Events and Workshops
Weedy Wednesday Webinar Series
This 8-webinar series was co-sponsored with Montana Weed Control Association. Webinars took place via Webex on Wednesdays from 1:00-2:00 p.m. in February and March, 2021. Except for the webinar on February 3, recordings can be viewed by clicking on "Webinar recording" after each presenter's name and affiliation.
February 3 Recognizing Herbicide Symptoms
Noelle Orloff, Montana State University
Learning how to recognize herbicide symptoms on plants helps applicators better understand how herbicides work, and explains symptoms they may see in the field. In this session participants will be introduced to diagnosing herbicide symptoms on plants. We will discuss the basics of recognizing herbicide symptomology, including relevant plant biology concepts, and typical symptoms associated with commonly-used herbicide modes of action. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice recognizing herbicide symptoms themselves, and they will learn about resources that are available to help diagnose herbicide symptoms.
If you'd like a PDF of Noelle's presentation, email her at noelleorloff@montana.edu.
February 10 Herbicide Resistance: Best Management Practices in Crop and Non-Crop Areas
Dr. Albert Adjesiwor, University of Idaho Webinar recording
Herbicide resistance evolves over time and has detrimental effects on weed management. During this session, participants will learn what herbicide resistance is, why it happens, what signs to look for to identify it in the field, how it impacts weed management, and how to prevent it.
Resources shared by Dr. Adjesiwor:
Herbicide Resistance Action Committee
Take Action Pesticide Resistance Management
Herbicide Diversity Calculator
February 17 Waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth: Biology, Prevention, and the Potential for Spread in Montana
Drs. Tim Seipel and Lovreet Shergill, Montana State University Webinar recording
Waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth are both pigweeds in the genus Amaranthus, and though they are not currently widespread in Montana, they threaten agricultural production because of their evolved herbicide resistance. Dr. Lovreet Shergill and Dr. Tim Seipel will review pigweed biology and specifically address Waterhemp and Palmer Amaranth. They will discuss prevention measures, identification, and integrated weed management.
MSU Extension fact sheet on Palmer Amaranth
February 24 Complying with the Noxious Weed Control Act
Jasmine Reimer, Montana Dept. of Agriculture; Ambur Burch, Beaverhead County Weed District; Meriel Beck, Golden Valley/Musselshell County Weed District; and Mike Jones, Gallatin County Weed District Webinar recording
Montana has a long history in noxious weed management beginning with passing the first piece of weed legislation in 1895 and establishing the first noxious weed program in 1921. Many of the programs and laws established since that time have been proactive in safeguarding the integrity of the landscape, the quality of our industry, and have supported weed management efforts on both private and public lands. One of the most important pieces of legislation in place regarding noxious weed management is the County Weed Control Act. It is the responsibility of a county weed board and/or county weed district to enforce the County Weed Control Act. In this session, learn about the compliance section of the Act and how different counties across the state use the law when working with landowners to manage noxious weeds.
March 3 Cropping Systems as a Tool for Weed Management
Dr. Kent McVay, Montana State University Webinar recording
Pasture and hayfield renovation can be an expensive undertaking with a considerable risk of failure. Before renovation, it is best to assess what you have and compare that to what you need. This webinar will help producers and those advising producers make that assessment and suggest some ways to work toward a more productive pasture or hayfield, sometimes without complete renovation. For example, poor stands provide opportunities for invasive weeds, and weeds are usually not a problem where a healthy stand of forage exists or within the fields of vigorously growing crops. Weed pressure can be reduced through controlled grazing, mechanical removal, and judicious use of herbicides. The presence of weeds is your signal that a change in management is needed. If complete renovation is indeed found to be the best solution, this webinar will suggest how cropping system principles can do this. There isn’t just one way to get from point A to point B, but some general guidelines and suggestions should improve the chances of success.
Resources shared by Dr. McVay:
March 17 Revegetation as Part of Weed Management: Tips for Success
Monica Pokorny, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Webinar recording
Managing invasive plants can be difficult and requires persistence to attain a desired plant community that meets land use objectives and resists invasion. Revegetation often needs to be incorporated in weed management to introduce desired species and speed recovery of a plant community. In this presentation, we will discuss the steps for planning and implement revegetation during weed management including site preparation, designing a seed mix, calculating a seeding rate, and choosing species with the highest likelihood for success for different regions of Montana.
