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News you can use
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This was released by the office of Sen. Jon Tester Continuing his efforts to lower costs for Montanans and bolster education opportunities for rural communities, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester introduced bipartisan legislation to make sure farm families aren’t paying higher costs to send their kids to college. Tester’s Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act would restore the exemptions for family farm land and small businesses from being declared as an asset on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, saving the childre...
MSU News Service BOZEMAN - Registration is open now through May 15 for the three-day 406 Grazing Academy workshop to be held June 6-8 in southwestern Montana. Montana State University and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will host the workshop, which is aimed at ranchers seeking to hone their grazing management skills and learn new strategies. Classroom activities will take place at the Forge Hotel in Anaconda, with field activities held on working...
Press release The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that agricultural producers and private landowners could begin applying for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program sign-up starting April 17 through May 26, 2023. Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is unique as a working lands program, allowing producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity and conservation. Protecting grasslands with CRP not only benefits...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Department of Livestock confirmed Friday, April 14, that highly pathogenic avian influenza in a Rosebud County backyard poultry flock. This is the 17th HPAI affected flock in the state of Montana linked to the 2022 outbreak of HPAI infections in the United States. The last previous confirmation in of the disease on poultry in Montana was in January. The disease killed all of the chickens in the Rosebud County backyard flock, which numbered several dozen birds. The animals did not show o...
Press release A new Montana Farmers Union book club will offer another avenue for producers, as well as people who love Montana’s rural communities, to connect over what makes their lifestyles unique. “This could be a really nice way to step into community and connect with others who care about family farms like you do,” said Rachel Prevost, MFU’s member services director. The statewide book club launched during the Eastern Montana Women’s Conference earlier this month, and participants will read “The Farmer’s Lawyer” by Sa...
Press release AMES, Iowa — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $40 million this year for 31 new projects through its Conservation Innovation Grants program, one of the ways USDA brings together partners to develop innovative approaches to climate-smart agriculture. Additionally, USDA is announcing a $19 million investment in two projects focused on nutrient management funded through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and two new formal p...
There will be two educational events put on by MSU Extension-Hill County the week of April 10. April 11 at 5 p.m. in the 4-H Chuckwagon will be a workshop covering water quality. During this workshop participants will learn about water quality and how to test your livestock water with MSU Water Quality Specialist Adam Sigler. Participants are encouraged to bring a sample of their livestock water in or the water they use in their chemical applications of crops. Also speaking that night is MSU Extension Forage Specialist Hayes...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — Montana State University Extension and a group of scientists who are studying drought impacts on Montana and Wyoming pasture and soil health are seeking feedback through a survey of beef cattle producers. Over the past few years, Montana and Wyoming have had record-setting droughts, and producers regularly altered management decisions to reduce drought impacts on pastures and cattle, said Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension beef cattle specialist and one of the researchers. Van Emon said the s...
Fifty years after the creation of National Agriculture Day, America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners find themselves on the front lines of climate change. They are uniquely positioned to deliver solutions by implementing climate-smart production practices that conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon. National Agriculture Day is a day to recognize the producers who are the best stewards of our land. America’s producers are not only providing foo...
Press release GREAT FALLS — The deadline to submit applications for Montana Farmers Union scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 is fast approaching. The annual scholarships are offered through MFU as part of the organization’s commitment to education and include the Bud Daniels Memorial Scholarship, the John Korsbeck Memorial Scholarship, and the Cascade County-wide Farmers Union Local, Chouteau County Farmers Union Local and Flathead County-wide Farmers Union Local scholarships. Applications are due April 17. The sch...
Press release HELENA — Representatives from the Montana Department of Agriculture joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor as part of a delegation of 26 agribusinesses and farm organizations traveling to Panama City, Panama, from March 19 to 23. The mission highlights export opportunities in Panama and throughout the Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement region. Exports of agricultural products to Panama and CAFTA-DR countries...
Press release BOZEMAN — In 2022, 17 agricultural producers across Montana received more than $2.3 million in direct funds through USDA Rural Development’s Value-Added Producer Grant program which helps businesses generate new products, create, and expand marketing opportunities, and increase overall producer income with the goal of growing local economies in rural and Tribal areas. Montana’s Value Added Producer Grant recipients in 2022 were: Todd Family Meats in Big Timber received a $48,173 grant to fund processing, packa...
