News you can use
News you can use
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Press release The Montana Stockgrowers Association wrapped up the 139th MidYear Meeting Thursday, June 15, in Havre. The event hosted more than 130 attendees who gathered for three days of education, policy, fellowship and fun. The MidYear Meeting is one of two meetings that is held to set association policy that guides the Association through the year. Interim policy set at MidYear will be voted on again at Annual Convention in December for it to become official MSGA policy. While the main focus of the meeting is for the...
Press release WASHINGTON — During the week of June 19-25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is recognizing National Pollinator Week through the continued commitment and support for pollinator health and research. Pollinator species, such as bees, other insects, birds and bats play a critical role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $18 billion in value to agricultural crops annually. “Our world’s ecosystem and food supply greatly rely on polli...
Press release A new program meant to connect women in agriculture with each other and resources is expanding to more locations across the state in the coming weeks. Ladies Who Ag Luncheons through Montana Farmers Union are a way for women who met during MFU’s Women’s Conferences to reconnect, as well as make new connections within their regions throughout the year. Connections are key to building stronger rural communities, said Samantha Ferrat, a Membership Ambassador with Montana Farmers Union who is planning a Ladies Who...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that it is implementing a multi-step effort aimed at strengthening the substantiation of animal-raising claims. This action builds on the significant work USDA has already undertaken to protect consumers from false and misleading labels and to implement President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American economy. “Consumers should be able to trust that the label claims they see on products bearing the USDA mark of inspection are truth...
Press release HELENA — Montana Department of Agriculture and Montana State University Extension were recently announced as partners in a $30 million U.S. Department of Agriculture effort to establish a regional center to create opportunities for food producers and increase food security. Co-led by Colorado State University and Oregon State University, the new Northwest and Rocky Mountain Food Business Center is part of a larger effort nationwide, for which the USDA announced $400 million in funding last September. “This fun...
People interested in starting a career path as a crop insurance agent or adjuster can join the Building Resiliency pilot program to gain education, certification, and potential placement with an agency. Building Resiliency emphasizes the value of including people from various social and ethnic backgrounds in the crop insurance industry to utilize agriculture insurance products beneficial to underserved communities. Fill out the intake form today at the link below. The recruitment period ends Friday, June 23, at 9:59 p.m....
Press release WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday the deployment of a tool to assist industry and small disadvantaged entities in identifying potential opportunities for selling their products and services to USDA. USDA’s Procurement Forecast lists the types of anticipated solicitations that small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned businesses, HUBZone businesses, service-disabled veterans, and other businesses may be able to participate in contracts with USDA, or thr...
From U.S. Department of Agriculture WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Emergency Relief Program — ERP — Phase Two and Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program — PARP — to July 14, 2023, to give producers more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was June 2. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency is partnering with nine organizations to provide educational and technical assistance to agricultural producers and provide assistance in completing an ERP Phase Two applica...
Press release WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced May 19 plans to roll out $3.7 billion in Emergency Relief Program and Emergency Livestock Relief Program assistance to crop and livestock producers who sustained losses due to a qualifying natural disaster event in calendar year 2022. USDA is sharing early information to allow producers time to gather documents in advance of program delivery. Through distribution of remaining funds, USDA is also concluding the 2021 ELRP program by sending payments in t...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced assistance is available for dairy producers with the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program. ODMAP is established to help mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. Specifically, under the ODMAP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency is making $104 million available to organic dairy operations to assist with projected marketing costs...
Press release WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced May 19 plans to roll out $3.7 billion in Emergency Relief Program and Emergency Livestock Relief Program assistance to crop and livestock producers who sustained losses due to a qualifying natural disaster event in calendar year 2022. USDA is sharing early information to allow producers time to gather documents in advance of program delivery. Through distribution of remaining funds, USDA is also concluding the 2021 ELRP program by sending payments in the...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will cover up to 75% of the costs associated with organic certification, up to $750 per category, through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, and Montana Farm Service Agency encourages organic agricultural producers and handlers to apply for OCCSP by Oct. 31, 2023, for expenses incurred from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. As part of USDA’s broader effort to support organic producers and in response to stakeholder feedback, this year FSA increased the...
Press release Registration for Montana Farmers Union’s newest Book Club selection “For the Love of Soil” by Nicole Masters is now open. Limited complimentary copies courtesy of MFU are available when people register. Participants must register separately for each Book Club selection. “For the Love of Soil” is the Book Club’s second selection. More than 50 people registered for the club’s first selection of “The Farmer’s Lawyer” by Sarah Vogel, and many of the club members joined in a live Zoom Q&A with Vogel in May. Both...
Press release A new series from Montana Farmers Union will give people in agriculture an opportunity to learn about various issues and practices from experts. The Lunch & Learn webinar sessions will be both informative and provide a forum for questions. "Lunch and Learn is a great, new opportunity for farmers, ranchers, and others who are interested in agriculture to gather in community and learn together," MFU Member Services Director Rachel Prevost said. Anyone who is invol...
Press release A new opportunity to connect with other women and resources in agriculture kicks off Friday, May 12, in Hamilton. Ladies Who Ag, sponsored by Montana Farmers Union, is a play off of the women-who-lunch idea, providing networking opportunities, as well as information about available resources, to women around the state. “Many women have leadership or are major decision makers for their farms, so when women get together, it can often become a catalyst for ideas,” said Carissa McNamara, an MFU Ambassador hel...
RACHEL PREVOST and JASMINE KROTKOV Montana Farmers Union Government Affairs Team The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Thank you to everyone who took the time during the 68th Montana Legislative Session to testify and contact legislators to let them know how their a...
Press release HELENA — In light of recent storms, the Montana Department of Agriculture is reminding producers that applications for State Hail Insurance Policy are available through MDA’s State Hail Insurance Program. 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 by visiting the MDA website. Sta...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Department of Agriculture is reminding agricultural producers to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture by June 1, 2023. Taken only once every five years by the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, the census provides a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census of Agriculture covers land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, and expenditures, and more. Census d...
Press release BOZEMAN — Agricultural producers and landowners with certain expiring Conservation Reserve Program contracts can receive additional rental incentives and extend that land’s role in conservation for another 30 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened the signup period for its Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers enrollment — CLEAR30 — now through July 31, 2023. CLEAR30 is a part of the CLEAR initiative, which prioritizes water quality practices as a part of Continuous CRP enrollment, and is one of seve...
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...
