Sorted by date Results 26 - 49 of 49
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is holding a series of three meetings Sept. 30 thru Oct. 2 to take public comment on five options they’ve outlined for how Montana can comply with the EPA’s proposed rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Information about those options can be found here. We encourage you to turn out to give your opinions on those five options. But more importantly, we encourage you to share your thoughts with DEQ and the governor about whether these EPA rules are a good idea or not. If you can’t atten...
The results are in and, once again, E-rase your E-waste organizers have exceeded the goal they set for their 2014 annual collection events. "We wanted to celebrate our 10th anniversary by collecting enough e-waste to bring our 10-year total over 175 tons, and we did it with one and a half tons to spare," Committee Chair Jackie Couture noted. "Altogether, we collected 44,118 pounds of e-waste this year through our May and September events. That's a lot of potentially hazardous waste that is NOT...
The E-rase your E-waste committee would like to thank everyone who helped us reach our e-cycling goal earlier this month in celebration of our 10th year of providing e-cycling opportunities to the MonDak region. Our goal was to reach 175 tons of e-waste collected for reuse or proper disposal over the past 10 years, and we made it with a ton and a half to spare! Thanks to the 144 individuals, businesses, agencies and organizations participating in our Sept. 5-6 event who brought in more than 24,800 pounds of e-waste for recycling to put us over...
USDA North Dakota Farm Service Agency (FSA) is partnering with the North Dakota State University Extension Service to host a series of informational meetings to discuss the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014. The 2014 Farm Bill authorizes three program election options: PLC, ARC-County (ARC-CO) and ARC-Individual (ARC-IC). Producers must make a one-time decision to retain or reallocate crop bases, to retain or update program payment yields and select the type of...
Montana State University Extension, in partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be visiting 28 Montana communities this fall to conduct a series of informational meetings about important new programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014. The meetings will focus on the price-loss coverage and agricultural-risk coverage that will be administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency and the supplemental-coverage option administered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency through federal crop insurance providers. MSU Extension will exp...
Anna Downen has been working at the High Plains Veterinary Clinic in Sidney since May, 2014. Downen and her team competed and placed 2nd in the National Animal Science Competition in July. The 24 year old Columbia Falls native recently graduated from MSU- Bozeman with a BS in Animal Science with a focus on equine. While Anna is working at the front office she also gets to help with the animals that are brought in and hopes one day to become a Certified Veterinary Technician. (Photo by Susan...
The 2014 sugar beet crop is shaping up to be a good one according to Sidney Sugars agricultural manager Russ Fullmer. The latest root samples indicated big tonnage. “They were pretty good,” Fullmer said. “The tons will be there.” The earlier light frosts should help with sugar content while not affecting growth. Fullmer said there are more yellow fields this year than in the past few years, indicating that the beets are making sugar. Sugar content has been an issue recently, but Fullmer predicts better sugar this harvest. The root samples...
Recent weather fluctuations have driven home the point for me that fall is definitely upon us which means that winter and those dreaded four-letter words, cold and snow, are soon to follow. However, we can hope that those two things are still more than a few weeks away and enjoy what is left of the fall season. One way to do just that is to start preparing for next spring in the yard and garden. To help you get a head-start, here are a couple of tips for fall garden maintenance and clean-up. In the vegetable garden- fall is a great time to add...
Richland County Farm Bureau is helping to promote this year’s Montana Farm Bureau 2014 Photo Contest, put on by the Women’s Leadership Committee. The photo contest will be held this year during the Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Annual Convention at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, November 9th-12th. Photos will be on display and voted on by popular vote. The winners of first, second and third places will be announced at the awards banquet on Tuesday, November 11th. First place earns $75, second place $50 and third place $25...
The Montana Outdoor Science School, or MOSS, will be visiting Brorson School October 13 and 14. MOSS is a privately funded organization out of Bozeman, MT that teaches the global leadership concept of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. MOSS will be coming into the classroom and teaching lab studies in conjunction with field science. For instance, the topic of aquatic plants would consist of a plant study or dissection as part of a lab study. Students would then go to a swamp or la...
Warren Froelich is back in the proverbial saddle. After retiring from the Williams County Extension office last August, Froelich has once again picked up the reins. When asked why he came out of retirement he states simply, “There was just a need. Everyone here was filling in and trying to help but I wanted to alleviate some of the burden for them.” Warren’s wife, Mary, also works as a Family Consumer Science Extension Agent, and clued him in to the strain his absence had made. “There was a need to address the issues of plant and animal life an...
Montana’s Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh received the Golden Triangle Award from the National Farmers Union Tuesday night for their work fighting for farming and ranching families in Montana. Tester, the Senate’s only working farmer, and Walsh, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, were recognized for their work fighting for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), improving brucellosis prevention, improving livestock disaster programs and implementing the 2014 Farm Bill. “Farmers and ranchers across our state put in long hours to produ...
