News you can use
News you can use
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From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — The Montana State University Extension Pesticide Education Program is offering a pest management tour for pesticide applicators at six locations across northwestern Montana Oct. 2 - 4. In order, the tour will visit Kalispell, Ronan, Superior, Plains, Missoula and Hamilton. At each stop, speakers will present on a variety of topics, including forage pests, integrated weed management and herbicide resistance, management of vertebrate pests, proper pesticide use and integrated pest management,...
Press release GREAT FALLS — The 2023 Wheat and Barley Variety Survey report was released Monday by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Mountain Regional Office. Funded by the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, this survey generates vital information to assist breeding programs around the state and beyond select varieties for seeding with the goal of increasing farm profitability. “In the Treasure State, one of the most impactful bottom-line decisions a wheat and barley farmer can make is varietal sel...
July 7, U.S. Department of Agriculture and its partner vendors announced the opening of the application period for Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act — IRA — which directs USDA to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. The opening of the application process is an important step in delivering on USDA’s commitment of providing financial assistance to those who have faced discrimination in USDA farm...
Press release BOZEMAN — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Montana is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program — EQIP — Conservation Stewardship Program — CSP — Regional Conservation Partnership Program — RCPP — and Wetlands Reserve Easements — WRE. To be considered for funding in the current cycle, producers and landowners should apply by Oct. 27, 2023. “NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners implement conservation practic...
Press release USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program — TOPP — Northwest Regional Lead Oregon Tilth Certified Organic is casting a wide net with its partners to spread TOPP messaging throughout farming communities, reaching qualified organic mentors, and letting those interested in transitioning to organic know what resources will be available to them through the mentorship program. TOPP leads identify and recruit experienced organic farmer mentors to pair with conventional or beginning farmers who have interest in...
Press release In a letter to National Farmers Union, the Environmental Protection Agency affirmed that the Clean Air Act cannot be used as a basis to restrict independent repair of farm equipment. “The Clean Air Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s implementing regulations clearly support repair by parties other than manufacturers,” EPA Administrator Micheal Regan wrote in his letter to National Farmer’s Union President Rob Larew. In opposition to Right to Repair legislation, equipment manufacturers and dealers...
Barath Raghavan, University of Southern California Michael Kantar, University of Hawaii (THE CONVERSATION) — Humans have physically reconfigured half of the world’s land to grow just eight staple crops: maize (corn), soy, wheat, rice, cassava, sorghum, sweet potato and potato. They account for the vast majority of calories that people around the world consume. As global population rises, there’s pressure to expand production even further. Many experts argue that further expanding modern industrialized agriculture — which r...
from Motana Farm Bureau Federation BOZEMAN — Much of Montana has enjoyed a wet spring, and green grass has stretched well into mid-summer resulting in fat cattle and extensive haying. However, as the days grow warmer and the chance for moisture lessens, the odds of late summer fires increase whether man-made or from natural causes. For those ranchers and farmers haying, it’s important to check bales for moisture content. “This year, we may see folks putting up wet hay for the first time in a while, especially if they are r...
Press release Farmers and ranchers from around the state will gather to hear from industry leaders, debate grassroots policy, elect board members and more during the annual Montana Farmers Union Convention planned for Oct. 27-28 at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls. “Our State Convention is the place where members and friends come together in community to learn, network, and celebrate and support one another through the joys and hardships that is family farming and ranching,” MFU Member Services Director Rachel Prevost sai...
STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press Well before it was warm enough to plant seedlings in the ground, farmer Micah Barritt began nursing crops like watermelon, eggplant and tomatoes — eventually transplanting them from his greenhouse into rich Vermont soil, hoping for a bountiful fall harvest. Within a few hours last week, those hopes were washed away when flood waters inundated the small farm, destroying a harvest with a value he estimated at $250,000. He still hopes to replant short-season crops like mustard greens, spinach, b...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting offers for nearly 2.7 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year’s Conservation Reserve Program Grassland sign-up. This program allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and further CRP conservation efforts. Grassland CRP is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s broader effort to address climate change and conserve natural resources. This year’s sign-up...
