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"The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program or CFAP gives producers of certain commodities or livestock assistance for losses caused by the coronavirus. The USDA claims that CFAP includes coverage for malt barley, but the rules indicate differently. While on the list of non-specialty crops that are eligible, it is almost impossible to qualify for the assistance. As a farmer who grows malt barley in the golden triangle I know this first-hand. First, almost all malt barley is contracted with a malt...
There will be a webinar Thursday, June 18, at 2:00 pm MDT. This webinar will discuss financial assistance available to Montana farmers and ranchers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs discussed will include: • USDA Farm Service Agency: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) & FSA Loan Flexibilities • USDA Rural Development: Business & Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantees for farm & ranch working capital and operating expenses • U.S. Small Business Administration: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) & Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL...
As is true for so many similar events, the annual Froid Research Farm Field Day typically scheduled for late June has been converted from an on-the-ground event to a new virtual tour due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists and staff with the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney made the announcement Monday. In addition, the joint Sidney Dryland Field Day with Sidney ARS and Montana State University’s Eastern Ag Research Center (EARC), also held in June, has been cancelled for this year and will return a...
Bozeman, MT - May 11 - USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices in Montana are currently open to phone and virtual appointments only; but can still work with producers on timely filing crop acreage reports. FSA staff can provide assistance over the phone, by email and through virtual meetings via a software program called Microsoft Teams. The deadline for acreage certification is July 15, 2020, and applies to crops such as spring alfalfa seed, CRP, perennial forage not covered by the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, annually spring...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released regulations for direct payments under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). "CFAP provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5% or greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities," says Ron Haugen, North Dakota State...
Washington, DC, May 19 - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this direct support to farmers and ranchers, USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program is partnering with regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food se...
Bozeman, MT - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers that FSA offers farm ownership and farm operating loans to agricultural producers who may not find success obtaining loans from their traditional financial institutions because of COVID-19. Farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank can apply for FSA direct or guaranteed loans. “Farming and ranching is a capital-intensive business and FSA is committed to helping producers maintain their agricultural operations during t...
COVID-19 continues to impact activity around the world, with the agriculture industry being no exception. The pandemic has hampered exports of American agricultural products, disrupted processing and marketing channels by shutting down restaurant sales, and many meatpackers have slowed production at meat plants, and some have even temporarily closed. Prices of agricultural commodities are dropping, and low prices are expected to persist for months. According to an updated economics report...
Sheep producers need to keep their marketing options open during the COVID-19 outbreak, says Travis Hoffman, North Dakota State University Extension sheep specialist. "We are undoubtedly in a different time than expected for livestock producers in today's COVID-19 situation," he says. "Breeding decisions were made, we put in the effort to get calves, piglets, lambs and/or kids on the ground and growing well. However, we are facing an unprecedented challenge for harvesting the fruition of our...
Monday, April 27 - Montana - Governor Steve Bullock sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to allow some local processing in order to avoid food waste and get local meat to Montana food banks for Montanans hardest hit by the impacts of COVID-19. The USDA recently denied a request by the Montana Department of Livestock to consider modified protocols that would allow selected processors to process some local demand from Montana producers and farmers, instead of continuing to require that product be processed at...
Bozeman, MT - April 29 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today a $15 million investment to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting proposals through June 29, 2020, for national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). CIG projects inspire creative problem-solving solutions that boost production on farms, ranches and private forests and improve natural resources. This year’s priorities are water reuse, water quali...
The Senate has passed by unanimous consent H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The House is scheduled to vote Thursday, April 23 and President Trump announced he would sign the bill into law. The American Farm Bureau, along with the Montana Farm Bureau, supports passage of H.R. 266 and has sent a letter to the House. This bill expands farmer and rancher eligibility for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, providing additional funding for the Paycheck...
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the MonDak's building passes the one year mark and steps in to assist area youth through the Covid-19 pandemic. Sidney's Boys & Girls Clubs of the MonDak has been contributing to the community for 16 years. It was just one year ago when the new building at 201 3rd Ave. SE opened its doors to area youth, nobody envisioned an impending pandemic, altering its role in the community. On a normal summer, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the MonDak steps in to provide children...
