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News you can use
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Press release USDA has declared eight Montana counties primary disaster areas and 18 contiguous counties including Chouteauare eligible for assistance. This secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that agricultural producers and private landowners can now sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program. The signup runs from Monday, June 3, through June 28, 2024. Grassland CRP, offered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands and provide important conservation benefits for wildlife, soil health and carbon sequestration, all while continuing most gra...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Department of Agriculture is recruiting for open positions on its Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council). The following council terms expire June 30, 2024: • Recreationist / Wildlife Group Representative • Noxious Weed Free Materials Representative • Montana Weed Control Association Representative • Eastern County Weed District Representative • At-Large Member • Herbicide Dealer or Applicator Representative The advisory council is appointed by the Montana Department of Agriculture d...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with FarmRaise, May 28 launched a new, online Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program Decision Tool. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency tool is designed to assist agricultural producers who have been impacted by natural disasters access available program support. The ELAP Decision Tool, a component of a broader disaster assistance program educational module, further expands the library of online FSA disaster and farm loan pro...
Press release The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) Board will meet Monday, June 24 , 2024, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Pollard Hotel in Red Lodge with the option to join remotely via Zoom. The agenda is tentatively set to review board assignments, financial reports, and address general updates. The public is invited to participate at the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee board meetings. To view an agenda for the meeting and learn more about the committee, people can visit MWBC’s website at https://montanawbc.com . F...
Press release WASHINGTON — American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented Friday, May 24, on the House Agriculture Committee markup and passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. “AFBF appreciates the leadership of Chairman Thompson and members of the House Agriculture Committee for the markup and bipartisan passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. The farm bill affects all of America’s families, and we’re encouraged to see the legislation progress in the House,” noted Duvall. T...
Press release CASCO, Wis. — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced May 23 USDA is investing in domestic fertilizer projects to strengthen competition for U.S. farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers. Thw funding advances President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and bottom up. It will create jobs and spur economic growth in rural communities by increasing competition in agricultural markets. Through these projects, President Biden...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — The Montana State University College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station will once again host a series of field days this summer at six of the university’s research centers around the state, plus two additional events at campus farms in Bozeman. “We look forward to our field days every year because of the opportunities they create to interact and share research results with agricultural producers and friends around Montana,” said Sreekala Bajwa, director of the Mon...
Press release WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced May 15 new programs, partnerships, grant awards and an additional $10 million in funding to expand the markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production, including a multi-million dollar grant to Big Sandy Organics in Montana. These programs will support the development of new and better markets for domestic organic products, provide hands-on training to producers transitioning to organic production and ease the financial bur...
Press release Each year, the Montana Stockgrowers Foundation awards scholarships to college students who are seeking a career beneficial to ranching. This year, a total of $10,000 was awarded to three deserving students. To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must be currently enrolled in college and have completed at least one semester in college, be a member, or have at least one parent/guardian who is a member, of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, demonstrate a...
Press release BOZEMAN - Well-above normal precipitation during April was needed given the meager snowpack conditions experienced this year. Total monthly precipitation was above normal last month only in the Powder and Tongue River basins but was not widespread across Montana. "A couple mid-month storms did provide significant snowfall, but April is typically a wet month in Montana, and total precipitation last month did not meet that standard," said Eric Larson, USDA Natural...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected 28 organizations to host members of USDA’s Working Lands Climate Corps, an effort that will train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders, providing technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people and helping them deliver climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers. Selections were made in partnership with The Corps Network. WLCC is part of President Joe Biden’s historic American Climate Corps...
Press release BOZEMAN —The Montana Farm Bureau Summer Conference is set for June 10-12 in the historic cow town of Miles City. The summer conference provides an opportunity for the organization’s advisory committees to discuss current agricultural issues and concerns, and surface ideas for policy development. Events take place at the Custer County Events Center and the MCC Ag Advancement Center. “Members from across the state are excited to attend our annual summer committee meetings and foundation fund raiser. It’s been ov...
