News you can use
News you can use
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MELINA WALLING, Associated Press and AYURELLA HORN-MULLER, Grist Associated Press Editor's Note: A version of this was in the November Farm and Ranch special section. HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) - Jeremy Ford hates wasting water. As a mist of rain sprinkled the fields around him in Homestead, Florida, Ford bemoaned how expensive it had been running a fossil fuel-powered irrigation system on his five-acre farm - and how bad it was for the planet. Earlier this month, Ford installed an...
MSU News Service BOZEMAN - With new funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, scientists in Montana State University's Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology will seek to fill knowledge gaps surrounding an agricultural weed that has caused problems for Montana producers for decades. Jennifer Lachowiec, an associate professor in MSU's College of Agriculture, received two grants from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture totaling more than $900,0...
John 14:6 'I am the Way, the truth and the life' Out our way, everybody knows you mount a horse from the left side. More importantly the horses know it. But now and then some greenhorn will want to get on from the right (and wrong) side. The results can be interesting. Like everybody I know, my rope is tied on the right side of the saddle and would make mounting on that side a bit difficult. Doc is a pretty even-tempered fellow - and although he has dumped me a few times, it...
Press release Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Montana Leopold Conservation Award®. The $10,000 award honors ranchers, farmers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 28 states. In Montana, the award is presented with the Montana...
Press release MANITOWOC, Wis. During a visit to Dramm Corp. today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced Oct. 30 that the Biden-Harris administration is making investments that will strengthen American farms and businesses by expanding innovative domestic fertilizer production and increasing independent meat and poultry processing capacity, which will in turn increase competition and lower fertilizer costs for farmers and food costs for consumers. The Department is awarding over $120 m...
Press release WASHINGTON, October 23, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Oct. 23 a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Selected RCPP projects will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand v...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — Montana State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics and MSU Extension will host the 18th annual Agricultural Economics Conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Best Western GranTree Inn, 1325 N. Seventh Ave. in Bozeman. The conference is part of the College of Agriculture’s annual Celebrate Ag week, which honors the state and university’s joint agricultural legacy and celebrates current students, alumni and MSU’s extended agricultural community acros...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development is inviting Montana farmers, rural entrepreneurs, tribes, and organizations to comment on proposed changes that will make it easier to apply for funding under three vital business programs. These updates aim to streamline and simplify the application processes for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG), Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) and Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) programs. By modernizing scoring criteria, standardizing a...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an additional $250 million in automatic payments for distressed direct and guaranteed farm loan borrowers under Section 22006 of the Inflation Reduction Act. This significant step continues USDA’s commitment to keeping farmers and ranchers financially viable and support for agricultural communities. Over the past two years, USDA acted swiftly to assist borrowers in retaining their land and continuing their agricultural operations. Since President Bid...
From Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage announced that Richard Louis Stuker of Chinook will be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame and John Stuker of Chinook will be inducted as a legacy members, while Eugene Taber, who also has connections to the area, also is one of this year's inductees into the as a Legacy nominee. The inductees from the 17th class of of inductions were chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general...
Press release Sen. Jon Tester announced Friday that he was awarded the Friend of the Farm Bureau Award from the American Farm Bureau Federation, one of the country's largest agricultural organizations. "I'm proud to take my cues from Montana's farmers and ranchers – and I would like to thank the Montana Farm Bureau for its work advocating on behalf of our states number one industry, agriculture. Whether it's by working to support irrigators impacted by the catastrophic siphon...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Oct. 2 up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands. This includes up to $5.7 billion for climate-smart practices, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, which is part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, and $2 billion in Farm Bill funding. This is more than double the amount available last year and the most conservation assistance made ava...
Press release Legislators in D.C. have a clearer understanding of agriculture in Montana, thanks to the Montana farmers and ranchers who spoke with leaders and Congressional members during the National Farmers Union Legislative Fly-In held earlier in September. During the Fly-In, more than a dozen Montana Farmers Union members had the opportunity to hear from leaders from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Justice, and more about the Farm Bill, what’s being done to curb anti-competitive practices in a...