Press release HIGHWOOD — Youth members of Farmers Union from around the country participated in the 85th National Farmers Union All-States Leadership Retreat, held this year at Montana Farmers Union’s Arrowpeak Lodge in Highwood. Participants in the retreat ranged from ages 18 to 22 and heard from speakers including Montana Farmers Union Membership Services and Government Affairs Director Rachel Prevost, Montana Farmers Union member Paul Neubauer, and Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer. “I enjoyed getti...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — An Indigenous-led education and research program at Montana State University and its partner institution have been awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a project to support Indigenous food sovereignty. MSU’s Buffalo Nations Food System Initiative, in collaboration with Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College in New Town, North Dakota, received the grant from the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture, or NIFA. The grant is part of a NIFA program calle...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program — ODMAP — to Aug. 11, 2023. This extension gives organic dairy producers more than two additional weeks to apply for the program. ODMAP helps producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. This assistance will help keep organic dairy operations susta...
Press release BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency has again reminded producers of the July 14 deadline to apply for both the Emergency Relief Program Phase Two and the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program. These revenue-based programs help offset revenue losses from 2020 and 2021 natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic. ERP and PARP offer a holistic approach to disaster assistance and provide economic support for producers who bear the financial brunt of circumstances beyond their control. ...
Press release HELENA — In light of recent storms throughout the state, 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 vis...
From Montana Farmers Union The Farmer’s Share of the food dollar remains low, according to numbers released by National Farmers Union ahead of the Fourth of July. The 2023 numbers for the Farmer’s Share of the food dollar for several items typically served at a Fourth of July cookout highlight why NFU’s work to improve Fairness for Farmers is crucial to the success of family farms and ranches. “Year after year we’re seeing a troubling trend of farmers earning less and less of the dollars that Americans spend at the grocery s...
Press release U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency announced it will expand insurance for camelina in the Southern Plains and Pacific Northwest regions, providing additional grower certainty as demand for the renewable fuel feedstock crop rises across the US. The newly adopted program by the USDA RMA now allows written agreements in select counties in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Global Clean Energy Holdings Inc. and its subsidiary S...
Editor’s note: See a related story in the Farm and Ranch special section in today’s edition. A winter with plenty of snow — enough to cause a different problem with flooding — and ample spring rains has changed the listing for this region on the Montana map of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The maps released the last two Thursdays have shown no drought conditions in Blaine, Chouteau or Hill county, with dry conditions to the west just pushing into Liberty County. The western edge of Liberty County is listed as “Abnorm...
The essence of democratic process is the opportunity for all parties to be able to voice their views. The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, by inserting a budget rider which defunds the ongoing work by USDA to formulate rules that would re-invigorate the Packers and Stockyards Act, violated all principles of democracy. They did this action with no hearings or public input. Obviously, this budget rider is an inside job by the meat packer cartel aided by their public spokes-organization, the National...
This release is from the Office of Sen. Jon Tester As part of his continued efforts to advocate for Montana’s family farmers and ranchers, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., this month introduced his bipartisan Livestock Disaster Relief Act with Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., to help ensure that Montana’s ranchers receive the relief funding needed to recover from future disasters. “As a third-generation farmer, I know firsthand how challenging it can be for Montanans when disasters like drought or winter storms strike,” said Tester. ...
Press release Last Thursday, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the United States and the Republic of India have agreed to terminate six outstanding disputes at the World Trade Organization. Furthermore, India agreed to remove retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. ag products, including chickpeas, lentils, almonds, walnuts and apples, marking a big win for Montana agriculture, the state Department of Agriculture said in a press release. The Exchange of Letters between the United States and India is...
Press release WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that USDA plans to invest up to $500 million from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to increase the availability of domestic biofuels and give Americans additional cleaner fuel options at the pump. “President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is a historic investment that will expand clean energy, lower costs for Americans, and build an economy that benefits working families and small businesses,” Vilsack said. “By expan...
Press release Farmers and ranchers can use the Farm Loan Discovery Tool on https://farmers.gov to find information on USDA farm loans that may best fit their operations. USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers a variety of loan options to help farmers finance their operations. From buying land to financing the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help. USDA conducted field research in eight states, gathering input from farmers and FSA farm loan staff to better understand their needs and challenges. How the tool works Farmers who a...
Press release The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reminding producers that it has extended 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 application....
