming funding opportunities
  • Recent Publications
  • Notices and opportunities
  • COA/MAES in the news

We are so very proud of our Fall 2019 College of Ag graduates! We celebrated the grads on Friday, December 13, with a reception before the commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 14.

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,It is the end of the semester and the end of 2019 already. I hope you all had a wonderful semester. We have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for this season! In November, we celebrated agriculture with the 20th annual Celebrate Ag event. Buzz Mattelin was honored with the 2019 Ag Leadership Award. He was also celebrated for his contributions to Montana agriculture with newest variety released from our barley breeding program, named Buzz in his honor.We had another batch of students graduate last week, including our first Hilleman Scholar, who graduated in 3.5 years. Congratulations to all of our graduates: We are proud of your accomplishments and look forward to seeing your many successes as you go through the next phase of life. A special thanks to all our faculty and staff who work tirelessly to ensure our students succeed in their classes and graduate to become successful professionals and people. Scholarship is one important means of helping our students through college. We awarded $650,000 in scholarships to 300 students this semester, thanks to our generous alumni and friends. We have an outstanding group of students, and these scholarships change the lives of the recipients, especially those who may not be able to pursue their dream of a college degree without this support.Lastly, I am close to completing my first year at Montana State University, and it has been a wonderful journey so far. Your support, dedication and hard work were instrumental in making my first year at MSU successful for me and for the college/MAES. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the great work you do, and the value you place in the people around you. Our people are our most important and valuable resource, and you show every day what exceptional professionals, educators, researchers and friends you are. I am so thankful and proud to work with you all. Stay safe and warm this holiday season.Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season with family and friends, 

Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming Events

  • December 13-January 13: MSU Winter Break. Happy Holidays! 
  • January 7-9: Crop and Pest Management School, Bozeman Homewood Suites 
  • January 9: Winter Crop Production Update Meeting, NWARC
  • January 16: "Every Semester Needs a Plan," 12-1:30 p.m. on the online National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

Recent Grants in the COA and MAES

  • Jane Boles, ARS: "Dry ageing of lamb to improve flavor consistency," Bair Ranch Foundation. 
  • Eric Boyd and Seth Walk, MBI: "Microbial mechanisms of methylmercury metabolism in humans," University of Rochester. 
  • Frankie Crutcher, EARC: "Variety selection and intercropping strategies for disease management in conventional and organic chickpea production," MTDA. 
  • Stephanie Ewing, WSARE: "Fostering resilient plant-soil interactions on working ranches in semi-arid steppe ecosystems of north-central and eastern Montana," USDA NIFA. 
  • Michelle Flenniken, PSPP: "Impact of nutrition on the outcome of honey bee virus infections," MTDA. 
  • Qasim Khan, SARC: "Variety selection and intercropping strategies for disease management in conventional and organic chickpea production," MTDA. 
  • Bruce Maxwell, WSARE: "Effects of habitat heterogeneity on crop yield and biodiversity," and "Precision agriculture applied to organic systems," USDA NIFA. 
  • Dustin Perry, DATE: "Agricultural Education Safety Initiative," Utah State University. 
  • Raina Plowright, MBI: "Ticks, climate and moose in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," USGS. 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

  • NSF Biology Integration Institutes: LOI due December 20, proposal due February 6  
  • Research to Action: Assessing and Addressing Community Exposures to Environmental Contaminants (NIH): Agency LOI due December 23, full application due January 21. 
  • DARPA Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies (DIGET): Proposal abstract due January 7, full proposal due February 25. 
  • Understanding the Rules of Life: Microbiome Theory and Mechanisms (NSF): Agency LOI due January 17, full proposal due March 2. 
  • NIH Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement: Internal LOI due January 28, full application due May 21. 
  • WSARE Graduate Students Grants in Sustainable Agriculture: MSU submission due February 6, full proposal due February 11. 
  • EPA National Priorities: Research on Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PEAS) Impacts in Rural Communities and Agricultural Operations: Application due February 11. 
  • USDA Integrated Research, Education and Extension Competitive Grants Program: Organic Transitions: Application due February 27. 
  • NSF EarthCube: Developing a Community-Driven Data and Knowledge Environment for the Geosciences: Proposal due March 12. 
  • USDA Agriculture Innovation Demonstration Center Program: Application due March 20. 