Press release The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation. Through a series of Cooperative Agreements, this national network will connect distressed borrowers with individualized assistance to help them stabilize and regain financial footing. USDA’s Farm Service Agency made this announcement Sept. 26 at the Farm Aid Festival in Saratoga S...
Press release BOZEMAN — Registration is now open for the second annual Montana Ag Technology Innovation & Investment Summit. In coordination with the Montana Department of Agriculture nd Montana State University, the Montana Agricultural Business Association is bringing the event to Bozeman Nov. 6. “The Montana Agricultural Business Association is proud to partner with the Montana Department of Agriculture and Montana State University to lead this important conversation on investing in Montana-built ag innovation,“ MABA...
Press release BOZEMAN - The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service n Montana is accepting applications for the St. Mary Initiative. Farmers and ranchers in Blaine, Glacier, Hill, Phillips, and Valley counties including the Blackfeet Nation and the Fort Belknap Indian Community directly impacted by the St. Mary Canal siphon failure should visit their local NRCS office now to apply. The final application batching date for the initiative will be Feb. 28, 2025. "We've been...
Press release GREAT FALLS - Every year, the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee funds the National Agricultural Statistics Service Montana wheat and barley variety surveys. The 2024 report released Friday, Sept. 13, spoke loudly about the impact wheat stem sawfly has on growers and the entire supply chain. This grower survey clearly shapes how the industry develops new varieties and it plays a major role in determining what Montana producers plant. Here are responses that...
Press release Two national cattle organizations, United States Cattlemen’s Association and R-CALF USA will co-host the “Livestock Producers Freedom Rally” in Rapid City, South Dakota, Oct. 7, 2024, beginning at 10 a.m. Mountain Time in the Rushmore Room of the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. The event will focus primarily on animal identification, with speakers to address the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s rule mandating electronic identification ear tags for cattle and bis...
Press release As part of his continued effort support Montana small businesses and agricultural producers, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, secured $1,399,985 for Old Salt Meat Company to finance meat processing in the state. Old Salt Meat Company is a cooperatively owned livestock processor focused on driving value and return to producers while helping consumers access to locally raised beef. The funding will be used to establish a USDA-inspected slaughter facility, scale up their fabrication space under USDA inspection, and...
Press release Sept. 11, the public comment period for the USDA’s proposed Packers and Stockyards Act rules came to a close. Members of the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC), Northern Plains Resource Councils (NPRC), Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), stand firmly behind the proposed rule, believing it will effectively combat the unfair practices of meatpacker monopolies and protect r...
WASHINGTON —The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting applications through its updated Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to provide financial assistance to eligible dairy producers who incur milk losses due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as H5N1 infection in their dairy herds. USDA’s Farm Service Agency expanded ELAP through the rule-making process to assist with a portion of financial losses resulting from reduced milk production when cat...
MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press Colorado wildlife officials said Monday that they captured and plan to relocate five members of the first pack of wolves to form under the state's ambitious wolf reintroduction program. A sixth wolf - the pack's adult male - was captured but died in captivity due to injuries unrelated to its capture, officials said. That wolf had been involved in repeated attacks on livestock and officials said it would have been kept in captivity if it...
Press release WASHINGTON — National Farmers Union and the U.S. Department of Agriculture today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to address staffing levels and improve customer service at USDA Farm Service Agency county-level offices. Under this MOU, NFU and USDA will work together to gather feedback on the experiences of family farmers and ranchers when interacting with FSA staff and the programs they deliver. By hosting listening sessions in local communities, NFU will provide a platform for farmers to share their c...
Anne Cantrell MSU News Service BOZEMAN — An edible blue honeysuckle berry called the haskap has emerged in recent years as a potential new superfood, but little scientific research has been done to investigate how the berries contribute to human health. Now, a research partnership at Montana State University aims to learn more about the potential health benefits of haskap berries while also learning how to best cultivate them to maximize those benefits. Mary Miles, professor in the Department of Food Systems, Nutrition and K...
BOONE, IA, Aug. 28, 2024 – At the annual Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Aug. 28 that USDA is partnering with American business owners to expand innovative domestic fertilizer production, creating jobs in rural communities and strengthening local economies. The Department is awarding $35 million for seven projects in seven states through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program — FPEP — which is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation. This program provi...
