Ag at MSU-Northern

04/22/2026

🌎🚧 Earth Day looked a little different for PAS Club this year…

Okay, technically we got a head start — we cleaned up on April 15th… but we figured Earth Day was the perfect time to finally show it off

Instead of just talking about taking care of the land, we actually went out and picked it up.

Huge shoutout to the Montana Department of Transportation for letting us trade in our backpacks for trash bags for the afternoon.

We didn’t find any treasure… unless you count the very interesting things people leave on the side of the highway 👀

Just our small way of giving back to a community (and sponsors!) that always supports us — and helping keep Montana looking as good as it should!

(the good kind)

04/03/2026

Students in AGBE 105: Agricultural Marketing, taught by Assistant Professor Katie Friede, recently had the opportunity to dive into the grain futures market with guest speaker Shandel Fouts from Columbia Grain.

Shandel walked the class through how futures markets work, different contract types, and key strategies for marketing grain. During the visit, students were able to watch live bids taking place and witness grain prices react in real time when a global headline hit the market earlier that morning. It was an eye-opening example of how quickly futures markets respond to world events.

AGBE 105 covers the principles of agricultural economics and marketing, with an emphasis on commodity trading and futures markets relevant to Montana production in agriculture. Experiences like this help students connect classroom concepts to real-world decision making.

A big thank you to Shandel and Columbia Grain for the important work they do supporting our farmers and for investing the time in teaching the next generation of agricultural professionals. We truly appreciate partners who help bring applied learning into the classroom!

03/26/2026

2026 National PAS Competition Results

03/24/2026

🌾In honor of National Ag Day 🌾

Did you know MSU-Northern got its start in agriculture?

Back in 1913, the State of Montana established the "Northern Montana Agriculture and Manual Training School", but no funding was provided so it couldn't actually open.

Ag isn’t just our history… it’s still growing in our classrooms, our students, and our community every day.

We want to hear from you:
How has agriculture rooted your life?

Learn more about our history:

Northern had its beginnings in 1913 when the Thirteenth Legislative Assembly of Montana established Northern Montana Agricultural and Manual Training School to be located at Fort Assiniboine. The bill passed on March 8, 1913, but no money was appropriated.

03/12/2026

Waiting on results... and words.

03/11/2026

MSU–Northern's livestock feed and nutrition class, led by professor Karyn Billmayer, recently had the opportunity to explore the ruminant digestive system through a hands-on dissection, studying the beef digestive tract from start to finish. Experiences like this help bring classroom concepts to life and give students a deeper understanding of livestock nutrition, anatomy, and production.

A huge thank you to MT Premium Processing Cooperative for donating the beef digestive tract and organs that made this learning opportunity possible. Partnerships like this highlight the strength of cooperative systems—supporting education while strengthening connections within our agricultural community.

We’re grateful for the local partners who help make real-world, experiential learning possible for our students!

MSU-Northern MSU-Northern Admissions

03/10/2026

National PAS Organization

03/10/2026

Day 1 at the National PAS Convention is in the books!

Emily and Karyn spent the day touring incredible facilities, starting with soil, turf management, and conservation tours at Johnny Morris’ golf course property—an impressive operation featuring eight different courses on one property. They also learned about the horticulture program at the College of the Ozarks, seeing firsthand how students gain hands-on experience in plant science and production. The day wrapped up at Dolly Parton’s Stampede.

Meanwhile, Allec, Nick, Dante, Trayden, Kennedy, and Natalie visited the very first Bass Pro Shops location and aquarium, exploring the amazing aquatic displays and wildlife exhibits that celebrate conservation and the outdoors.

To cap off the day, Dante proudly represented Montana during the flag ceremony, making it a memorable ending to a full first day of learning, exploration, and representing our program well.

03/09/2026

“Dorothy, we aren’t in Havre anymore… we’re in Branson, MO!”

Eight PAS members and their advisor made it safely to the National PAS Convention after a long day of traveling through the Montana wind. Now they’re ready for a week full of competitions, professional development, and representing our program.

Good luck to our team this week in Branson!

03/02/2026

The crops might not be growing yet, but we are. What used to be the MSU-Northern PAS Club page is now expanding to showcase all things Agriculture at MSU-Northern — including the PAS Club. Stay rooted with us, and be sure to click the follow button.