Recent Publications

  • Mark Quinn et al.: "A patenting perspective on human neutrophil elastase (HNE) inhibitors (2014-2018) and their therapeutic applications," Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents. 
  • Robert N. Stougaard, Mike Giroux et al.: "Allelic Impacts of TaPHS1, TaMMK3, and Vp1B3 on Pre-harvest Sprouting of Northern Great Plains Winter Wheats," Crop Science. 
  • D. Mark Anderson et al.: "Association of Marijuana Laws with Teen Marijuana Use: New Estimates from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys," JAMA Pediatrics. 
  • Margaret Branine, Anna Bazzicalupo, Sara Branco: "Biology and applications of endophytic insect-pathogenic fungi," PLoS Pathogens. 
  • Edward E. Schmidt et al.: "Cholestatic liver disease results increased production of reactive aldehydes and an atypical periportal hepatic antioxidant response," Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 
  • Anton Bekkerman, Gary W. Brester: "Don't Judge a Wine by its Closure: Price Premiums for Corks in the U.S. Wine Market," Journal of Wine Economics. 
  • Subodh Adhikari, Laura A. Burkle, Kevin M. O'Neill, Casey M. Delphia, David K. Weaver, Fabian D. Menalled: "Dryland Organic Farming Partially Offsets Negative Effects of Highly Simplified Agricultural Landscapes on Forbs, Bees and Bee-Flower Networks," Environmental Entomology. 
  • Collin J. Preftakes, David K. Weaver, Robert K.D. Peterson et al.: "Effect of insecticide formulation and adjuvant combination on agricultural spray drift," Environmental Contamination and Remediation. 
  • Whitney C. Stewart, Jane A. Boles, Thomas W. Murphy et al.: "Effects of feeding juniper as roughage on feedlot performance, carcass measurements, meat sensory attitudes, and volatile aroma compounds of yearling Rambouillet wethers 1,2," Journal of Animal Science. 
  • Frankie K. Crutcher et al.: "Effects on hyphal morphology and development by the putative copper radical oxidase glx1 in Trichoderma virens suggest a novel role as a cell wall associated enzyme," Fungal Genetics and Biology. 
  • Renee Reijo Pera et al.: "Efficacy and safety of Immuno-Magnetically sorted smooth muscle progenitor cells derived from Human-Induced pluripotent stem cells for restoring urethral sphincter function," Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 
  • Kevin McPhee et al.: "Exploring the genetics of lesion and nodal resistance in pea (Pisum sativum L.) to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum using genome-wide association studies and RNA-seq," Plant Direct. 
  • Hayes B. Goosey, Kevin M. O'Neill et al.: "Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Community Response to Livestock Grazing: Implications for Avian Conservation," Environmental Ecology. 
  • Kevin King, Huang Li, Jinling Kang, Chaofu Lu: "Mapping quantitative trait loci for seed traits in Camelina sativa," Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 
  • Paul C. Stoy, Guta Wakbulcho et al.: "Maximum carbon uptake rate dominates the interannual variability of global net ecosystem exchange," Global Change Biology. 
  • Igor A. Schepetkin, Liliya N. Kirpotina, Ganesh Balasubramanian, Mark T. Quinn et al.: "Neutrophil Immunomodulatory Activity of Natural Organosulfur Compounds," Molecules. 
  • Medora M. Lachman, Amy Baeza, Molly Butler, Emily Gates, Julie Buono Geddes, Patrick Hatfield, Carl J. Yeoman et al.: "Pelleted-hay alfalfa feed increases sheep wether weight gain and rumen bacterial richness over loose-hay alfalfa feed," PLoS One. 
  • Carl. J. Yeoman et al.: "Plasticity in the Human Gut Microbiome Defies Evolutionary Constraints, mSphere. 
  • Raina K. Plowright, Daniel J. Becker, Daniel E. Crowley, Alex D. Washburne et al.: "Prioritizing surveillance of Nipah virus in India," PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 
  • Igor A. Schepetkin et al.: "Protective Effects of a new C-Jun N-terminal Kinase Inhibitor in the model of Global Cerebral Ischemia in Rats," Molecules. 
  • Dengfeng Liu, Hongyi Li et al.: "Temporal and Spatial Signatures of Sediment Transport at the Watershed Scale: An Approach to Understand the Behavior of the Watershed," Tecnologia Y Ciencias del Agua. 
  • Wei Li, John C. Priscu et al.: "The Antarctic psychrophiles Chlamydomonas spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of photosystem I in response to Iron," Photosynthesis Research. 
  • Prashant Jha et al.: "The response of glyphosate-resistant and glyphosate-susceptible biotypes of junglerice (Echinochloa colona) to mungbean interference," Weed Science.  

