Narc - Precision Agriculture Lab

Narc - Precision Agriculture Lab Welcome to the NARC Precision Agriculture Lab!

Our lab is dedicated to establishing and advancing research and extension programs in precision agriculture to enhance the efficiency and profitability of Montana’s farming and ranching operations.

I’m happy to share the September edition of our Precision Agriculture Update, put together with Sudhir Payare and our te...
09/02/2026

I’m happy to share the September edition of our Precision Agriculture Update, put together with Sudhir Payare and our team at Northern Ag Research Center, along with entomology and remote sensing specialists in Bozeman. This month’s work highlights exciting progress in early wheat stem sawfly detection in Montana.

📡 What we did: Combined satellite radar/optical data (Sentinel-1 & Sentinel-2) and drone LiDAR with machine learning to map wheat stem sawfly infestation across commercial dryland spring wheat fields in Montana.

🌾 Why this matters: Detecting physical canopy changes two weeks before harvest gives producers the lead time needed to selectively swath heavily damaged fields and place solid-stem cultivars right where sawfly risk is highest.

Link to the full newsletter! 👇

https://agresearch.montana.edu/narc/Programs_and_projects/narc-precisionag/newsletterprecisionagupdate/september2026.html

Montana Grain Growers Association
Montana Wheat and Barley Committee
MSU Department of Research Centers
MSU College of Agriculture

Over the last few weeks, our team presented research findings at six field days across Montana. More than 500 producers,...
07/20/2026

Over the last few weeks, our team presented research findings at six field days across Montana. More than 500 producers, agronomists, industry partners, and stakeholders received information from our research programs.

No matter the weather, from high winds to rain, we were out in the field sharing results, answering questions, and learning from our agricultural communities. That's what Extension is all about: bringing research directly to producers and helping turn science into practical solutions for Montana agriculture.

Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, and shared their experiences. These conversations help ensure our research addresses the real challenges faced by Montana producers.

07/09/2026

The Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) Precision Agriculture Program at Montana State University seeks a motivated and skilled Research Associate to support a statewide initiative focused on variable rate fertilizer (VRF) adoption and validation in Montana cereal production systems. The po...

Can spot-spray applications increase soil health? Our team is working to find out.Over the past week, we travelled acros...
06/26/2026

Can spot-spray applications increase soil health? Our team is working to find out.

Over the past week, we travelled across Hingham, Conrad, and Carter to collect data. Here is a quick look at the fieldwork by the numbers:
📍 20 fields covered
🧪 70+ soil samples collected
🧬 Next steps: Soil DNA analysis to reveal the microbial communities present.

Stay tuned for our upcoming results!

Thank you to our partners:
-Local Producers: For opening up your fields and helping us drive agricultural knowledge forward.
-Montana Department of Agriculture: For funding this research.
-Central Ag Research Center, especially Dr. Jed Eberly & Asa Hurd: For your collaboration and help processing the DNA samples.

Our group had a hands on training with our new I-19 Revolution Drones USA spray drone at Northern Ag Research Center. Th...
06/18/2026

Our group had a hands on training with our new I-19 Revolution Drones USA spray drone at Northern Ag Research Center. This drone can accurately spray 20 gallons of liquid or spread 26 gallons of solids and can cover up to 600 acres per day.

A big thank you to Sam Thier and TerraplexAg for their support and excellent demonstration. We also thank the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee for funding this research, helping us generate valuable data and practical solutions for Montana producers.

05/28/2026

Our precision ag program at MSU Northern Ag Research Center continues field trials to evaluate the Carbon bee green on green target spray technology in lentils, chickpeas, and peas.

This video from our sprayer highlights real time detection in the field, where blue is identified as crops and red as weeds. Want to learn more? Join us at our Field Day on June 17 to see the plots and technology in action.

Thank you to the Montana Department of Agriculture for supporting our research.

Northern Pulse Growers Association

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Are you wondering if your fertilizer or seeding rate is really the right fit for your fields?This past Friday, we had a ...
05/16/2026

Are you wondering if your fertilizer or seeding rate is really the right fit for your fields?

This past Friday, we had a great time with Doug Weist and Connor Crary installing an on‑farm experiment in a 500‑acre field near Choteau, MT to evaluate which barley seeding rate and phosphorus fertilizer rate delivers the best economic return. Every farm is unique, and optmize input use across different soil types and elevations is the best way to find the practices that truly work for your ground.

Interested in running your own trials? Imagine getting $1,000 to run this kind of test on your farm.

Worried about potential yield losses? we cover any yield loss caused by the trials.

Don’t have the equipment to set up the trial? we can work with your local co‑op and cover the costs.

To good to be true? contact Ricardo Pinto at 406‑994‑6374 or [email protected] to learn more.

05/13/2026

We are looking for a Livestock Operations Manager at the Northern Ag Research Center in Havre, Mt. Follow the link for more information and to apply: https://jobs.montana.edu/postings/51479

Over the past few weeks, our research team has been implementing multiple field trials in Havre at the Northern Ag Resea...
05/06/2026

Over the past few weeks, our research team has been implementing multiple field trials in Havre at the Northern Ag Research Center and in Conrad at the MSU Western Triangle Agriculture Research Center.

We’re testing the effectiveness of Carbon bee green-on-green targeted spray applications (spot spraying) in pulse crops: peas, chickpeas, and lentils.

Stay tuned for results, and join us at the upcoming field days to learn more about how this technology can support farmers across the region.

This is worth checking out! The Montana State Reference Network (MTSRN) is offering FREE access through May 31, giving y...
04/09/2026

This is worth checking out! The Montana State Reference Network (MTSRN) is offering FREE access through May 31, giving you a chance to see what high-precision GPS can actually do in your operation.

Reported benefits from using RTK-GPS include:
✔ Reduced overlap
✔ Lower input costs
✔ Improved accuracy across equipment
✔ Getting more done with less waste

Sign up for your free trial today:
https://msl.mt.gov/mtsrn/Trial

Know someone who should try this? Send it their way.

Address

3710 Assinniboine Road
Havre, MT
59501

Telephone

+14069946374

Website

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