College of Agriculture

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As the foundation of the land grant mission at Montana State University, the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station provide instruction in traditional and innovative degree programs and conduct research on old and new challenges for Montana’s agricultural community. This integration creates opportunities for students and faculty to excel through hands-on learning, to serve through campus and community engagement, to explore unique solutions to distinct and interesting questions and to connect Montanans with the global community through research discoveries and outreach.

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    Bromus tectorum Response to Fire Varies with Climate Conditions
    (2014-09) Taylor, Kimberley T.; Brummer, Tyler J.; Rew, Lisa J.; Maxwell, Bruce D.
    The invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) forms a positive feedback with fire in some areas of western North America’s sagebrush biome by increasing fire frequency and size, which then increases B. tectorum abundance post-fire and dramatically alters ecosystem structure and processes. However, this positive response to fire is not consistent across the sagebrush steppe. Here, we ask whether different climate conditions across the sagebrush biome can explain B. tectorum’s variable response to fire. We found that climate variables differed significantly between 18 sites where B. tectorum does and does not respond positively to fire. A positive response was most likely in areas with higher annual temperatures and lower summer precipitation. We then chose a climatically intermediate site, with intact sage-brush vegetation, to evaluate whether a positive feedback had formed between B. tectorum and fire. A chronosequence of recent fires (1–15 years) at the site created a natural replicated experiment to assess abundance of B. tectorum and native plants. B. tectorum cover did not differ between burned and unburned plots but native grass cover was higher in recently burned plots. Therefore, we found no evidence for a positive feedback between B. tectorum and fire at the study site. Our results suggest that formation of a positive B. tectorum-fire feedback depends on climate; however, other drivers such as disturbance and native plant cover are likely to further influence local responses of B. tectorum. The dependence of B. tectorum’s response to fire on climate suggests that climate change may expand B. tectorum’s role as a transformative invasive species within the sage-brush biome.
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    GRP Rangeland Insurance for Wyoming
    (MSU Extension, 2006-10) Hewlett, John P.; Schumacher, Joel B.; Johnson, James B.
    A new Group Risk Plan (GRP) Rangeland Insurance product is being offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in 10 Wyoming counties. For counties in which this insurance product is not offered, USDA’s Farm Service Agency continues to offer the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (See Briefing No. 14). The new GRP Rangeland Insurance product is intended to increase ranch managers’ options for managing risk related to the loss of grazing from any of several causes.
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    GRP Rangeland Insurance for Montana
    (MSU Extension, 2006-09) Schumacher, Joel Brent; Johnson, James B.; Brester, Gary W.
    A new Group Risk Plan (GRP) Rangeland Insurance product is being offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in 39 Montana counties. For counties in which this insurance product is not offered, USDA’s Farm Service Agency continues to offer the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (See Briefing No. 14). The new GRP Rangeland Insurance product is intended to increase ranch managers’ options for managing risk related to the loss of grazing from any of several causes.
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