From cattle collars to bee mites, the inaugural Herds and Harvest Ag Tour took its participants on a trip through local agricultural operations last Friday.
Organized by the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, participants on the Herds and Harvest Ag Tour took a bus trip from the Fallon County Fairgrounds to four stops- the O’Donnell Ranch, Lane Legacy Beef at the Crescent Cross Ranch, Barkley’s Homegrown LLC, and Beelogic Enterprises.
On stop number one, the O’Donnells spoke to the tour about their farm and ranch operation, and showed those gathered on their hill the e-collars their cattle will soon wear, granting the ranchers the ability to draw virtual fences and track cattle movement through a mobile app.
At Lane Legacy Beef, it was beef for lunch before a presentation by Katie Lane about her ranch-to-consumer beef business, which included a tour of the storage side of her operation.
The stop at Barkley’s Homegrown was a greenhouse tour led by Todd and Molly Barkley, who detailed the trials and tribulations of running their greenhouse facility, including their current goal of producing lemons and limes.
The final stop of the tour was at Beelogic Enterprises, where Jonathan Messenger detailed what honey production looks like for an Eastern Montana bee keeper. Part of what Messenger spoke to the group about included CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder), which is believed to be caused by multiple factors including infections with Varroa mites, viruses, and other pathogens. Messenger also detailed how QR-coded cards they are installing on their bee boxes will allow beekeepers to monitor hives through mobile devices and artificial intelligence.
The evening concluded with a documentary and panel discussion back at the Fallon County Fairgrounds. Thank you to the Baker Chamber of Commerce, the tour stop hosts, and everyone involved in making the inaugural Herd and Harvest Ag Tour not only educational, but also a fun way to connect with the community!
