Months into his new job at the MSU-Richland County Extension office, Extension agent Tim Fine is excited about the opportunities ahead of him.

“So far, it’s been going great,” Fine, who serves as the Extension agent for agronomy and horticulture, said. “It’s been a great learning experience for me so far. This area and job will give me a chance to see and experience things I normally wouldn’t.”

Fine, who started his current job on Jan. 1, worked as an Extension program assistant for Miami County in Ohio. A new area means new crops for Fine to get accustomed to. While he does not have extensive experience with the sugar beets, he is anxious to gain experience with the crop. “I think this job will be an absolutely great chance for me to learn a new crop and a new cropping system,” Fine said. “I am certainly looking forward to seeing the planting operations of sugar beets.”

Soybeans and corn were the most common crops that Fine came across in his previous job as well as alfalfa and wheat. He is very interested in the area soybean production.

“I understand there is quite a bit of interest in the crop. I am very excited to help the area producers because that really fits in with my background,” he said. “I think my understanding of soybeans can be beneficial to this area.”

The dry eastern Montana weather will be a change for Fine as he is used to more precipitation and humidity. No irrigation systems were used in his job in Ohio.

“It will be interesting to see how different weather affects different plants,” Fine said. “In my previous job, the high humidity caused diseases and the increased rain made things difficult at times. I am looking forward to the summer.”

So far, Fine has no trouble making Sidney home. He and his wife, Molly, and their son, Dennis, 4, have enjoyed their time in the community.

“It’s been very comfortable,” he said. “It’s has been just great meeting people throughout the community. They have been very friendly and helpful during my time here.”

With that said, he invites the community to meet him at his office. “I want to meet as many members of the community as possible. I am looking forward to helping anyone who has any questions at all,” he said.