By Brad Brastrup-Hill County Extension Agent
Your computer may be ready for Jan. 1 -- but your Windows program may not be ready.
IF YOU ARE USING WINDOWS95
you will need to make a slight adjustment to the program so your computer will be ready for the year 2000. I assure you this minor adjustment is simple. If I can do it, and I did, so can you.
If you are running Windows 98, ignore this as your windows program is already fixed by default.
If you are running Windows NT, load the Service Pack 4. (Service Pack 5 is also out now.)
But now for Windows95:
n Double click on "My Computer" or "Settings;"
n Double click on "Control Panel;"
n Double click on "Regional Settings" icon;
n Click on the "Date" tab at the top of the page
n Where it says, "Short Date Sample" look and see if it shows a "two digit" year. Of course it does because that's the default setting for Windows95 and NT. What you are looking at is the date that all windows (and maybe other) based programs use for their programs. This date will not change to 2000. It will read 00;
n Click on the button across from "Short Date Style" (that's the little down arrow) and select the option that shows, make sure that your selection has four Y's showing -- not two;
n Then click on "Apply;"
n Then click on "OK" at the bottom of the page.
Congratulations, your Windows95 and NT system is now ready for Jan. 1, 2000.
A WORD OF CAUTION - unless you have converted the dates in your spreadsheets and other documents to a four-digit year, you will probably experience some problems. When you converted the Windows95 program according to the above instructions, what you did was assure that any new Windows based documents would be in the four digit format. This is because, as I mentioned before, Windows based programs obtain their date format from the Windows operating system. However, it will not convert the dates in your existing documents.
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BEEF PRODUCERS have the opportunity to participate in two interactive video sessions on Jan. 5 and 12, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The closest locations for producers on the Hi-Line are Havre and Great Falls.
The Jan. 5 session is "Beef Carcass Grading and Improving Your Herd With Carcass Data." The Jan. 12th program will focus on "Improving Your Herd Using Carcass Data."
Participants will be able to ask questions of the presenters, who are faculty of Colorado State University. Keith Belk of CSU will discuss the history of beef grading and recent changes in the grading systems. John Scanga will describe how to determine carcass maturity and quality grade, and how to predict meat palatability. He will also describe the yield grading system and the measurements needed to compute USDA yield grade and how to predict carcass cutability. The process and costs of collecting carcass data, including animal identification, carcass tracking and data analysis will also be discussed.
Ronnie Green will describe what carcass data tells you, as a producer, use of carcass expected progeny differences, sire and dam selection, and improving your herd's carcass characteristics. Gary Smith, will discuss product marketing, including source verification, alliances, grid marketing and niche marketing.
In Havre, the program can be seen at the Hagener Science Center, Room 202, MSU-Northern. For more information contact the Hill County Extension Office at 265-5481. In Great Falls, the program can be seen at the MSU-College of Technology, Room 147. For more information contact the Cascade County Extension Office at 454-6980.
Montana Beef University is the educational arm of the Montana Beef Network. This is a joint project between the Montana Stockgrowers Association and Montana State University. If you would like additional information about this course, please contact John Paterson at (406) 994-5562 or Rick Funston at (406) 232-8253. There is no charge for attending the course.
An additional combination of courses will be taught Feb. 2 and Feb. 9. These two courses will be entitled "Backgrounding Opportunities in Montana - What do I need to know?"
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SCHOLAR SPRING WHEAT has just been released by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. This is a Hard Red Spring Wheat with good yield potential. It is a semi-solid stemmed variety with moderate sawfly resistance to wheat stem sawfly. It is normal height with medium maturity, excellent protein and good milling and baking quality. Its protein is 1 percent greater than Newana and slightly more that McNeal and Amidon. Dryland yields are 4 percent more than Ernest, 8 percent more than Lew and 3 percent less that Amidon. Scholar's dryland test weight is equal to Lew and Ernest and higher than Amidon and McNeal.
Scholar is named in recognition of the students who, for years, have assisted Montana's spring wheat breeding program.