What does irrigation do for Montana’s agricultural economy? Take a trip down the Tongue River Valley, where you’ll find about 25,000 irrigated acres along its 190-mile length. With 130 frost-free days per year, high quality soils, and a climate that features hot days and warm nights, growing conditions are nearly identical to California’s San Joaquin Valley. Apples, pears, melons, squash—just about any crop grown in the Golden State can be grown here. There’s a vineyard in Miles City. “We have an image problem,” says John Hamilton, who...
In January of 2014, Ted Fulgham made the switch from working in the oilfield to becoming the Vo Ag teacher at Sidney Senior High School. Having previously taught at Montana schools in Hardin for eight years, Lodge Grass for 3 years, and Joliet for two years, Fulgham is pleased to once again be working with students. The Vo Ag department includes Animal, Equine and Livestock studies, as well as Agronomy and Welding. These programs teach basic skills for continued education or entering the...
Charles Boyer from California State University, Fresno, has been chosen to lead the College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station at Montana State University. Currently dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Boyer will begin his new role as MSU’s vice president of agriculture and dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture on Dec. 15. “As the state’s land-grant university, MSU is committed to enhancing and strengthening our partnership with agriculture, the No. 1 industry in the state. Dr. Charles...
Lance McNew, a new faculty member in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at Montana State University, will be honored Oct. 26 in Pittsburgh at the 21st annual conference of The Wildlife Society. McNew was lead author of a scientific article selected as the 2014 outstanding article in wildlife publications. It ran in the Journal of Wildlife Management and described findings about greater prairie-chickens, an indicator species for tallgrass prairie in North America. The Wildlife Society publishes more than 200 articles each year in its...
"Ladies and Livestock: Life on the Ranch," the second book in the Montana Family Ranching Series, from the Research and Education Endowment Foundation of the Montana Stockgrowers Association (REEF), is set to be released on October 1. The digital book is a pictorial explanation of Montana women and their roles in the ranching community. "Women are often described as the 'backbone' to the ranch and we want to capture what that means in this book," said Lauren Chase, author and photographer....
Perry Miller, Montana State University professor of cropping systems in the College of Agriculture, has been named a fellow in the American Society of Agronomy. ASA members nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Perry will be officially recognized as an ASA fellow during the society’s annual meeting in Long Beach, Calif., in November. Miller, who joined the MSU faculty in 1998, specializes in semiarid crop rotations with emphasis on the role of annual legumes in increasing soil nitrogen a...
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) will hold its annual directors’ and membership meeting in conjunction with the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota’s (I-BAND) annual meeting at the Ramada Bismarck Hotel in Bismarck, ND on October 3 and 4. The two-day, dual event will feature speakers from across the country including USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos; Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau Federation; National Farmers Union; Dr. Susan Keller, North Dakota State Veterinarian and award-winning agriculture journalist Alan...
According to Joyce Eckhoff, head of the MSU Eastern Agricultural Research Center, the 2014 durum crop is expected to produce a high yield but lower quality than previous years. The spring durum, Divide, was the most common variety grown this year and due to heavy moisture in April and May, many crops were planted late, if at all. It was the rain early in the season that contributed to the high yield; however rain on the already mature crop late in the season is to blame for the lower quality....
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Thursday, September 15, 2014 that USDA is investing in 540 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide. Montana was awarded five of the grants totaling $168,000. “We are very proud to be able to assist Montanans in investing in renewable resources,” says USDA Rural Development stare director Anthony Preite. “The grants received in Montana averaged more than $33,000 and that will transfer into thousands more in energy savings.” “These loan guarantees and grants will have far-reach...
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is seeking nominations for the 2014 Montana Ranching Woman of the Year. The annual award is presented to an MSGA member who has made great contributions to the Montana ranching community and has gone above and beyond to support their family and friends. Nominations are due November 1 and the recipient will be recognized at MSGA’s annual convention in Billings, December 11-13. “Women are often the backbone of Montana’s ranching communities. These women often go above and beyond to support their immed...
At 12 years old, Becca Deming shows a work ethic and sense of responsibility beyond her years. At this year’s Richland County Fair she won Grand Champion Market Lamb for the second year in a row along with Grand Champion Breeder Lamb, Grand Champion Junior Lamb Showman and Grand Champion Junior Over-all Showman. This year Deming was up against approximately 17 other market lambs and plans on attending the Northern International Livestock Expo (NILE) held in Billings MT in October which is a m...
R-CALF USA may be defined as a non-profit producer organization, but our work benefits anyone who eats meat and lives in an economy that includes agriculture. We’re more than a producer organization, we’re your organization! Groups Pleased With Appeal Court’s Affirmation of COOL Recently, eleven judges at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Appeals Court) denied the request by the American Meat Institute, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and other meatpacker lobby groups for an injunction that would h...