Notices

The NCAT Soil Innovations Conference will be held at MSU March 30-31 and submissions for student and professional posters are being accepted! 

The Department of Research Centers is currently recruiting three tenure track faculty positions at the NWARC, SARC and WTARC. Please forward these links to anyone you feel may be interested.

COA/MAES in the News

View as PDF

In this edition

  • Upcoming events
  • Awards and Recognitions
  • Out and About
  • Recent grants in the COA/MAES
  • Upcoming funding opportunities
  • Notices and opportunities
  • COA/MAES in the news

Upcoming Events

  • November 14: "Skill #10: How to Manage Stress, Rejection and the Haters in Your Midst," 12-1:30 p.m. on the online National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (Sponsored by the MSU Center for Faculty Excellence).
  • November 14: Bair Ranch Lecture Series presents, "Weed Ecology and the Relationships of Farming Systems, Soil and Microbiology," with Dr. Fabian Menalled, 12-1 p.m. ABB 134 
  • December 4: "Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators," 11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m., hosted by Jen Brown, Chemical & Biological Engineering, SUB 235.
  • December 9: "Hemp: Back to the Future," seminar, 6-7:50 p.m. in the Procrastinator Theatre 
  • January 9: Winter Crop Production Update Meeting, NWARC
  • January 16: "Every Semester Needs a Plan," 12-1:30 p.m. on the online National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

Awards and Recognitions

During the recent Annual Meeting of the State Bar in Billings, Extension's Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension Family Economics Specialist, received the 2019 Distinguished Service Award. The award reflects the respect the State Bar has for her development of 43 MontGuides in the estate planning area. For over 40 years Marsha has solicited the input by the section's attorneys to assure the MontGuide information is accurate. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Marsha!

Out and About

More than a dozen student and early career presenters attended the Entomology 2019 conference in St. Louis with ESA president and our faculty member Bob Peterson. MSU had 11 presenters at the conference on topics from ants in Yellowstone National Park to larval mortality in wheat stem sawfly. Congratulations on a successful conference to all of our entomologists!

Faculty member Clain Jones and farmer Rick Engel appeared on Yellowstone Public Radio to discuss soil acidification last week on Nov. 6. You can listen to their segment at the 10:00 minute mark after following this link. Way to go, Clain!

Recent Grants in the COA and MAES

  • Diane Bimczok (MBI): "Evaluating the phagocytosis of H. Pylori across the human gastric organoid epithelium by MoDC using Imagestream," MJ Murdock Charitable Trust. 
  • Diane Bimczok, Mark Jutila, Seth Walk, Connie Wilking, James Wilking (MBI): "Integration of mononuclear phagocytes into the human gastrointestinal GOFlowChip for investigation of luminal antigen sampling," NIH. 
  • Mac Burgess (PSPP): "Plant nutrition and soil fertility management for high tunnel vegetable production," MTDA. 
  • Mary Burrows (PSPP): "Root rot mitigation for specialty crops," MTDA. 
  • Patrick Carr (CARC): "Intercropping and compost legacy effects on yield quality and soil dynamics in organic dryland wheat," Utah State University. 
  • Chengci Chen (EARC): "Variety selection and intercropping strategies for disease management in conventional and organic chickpea production," MTDA. 
  • Chengci Chen (EARC): "Evaluation of spring canola varieties under irrigation and determining the optimum seeding window in eastern Montana," North Dakota State University. 
  • Frankie Crutcher (EARC): "Development of Montana-adapted FBH-resistant winter wheat varieties," USDA. 
  • Michelle Flenniken (PSPP): "Advancement of potato virus Y detection and quantification assays," MTDA. 
  • Michael Ivie (PSPP): "Foundational research for specialty crop pollination security: The (Wild) Bees of Montana," MTDA. 
  • Qasim Khan (SARC): "Variety selection and agronomic performance of fava bean," MTDA. 
  • Rachel Leisso (WARC): "Supporting emerging needs and enhancing profitability in Montana small fruit production through research, education and market development," MTDA. 
  • Kent McVay (SARC): "Understanding chickpea and dry pea water use to build better crop rotations," MTDA. 
  • Zachariah Miller (WARC): "Expanding MT's apple industry through research, outreach, education and orchard preservation," MTDA. 
  • Agnieszka Rynda-Apple (MBI): "Generalized immune recognition and response of non-viral and viral repeating subunit patterns," MJ Murdock Charitable Trust. 
  • Seth Walk (MBI): "Understanding the nutrient niche of commensal Enterobacteriaceae," MJ Murdock Charitable Trust. 
  • David Wheeler (PSPP): "A diagnostics tool for potato and pulse crop pathogens," MTDA. 
  • David Wheeler (PSPP): "Organic management of root rot disease complex, a major constraint to pulse crop production," MTDA. 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