Press Release Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that agricultural producers and private landowners could begin applying for the Conservation Reserve Program General signup starting Feb. 27 and running through April 7, 2023. CRP is a cornerstone voluntary conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a key tool in the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to address climate change and help agricultural communities invest in the long-term well-being of their land and natural resources. P...
Press release U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., secured $9,752,250 for Bear Paw Development to finance expanded meat and poultry processing in five regions across Montana. In order to reach markets across the state, Bear Paw Development has partnered with Sweetgrass Development Corporation, Great Falls; Headwaters RC&D, Butte; Montana Business Assistance Connection, Helena; and Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, Lewistown. This loan was awarded through USDA Rural Development’s Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending P...
Press release A new tractor repair memorandum of understanding hasn’t changed the fact that farmers and ranchers do not have the ability to fully repair their own equipment, Montana Farmers Union said in a press release. The most recent MOU was announced by American Farm Bureau Federation and CNH Industrial and comes on the heels of a similar MOU between Farm Bureau and John Deere. Like its predecessor, the new MOU lacks enforcement mechanisms and fails to give agricultural equipment owners the diagnostic tools and s...
Staff and wire report The U.S. Department of Agriculture released Monday a proposed rule with new regulatory requirements to better align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. The proposed rule allows the voluntary “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” label claim to be used on meat, poultry and egg products only when they are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States. The proposed rule has drawn some praise. “Montana ra...
Press release BOZEMAN — February snows in Montana have increased snowpack in the state following a drop from January to February, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service reports. After a large late January storm ended several weeks of dry weather, active weather has persisted. “There were not many days in February in which it wasn’t snowing somewhere in Montana,” said Eric Larson, USDA NRCS water supply specialist. In addition to consistent precipitation during the month, there were a couple large storms that added t...
Press release BOZEMAN — Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage — ARC — or Price Loss Coverage — PLC — programs for the 2023 crop year have until March 15 to elect and enroll a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in crop prices or revenues. “The Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs provide critical financial protections to many America...
Press release BOZEMAN — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Conservation Reserve Program General signup starting Feb. 27 through April 7. CRP is a cornerstone voluntary conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a key tool in the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to address climate change and help agricultural communities invest in the long-term well-being of their land and natural resources. “The Conse...
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester In his continued push to support Montana cattle producers and add transparency to the cattle market, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., reintroduced his bipartisan Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, which would establish minimums for negotiated sales and require clear reporting of marketing contracts. The bill is co-led by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.. “As a third-generation farmer, I know Montanans are getting hurt by the four massive m...
Jesse Bedayn Associated Press/ Report for America DENVER — On Colorado’s northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to plant and harvest proso millet, dryland corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out. The tractor’s manufacturer doesn’t allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived...
Press release Nearly 90 women gathered over their love of Montana’s farming and ranching communities this past weekend during the Montana Farmers Union 10th annual Women’s Conference. Attendees listened to inspiring speakers, participated in hands-on workshops and networked with women from across the state during the conference held at Fairmont Hot Springs Feb. 10-12. “Women’s Conference celebrates the women who are the backbone of our rural communities, whether it’s directly in production agriculture, rural entrepren...
Caven Wade UM Legislative News Service University of Montana School of Journalism A bill passed by the House of Representatives would require ranchers to corral livestock when the Department of Livestock requests to test animals for disease. The bill is now in the Senate. Rep. Ross Fitzgerald, R-Fairfield, is sponsoring House Bill 100, which allows the Department of Livestock to levy fees against Montana ranchers if they do not adequately corral animals for inspection of dangerous contaminants and diseases. “It turned into a...
Press release With bull sale season getting ready to kick off, a bull selection workshop to shed light on all the numbers and abbreviations in these catalogs has been scheduled for March 1, at 5:30 p.m. in the 4-H Chuckwagon on the Great Northern Fairgrounds. MSU Extension Agent Colleen Pegar will walk participants through bull sale catalogs to discuss the differences between breed associations and what the numbers actually mean in the presentation “The Art of Understanding EPD Alphabet Soup: An Introduction to EPD’s and Bul...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee will meet in person Tuesday, Feb. 14, beginning at 1 p.m. to review applications and address general updates. Meetings will take place in person at the Billings Hotel and Conference Center. The option to join virtually via Zoom will not be available. To request more information, people email Dani Jones at [email protected]. The Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee provides direction for research and marketing toward the continued growth of the alfalfa seed industry of M...
