B.J. O'Doherty joins Blaine County/MSU Extension Service

 

November 15, 2017

B.J. O'Doherty joined the Blaine County/MSU Extension Service as the new Ag Extension Agent on October 17. His duties will include working with local farmers and ranchers as well as with 4-H, the youth development segment of the extension service. O'Doherty replaces Ben Hauptman who took an agent's job last spring near where he grew up in Granite County.

O'Doherty grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia where he completed high school. Most of his adult life he's lived in the west, having recently moved from Idaho to take the position with Blaine County.

He said, "When I saw the job vacancy for the position in Blaine County, I was very interested and was hoping to be able to come back to the Hi-Line." He and his former wife, a nurse at the Havre Hospital, lived in the area and had connections along the Hi-Line and in the region around Chinook.

O'Doherty moved to Montana in the early 1990's, working winters at a ski resort and summers on ranches. During that time he was also part of a Marine Corps Reserve Unit based in Montana. He enrolled at Montana State University-Bozeman and completed a bachelor's degree in Range Science in 2000.

After graduating from MSU he left Montana to pursue a graduate degree at the University of West Virginia. There he also specialized in range science and completed a master's degree. He admitted he found West Virginia a big contrast to the west but learned from the experience.

After completing his master's degree he began working for the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He was with the NRCS for 12 years, most recently in Pocatello, Idaho. The NRCS offers technical expertise and

conservation planning for landowners and offers financial incentives to implement long-term conservation practices by landowners

For the past two years prior to coming to Blaine County, O'Doherty was a private ag consultant to farmers and ranchers in southeast Idaho. Though never serving as an extension agent, he believes his education ane career experiences relate to working with ag producers and the 4-H youth development program.

Blaine County Commission Chairman Frank DePriest said he was pleased to have O'Doherty on board, noting, "His diverse background provides a lot of experience relevant to this position." DePriest explained that MSU makes the final selection to fill extension positions and the county provides 65% of the funding for the local extension service.

In addition to the appeal of living in the area, O'Doherty said he was looking forward to sharing new knowledge from MSU researchers with ranchers and farmers in the area. He added, "I'm tickled to be back in Montana and especially pleased to be in north central Montana. I'm anxious to begin serving Blaine County's ag producers and youth."

The "Journal" welcomes O'Doherty to the community and wishes him success in his new position.

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 02/19/2024 04:05