  • WSARE Research to Grass Roots Grant Program: internal MSU submission due November 15, NIFA proposal due November 20 
  • Montana Water Center Water Resource Fellowship Program: proposal due November 15 
  • NIH Human-Animal Interaction Research: LOI due November 20, application due December 20 
  • EPA Approaches to Reduce Nutrient Loadings for Harmful Algal Blooms Management: Application due December 10 
  • The next application deadline for graduate admission to the Molecular BioSciences Program is December 14. Let your graduate students know!
  • NSF Biology Integration Institutes: LOI due December 20, proposal due February 6, 2020 
  • USDA Agriculture Innovation Demonstration Center Program: Application due March 20, 2020

Notices

COA/MAES Teaching & Equipment RFP 

COA/MAES is pleased to announce an equipment RFP for each component of our operations. The College of Agriculture has set aside $40,000 for instructional equipment and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station has set aside $410,000 for research equipment. The funding will need to be expended no later than May 31, 2020.

The impact on your research program (teaching program for instructional equipment requests) and Montana Agriculture will be the main consideration for awarding the grants. Preference will be given to awardees with matching funds from external sources. We look forward to our internal applications.

A faculty committee will evaluate and make recommendations for funding to Sreekala Bajwa, MSU Vice President of Agriculture. Award announcements will be shared after the committee has selected award projects.

The Department of Research Centers is currently recruiting three tenure track faculty positions at the NWARC, SARC and WTARC. Please forward these links to anyone you feel may be interested.

The new website for the Earth, Ecology and Environmental Sciences program is up and running. Check it out here!

COA/MAES in the News

View as PDF

In this edition

  • A message from Dr. Bajwa
  • Upcoming events
  • Recent grants in the COA/MAES
  • Upcoming funding opportunities
  • Recent publications
  • Notices and opportunities
  • COA/MAES in the news

A Message from Dr. Bajwa

Dear COA/MAES Family,It is October already. We continue to be busy in Bozeman, celebrating homecoming week October 7-13. Our COA homecoming award ceremony was very well-attended with over 70 people helping us honor our award winners: Distinguished Faculty Gary Brester, Distinguished Staff Ed Davis, Alumni Achievement winner Jim Sargent and Honorary Alumni Jack Riesselman. We also recognized our Blue and Gold Award Winner, Kent Norby. While we have many alumni, faculty and staff with very impressive accomplishments, we can only recognize a few each year. We honored those special few people who made extra-ordinary contributions to Montana agriculture and the world beyond. Congratulations once again to all the award winners!The College and MAES have some great news to report. It has been 2 months since we welcomed a new group of students to MSU. Of the 3,300 students in the class of 2023, ~700 came to our college. We currently have 2,039 students, 239 of them pursuing graduate education.MSU also recently announced all-time high research expenditures from the 2018-19 year. Of the $138 million in research expenditures, MAES/COA researchers account for the largest portion, over $42.5 million, a jump from the year before. It is worthwhile to note that the economic impact of our research to the state of Montana is many times this research expenditure, thanks to the excellent work of our faculty, research staff and students. Your work makes a difference in the lives of many Montanans and the people beyond.We are currently incorporating your suggestions to our strategic plan. While we are working on it, I would like to share my thoughts on some of the strategic anchors identified in our strategic plan. As the Land-Grant University of Montana, we are all in the business of research, teaching and outreach. Our strategic planning group identified transformative teaching and learning as one of the seven strategic anchors.My idea of transformative teaching and learning as it relates to our teaching mission is an education that transforms the lives of people who are receiving the education, providing the education, supporting the educational activities, and the communities that are served by the product of this education. Until I went to college, I hadn't traveled more than 20 miles outside of my hometown, and didn't know much about the world outside. Education transformed me and paved the way to get me where I am today.What does transformative education mean to you? How can we make our educational efforts more engaging and transformative to all involved in our programs, particularly students?