Press release The National Organic Standards Board was established to assist in developing standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary on the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. Through this Notice, the Agricultural Marketing Service is requesting nominations to fill the following vacancies: • One individual who owns or operates an organic farming operation or employee of such individual; • Two individuals who own or operate an organic handling operation or...
BOZEMAN — The U.S Department of Agriculture in April unveiled a new, online Livestock Indemnity Program Decision Tool and farm loan resources available to agricultural producers and cooperators who help producers access USDA disaster assistance, farm loans and other federal farm programs. The new LIP tool and the farm loan informational video resources were developed in partnership with FarmRaise and USDA’s Farm Service Agency. These tools are now available at https://www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa. “By providing colla...
Press release HELENA — Applications for the State Hail Insurance Program are now available through the Montana Department of Agriculture. Producers can insure crops against hail damage at the maximum coverage rate of $75 per acre for dryland and $114 per acre for irrigated land. Rates charged are a percentage of the insured amount and vary by county. A detailed list of rates by county and crop can be found online at https://agr.mt.gov/I-Want-To/Apply/Hail-Insurance-Applying on the MDA website. State policies are available f...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development will deploy $1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding to purchase U.S.-grown commodities to provide emergency food assistance to people in need throughout the world, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced April 18. “America’s farmers are the most productive and efficient in the world, and we rely on them to supply safe and nutritious food not only to our natio...
Press release The USDA Farm Service Agency announced the appointment of Tracey L. Peterson of Fallon and Lola Raska of Great Falls to serve on the Montana FSA state committee. Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson. Peterson and Raska join three previously appointed Montana FSA State Committee members. The individuals appointed to serve on the FSA State committee for Montana are: • Committee Chair Ryan Lankford — Chinook • Casey Bailey — Fort Benton • Jake Merkel ...
Press release HELENA — Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the Montana Department of Agriculture has announced approximately $1 million in round two funding under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, or RFSI. Through this agreement, USDA and Montana are working together to offer approximately $1 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain. MDA is accepting applications for...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — Ten agricultural research projects in the Montana State University College of Agriculture received support from the Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee last month, seeking to advance knowledge around cropping systems, environmental preservation, water management and more. Each year, the seven-member Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee disburses funds collected through an assessment on commercial fertilizers. The assessment was approved by the Montana Legislature to support research a...
HANNAH FINGERHUT and DAVID A. LIEB The Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer, if th...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee will meet remotely Tuesday, April 16, 2024, beginning at 1 p.m. to review applications and address general updates. Meetings will take place remotely via Zoom. To request more information to join the meeting virtually, people can email Dani Jones at [email protected]. To view an agenda for the meeting, people can visit https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/grantsandloans-docs/alfalfaseedpgm/alfalfa seedcommitteemeetings/4-16-2024-Alfalfa-Meeting-Agenda.pdf online. The M...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Stockgrowers Association is half-way through its slate of listening sessions to seek input and ideas from producers on areas where the American livestock industry can be strengthened, including a session set in Chinook. The listening sessions are part of the organization’s Producer Profitability Initiative, a grassroots movement started and led by cattle ranchers who have a vision to create a sustainable future for the American livestock industry. The Chinook session is set for Monday, Apr...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for more than $1.5 million in Round #2 federal funding available through the ARPA Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program. The intent of the Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program is to advance Montana’s agricultural industry through targeted investments in value-added agriculture projects across the state. Grants will assist with the development of innovative agricultural business improvements to keep pace with a transforming agr...
Cattlemen suspect that the mandate for electronic tags — EID tags — on cattle moving interstate is not really about veterinary surveillance even though the rule comes out of APHIS, the veterinary division of USDA. The USDA announcement talks about the need to rapidly traceback the movement of cows with disease, yet the vets are strangely quiet in defending it. Even the private veterinarians. The cow/calf sector of the industry are most affected and the most vocally questioning. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA...