Resources shared by Monica Pokorny:
Plant Materials technical Notes, reports, and Brochures, Montana and Wyoming
Includes Seeding Rates for Conservation Species in Montana, Tech Note MT-46
March 24 Predicted Risk Models for Invasive Plants in Montana
Dr. Bryce Maxell, Montana Natural Heritage Program Webinar recording
Predicted habitat suitability models for invasive species can be used to indicate the relative risk posed to various landscapes within a management jurisdiction to guide and prioritize survey and control efforts. Similarly, predicted habitat suitability models for biocontrol species can be used to guide and prioritize releases to areas where the biocontrols are most likely to successfully establish populations. We modeled the landscape-level habitat suitability of state-listed noxious weeds, county-listed noxious weeds, other high priority non-natives with invasion potential, and popular biocontrol species using presence-only data and up to 44 environmental input layers. This webinar will provide an overview of our modeling methodology, how users can access the information online for Noxious Weed Trust Fund grant applications and survey and control efforts, and how the model output should be interpreted and used, including limitations. With authorization, natural resource managers are able to view model output on the Montana Natural Heritage Program’s Natural Heritage Map Viewer and anyone can view model write ups on the program’s Predicted Suitable Habitat Models web page.
March 31 Crafting a Tank Mix: How to Ensure Efficient Control of Invasive Plants
Mat Walter, Montana State University Extension, Lewis and Clark County Webinar recording
Tank mixing is an integral part of effective pest control in the field. Understanding how different formulation and chemical properties interact can greatly influence efficacy and can have long term impacts on the health of the field. This presentation will summarize the nasty effects that poor tank mixing can have on equipment and pesticide efficacy.
Noxious Weed Management Certification
The Mangold lab offers Noxious Weed Management Certification workshops, which are typically 3-day studies of weed biology, ecology, and management. They are designed to benefit both those new to weed management and experienced professionals. This series of workshops (Level 1 through Level 3) provides training opportunities for local, state, federal government, and other land managers in Montana interested in current advances in noxious weed management. Course complexity increases with subsequent levels. Pesticide applicator recertification credits are available for each workshop.
Level 3 is tentatively scheduled for September 8-9, 2021, in Bozeman MT.
Participants must have completed Levels 1 and 2 to attend Level 3. Stay tuned for
more details!
| Workshops | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | The first course in the series emphasizes basics of plant biology, range ecology, plant identification, and other weed ecology topics. Participants learn the basics of management techniques, such as targeted grazing, biological control, and revegetation. Herbicide as a management technique is covered in depth, including herbicide mode of action, herbicide resistance, and herbicide formulations. |
This upper level 3-day course focuses on more in-depth weed ecology, management, and identification. Additional topics include management recommendations for selected species and revegetation guidelines. Participants spend a half day in the field learning about on-site research and monitoring. |
Final installment of the series of courses. The first day focuses on site assessment and monitoring techniques with a full day site visit. On the second day, participants learn about organizing, analyzing, and applying monitoring data. Participants are assigned a take-home project that includes collecting and analyzing original data from a project developed in their area. |
| Example agendas | Level 1 Fall 2018 Agenda | Level 2 Fall 2016 Agenda | Level 3 Fall 2017 Agenda |
| Past courses | Offered spring and fall 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. | Offered spring 2013, fall 2014, 2016, and 2018. | Offered spring 2015 and fall 2017. Will be offered fall 2020. |
Participant Testimonials
"I am so impressed with the MSU staff that presented most of the class. I learned so much that I immediately use in my job."
Level 1 participant
"Best workshop that I have attended in the last 25 years."
Level 1 participant
"Love the workshop. This is the type of training that veteran weed managers need."
Level 2 participant
"I get so discouraged working in weed management as so many times the process seems like a ton of resources devoted to a never-ending, never-improving process- This course gave me hope, ideas, and inspiration."
Level 2 participant
"This class was excellent. I'm pumped to get back to work and start implementing some of the things I've learned."
Level 2 participant