Wishing you all an enjoyable and productive fall,

Sreekala Bajwa

Upcoming Events

  • October 23: Deadline for Science as Art Contest. We are looking for visuals that capture some aspect of science, to be displayed during Celebrate Ag Weekend. Submit by email to sfraser@montana.edu
  • October 25-27: The Alternative Energy Resources Organization will host a three-day conference focused on sustainable food systems at MSU. Learn more here. 
  • October 31: Animal & Range Sciences Stakeholder Meeting, ABB 134 
  • November 1-2: Celebrate Ag weekend! 
  • November 14: Bair Ranch Lecture Series presents, "Weed Ecology and the Relationships of Farming Systems, Soil and Microbiology," with Dr. Fabian Menalled, 12-1 p.m. ABB 134 
  • November 26: Montana Science Olympiad Talks & Tours, 1-2 p.m. This is a highlight for visiting high school and middle school students as they get to visit MSU's studios, labs and classrooms while meeting faculty, staff and students.

Recent Grants in the COA and MAES

  • Brian Bothner, Erik Boyd, Joan Broderick, Jennifer Dubois (MBI): "Probing novel pathways of iron sulfide acquisition and trafficking in bodel biocatalytic systems," US Department of Energy. 
  • Stephanie Ewing (LRES): "Developing a new geospatial approach for rangeland carbon monitoring," Woods Hole Research Center. 
  • Mark Jutila (MBI): "Identification of lytic phage for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae," USDA NIFA. 
  • Clayton Marlow (ARS): "Rangeland responses to grazing management after the lodgepole wildfire complex," US Agricultural Research Service. 
  • Raina Plowright (MBI): "Rabies simulation model Singapore," University of Queensland. 
  • Scott Powell (LRES): "Increasing nitrogen fixation potential in pulses for environmental and economic sustainability," USDA. 
  • Edward Schmidt (MBI): "Hepatocyte-targeted somatic-cell genetic complementation in mice," and "Metabolic basis of the NADPH-independent disulfide reductase system in mouse liver," NIH. 
  • Ryan Thum (PSPP): "Genetics to improve hybrid and Eurasian watermilfoil management," University of Minnesota. 
  • Carly Urban (DAEE): "Local school district data collection," NextGen Personal Finance. 
  • Megan Van Emon (ARS): "Impacts of a dried distiller's grain plus soluble supplement on rumen nutrient digestion intake and reproduction," SweetPro Feeds, LLC. 
  • Jovanka Voyich (MBI): "AI/AN CTRP: Admin Core," NIH. 
  • Seth Walk (MBI): "Integration of mononuclear phagocytes into the human gastrointestinal GOFlowChip for investigation of luminal antigen sampling," NIH. 
  • Nina Zidack (PSPP): "Updating potato seed certification practices to effectively manage emerging virus disease issues." 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

  • NIFA Farmer/Rancher Grant Program: proposals due November 11 
  • NIFA Professional Development: internal MSU submission due November 8, NIFA proposal due November 13 
  • NIFA Professional Plus Producer Grant Program: internal MSU submission due November 8, NIFA proposal due November 13 
  • NIFA Research to Grass Roots Grant Program: internal MSU submission due November 15, NIFA proposal due November 20 
  • Montana Water Center Water Resource Fellowship Program: proposal due November 15 
  • The next application deadline for graduate admission to the Molecular BioSciences Program is December 14. Let your graduate students know! 