Bozeman – USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices are open in Montana by phone appointment only until further notice, and FSA staff are available to continue helping agricultural producers with program signups, loan servicing and other important actions. Additionally, FSA is relaxing the loan-making process and adding flexibilities for servicing direct and guaranteed loans to provide credit to producers in need. FSA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only. While our program delivery staff will continue to com...
BOZEMAN – Research conducted at one of Montana State University’s agricultural research centers was patented in January after the discovery of a group of unique fungi that may lead to strides in combating wheat stem sawfly and Hessian fly, two of the most prominent wheat-targeting pests in the U.S. Gadi V.P. Reddy, who was the superintendent of MSU’s Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center in Conrad and is now a research leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southern Insect Management Research Unit in Mississippi, helped to isol...
American Farm Bureau has released its first assessment of the impact on farmers and ranchers in the wake of the national mitigation efforts to combat COVID-19. In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, AFBF President Zippy Duvall pledged that “America’s farmers and ranchers will be with you every step of the way, doing all that we can to help you win this fight and to ensure the health, safety and prosperity of all America.” USDA invited Farm Bureau to convey agricultural issues or concerns arising as the pandemic mitigation effor...
BOZEMAN - A group of individuals and organizations from across Montana, led by Montana State University Extension, are collaborating to provide resources and solutions for farmers and ranchers under stress. "We know from various research that there is a high level of stress in life, specifically among farmers and ranchers in rural areas like Montana," said Michelle Grocke, MSU Extension health and wellness specialist and MSU Department of Health and Human Development assistant professor. A...
Bozeman – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has announced the acceptance of more than 3.4 million acres in the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup recently completed, the first general signup enrollments since 2016. County offices will begin notifying producers with accepted offers no later than April 3. Through CRP, farmers and ranchers receive an annual rental payment for establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildl...
BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today outlined federal resources made available in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, legislation approved by Congress last week that will provide support to combat the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Hoeven joined Governor Doug Burgum and Senator Kevin Cramer today to discuss resources to help the state combat COVID-19. “The assistance provided under the CARES Act is essential support for our health care providers, but also fam...
BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) spoke with members of North Dakota’s agricultural community today about the assistance for agriculture found in the Phase Three Coronavirus (COVID—19) relief package and about ongoing efforts to assist agriculture during the pandemic. “COVID—19 knows no vocational bias. It threatens every sector of our economy, including our agricultural producers, who already have to overcome recent extreme weather and natural disasters,” said Senator Cramer. “Our legislation equips the Trump Administratio...
Bozeman, MT — A group of individuals and organizations from across Montana, led by Montana State University Extension, are collaborating to provide resources and solutions for farmers and ranchers under stress. “We know from various research that there is a high level of stress in life, specifically among farmers and ranchers in rural areas like Montana,” said Michelle Grocke, MSU Extension Health & Wellness Specialist and MSU Department of Health and Human Development assistant professor. A range of issues can cause stress, she said, from comm...
Watford City High School hosted a Career and Technical Education (CTE) eeting Monday, Feb. 24. They celebrated successes of their current CTE program and discussed possible future programs. At the meeting, attendees learned about the current CTE opportunities offered at Watford City High School and Alexander High School, heard from students participating in the CTE program, and learned about a possible future CTE program (including information on the Bismarck Career Academy and how Watford City...
As weeds, disease and pest insects take a bigger bite out of farmer profits, many are looking for new ways to maintain or increase crop production, while reducing input costs for managing those pests. Among the more novel approaches to address pest and productivity issues is the use of intercropping or the planting of two (or sometimes more) crops together in the same field at the same time. Advantages to intercropping can be found in more efficient use of resources (water, nutrients and sunlight) leading to increased net productivity per...
Washington, D.C., Feb. 28 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. Through WHIP+, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping producers recover from losses related to 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will open signup on March 23 for producers to apply for eligible losses of drought (D3 or above) and excess moisture. USDA is also ent...
Starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 13 at the Richland County Event Center, Ron Hanson, agribusiness professor emeritus, University of Nebraska, will be speaking about "Farming and Ranching Succession - in the Shark Tank of What If." Hanson has been a college professor for 46 years; throughout his teaching career he has earned 31 university and national award recognitions. These honors include: being the first Nebraska professor to receive the USDA Excellence in University Teaching Award,...