Notices

COA/MAES Teaching & Equipment RFP Submission Due Date: Friday, November 15 by 5 p.m.

COA/MAES is pleased to announce an equipment RFP for each component of our operations. The College of Agriculture has set aside $40,000 for instructional equipment and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station has set aside $410,000 for research equipment. The funding will need to be expended no later than May 31, 2020.

The impact on your research program (teaching program for instructional equipment requests) and Montana Agriculture will be the main consideration for awarding the grants. Preference will be given to awardees with matching funds from external sources. We look forward to our internal applications.

Proposals are due Friday, November 15 by 5 p.m. A faculty committee will evaluate and make recommendations for funding to Sreekala Bajwa, MSU Vice President of Agriculture. Award announcements will be shared after the committee has selected award projects.

MSU Communications is working on the annual publication "MSU is Your University: The Montana Student's Guide to MSU" and is looking for nominations of junior/senior students to feature. The guide is a recruitment piece for in-state high school students and features in-state MSU students and their honest, uncensored responses about their experiences at MSU. 

The Department of Research Centers is currently recruiting three tenure track faculty positions at the NWARC, SARC and WTARC. Please forward these links to anyone you feel may be interested.

COA/MAES in the News

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In this edition

  • A Message from Kyla McNamara
  • Upcoming Events
  • New Faces in the College of Ag
  • Recent Grants in the COA/MAES
  • Recent Publications
  • Notices and Opportunities
  • COA/MAES in the News

Last May, DAEE professors Eric Belasco, Diane Charlton and Wendy Stock led a group of students on a trip to China. Sixteen students from the College of Ag traveled to Shanghai, the Great Wall and other areas during the two-week trip.  

"The intention of the trip was to expose students to the global nature of agriculture by exploring a country that utilizes products made in Montana and has an agricultural system that is substantially different from in Montana," said Belasco. "That was true in China, which is the largest producer of wheat in the world, but we also experienced much smaller farms (the average farm size in China is about half an acre) and a very sophisticated direct-to-consumer marketing channel utilized through smartphones.

"We also visited with faculty and students at Zhejiang University and Sichuan Agricultural University and got to talk with students about living in China and faculty about research issues they are concerned with. We visited Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Shanghai, traveling sometimes at speeds of over 200 miles per hour on bullet trains, and met with trade representatives, USDA representatives, and industry leaders. It was a great experience."

A Message from Kyla McNamara 

**Instead of our usual message from Dr. Bajwa, Kyla McNamara, the new COA/MAES representative to the MSU All-Staff Council, wanted to introduce herself and her position. Congratulations on your election, Kyla!** 

Greetings,I am Kyla McNamara, a research associate at the Northern Agricultural Research Center. I was recently elected to the MSUASC and am proud to be representing COA and MAES. I wanted to introduce MSUASC, so everyone is aware of the council's responsibilities and values."MSUASC'S scope of authority includes, but is not limited to:                  - The role of staff in University concerns         - Issues and initiatives that impact all staff         - Strategic goals related to staffMSUASC is not a labor organization and is not authorized to engage in activities related to terms and conditions of employment such as wages, union business, promotion, or individual workloads. The MSUASC core values are collaboration, integrity, service excellence and advocacy."-MSUASC ConstitutionI would like to take this space and let you know that I am an open door for all matters from staff members or administrative officers that relate to the policies or roles of University staff. Please feel free to contact me with any staff issues that are related to the values and goals of the council.Thank you very much,Kyla McNamarakyla.mcnamara@montana.edu(406)265-6115

Upcoming Events

  • September 30: Sreekala Bajwa and Carl Yeoman on Montana Ag Live
  • October 3: Bair Ranch Foundation Seminar series presents Patrick Wall: "The Use of Carcass Ultrasound in Genetics and Breed Associations," 12 p.m., ABB 134
  • October 12: 2019 Summit Celebrating Women in Agriculture, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • October 14: MIT economist Daron Acemoglu lecture: "Automation, AI and the Future of Work," 7 p.m., SUB Ballrooms
  • October 17: Bair Ranch Foundation Seminar Series presents Dr. Bill Fagan: "Spatial Ecology and Animal Movement," 12 p.m., ABB 134
  • October 23: Deadline for Science as Art Contest. We are looking for visuals that capture some aspect of science, to be displayed during Celebrate Ag Weekend. Submit by email to sfraser@montana.edu

New Faces in the College of Ag

Justin Arntz, Land Resources and Environmental Science

Justin Arntz is the new Student Academic Coordinator for the LRES Department. He is originally from Denver, Colorado where he graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a BA in History and a minor in Environmental Science. He has a passion for history and literature and plans on getting his Master's in History. 

Victoria Blake, Plant Science and Plant Pathology

Victoria returned to MSU in 2018 with USDA funding to curate the GrainGenes database, and this summer she joined Li Huang's team to continue that work. This semester she is also co-teaching 'Omics and Online Resources for Plant Scientists'. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she attended UC Davis and received her Ph.D. through the Viticulture and Enology Department. When not in front of a computer, she is busy gardening or learning to properly ride her horse, Rudy. 

Deji Owati, Plant Science and Plant Pathology

Ayodeji (Deji) Owati graduated with a Ph.D. in plant pathology from MSU's PSPP department and will continue his post-doctoral research in pulse crop pathology under the supervision of Dr. David Wheeler and Dr. Mary Burrows. Deji's research focuses on identification, characterization and development of rapid detection tools for both laboratory and field detection of pathogens associated with pulse crop diseases. 

Recent Grants in the COA and MAES

  • Kevin Wanner (PSPP): "Insecticide Resistant Alfalfa Weevils in the Western US: Quantifying the Scope of Resistance and Implementing a Plan to Manage the Threat," NIFA. 
  • Kevin McPhee (PSPP): "Pulse Crop Breeding," USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. 
  • Jason Cook (PSPP): "Development of Montana-adapted FHB-resistant winter wheat varieties," USDA. 
  • Chengci Chen (EARC): "Statewide pea, lentil and chickpea variety evaluation in Montana," USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. 
  • Frankie Crutcher (EARC): "Effects of cropping systems on root rot of field pea," Northern Pulse Growers Association. 
  • Ed Davis (LRES): "Weed control research in pulse crops," USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council. 
  • Michelle Flenniken (PSPP): "Mechanisms of viral dnRNA detection and antiviral defenses in honey bee," Project Apis m. 
  • Agnieszka Rynda-Apple (MBI): "Understanding the contribution of IFNAR2 to resolution of pulmonary Aspergillus fumigatus infection," American Association of Immunologists. 
  • Megan Van Emon (ARS): "Effects of sainfoin variety and harvest maturity on quality yield and condensed tannin content," Midwest Forage Association.

Recent Publications

  • VC Blake et al.: "Centralized small grain resources and digital platform for geneticists and breeders." 
  • Note: we accidentally omitted Diane Bimczok as an author of the publication "A Novel Gastric Spheroid Co-culture Model Reveals Chemokine-Dependent Recruitment of Huan Dendritic Cells to the Gastric Epithelium," in last month's newsletter. We apologize, and we recognize Diane for all the excellent work she does!

Notices and Opportunities

  • The Year of Undergraduate Research has begun! Tell us about your students' work so we can recognize them. 
  • The Initiative for Regulation and Applied Economic Analysis funds undergraduate research scholarships. Applications are open until October 1 and must be prepared by an MSU faculty member on behalf of the student. 
  • The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research Plant Protein Enhancement Project's application deadline is October 9. 
  • USDA's Specialty Crop Research Initiative application deadline is October 15. 
  • NIFA's Farmer/Rancher Grant Program proposal deadline is November 11 
  • NIFA's Professional Development internal MSU submission deadline is November 8, with proposals due to NIFA November 13 
  • NIFA's Professional Plus Producer Grant Program internal MSU submission deadline is November 8, with proposals due to NIFA November 13 
  • NIFA's Research to Grass Roots Grant Program internal MSU submission deadline is November 15, with proposals due to NIFA November 20 
  • Montana Water Center's Water Resource Fellowship Program proposal deadline is November 15 

COA/MAES in the News

 

College of Agriculture
P.O. Box 172860
Bozeman, MT 59717-2860

Tel: (406) 994-3681
Fax: (406) 994-6579
Location: 202 Linfield Hall

Vice President, Dean, and Director

Dr. Sreekala Bajwa
agdean@montana.edu 

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