Sorted by date Results 773 - 797 of 1317
We have about a dozen bills still pending in the final week of Montana’s 65th Legislative Session, but as we review each piece of legislation Montana Farm Bureau members directed our lobbying team on, we’d say this session has been a win for Montana agriculture. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of 67 bills we worked on this session, but it is an overview of each one we tracked in this column over the past four months. Each of the following eight bills that became law this session was supported by Montana Farm Bureau members. Thanks to...
In a crucial victory for the farmers and communities along the Yellowstone River, the preliminary injunction halting the construction of the concrete weir and fish bypass at Intake has been dissolved by U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris. Citing resolution of the concerns that led to the injunction, as well as precedent set by other projects, the judge granted the defendants’ (Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project and Federal agencies) motion for partial dismissal and to dissolve the preliminary injunction. With cooperation of the U.S. A...
Williston, ND, April 12, 2017: North Star Caviar regrets to announce the plant closure for the 2017 season. The change in the caviar market price and supply in 2016 due to the Chinese farm raised product flooding the market has critically affected North Star Caviar operations. This past year, North Star Caviar experienced a drastic decrease in the sale of its well-known paddlefish caviar from the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri River. As a non-profit joint venture, North Star Caviar relies on the sale of its caviar each year in...
“E-rase your E-waste” organizers are pleased to announce that the group will hold its annual spring collection on Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, but this year there will be some added restrictions on what items participants can bring. Also different this year, there will be no collection in Fairview due to construction of a new fire hall. However, Fairview residents, along with residents throughout the MonDak region, are encouraged to participate in the Sidney collection in May. “Unfortunately, we are once again seeing limitations on old CRT (...
One of the largest and most affecting debates facing our American life today is the controversy of “fake news” reporting. It has been a polarizing topic that has given doubt to many Americans as to whom they can trust to receive honest journalism. It is a great boon to the intellectual state of America that in the age of television, movies, video games and social media that we are still vastly interested in current affairs. Mass American usage of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter have both noble and disappointing aspects: nob...
Paddlefishing is an interest that brings people to the area from all over the country as the waters here are ideal, providing the appropriate temperature, water flow, and clean gravel and cobble which make up the fish's habitat. The North American paddlefish, one of only two species in the world, are found in the Missouri, Mississippi, and Yellowstone drainage systems and are only present in twenty-two states. Paddlefishing season starts May 1 in North Dakota and May 15 in Montana. Paddlefish...
You remembered to get your doe tags and fishing license this year, but did you remember to get your egg hunting license? Easter egg hunting seasons officially opens in the area in the next two weeks, and you can be sure there will be enough eggs to go around. Everybody knows that rabbits don't lay eggs, but nonetheless, Americans devote more than $1.9 billion each year to purchase Easter candy. The Easter bunny fable dates back as far at the 1500's, and historians believe that the Easter bunny a...
Montana State University’s Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, or MAES, developed the wheat varieties that Montana farmers planted more than any other variety for the 2016 crop year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Montana Field Office. The statistics show that 5.28 million acres of wheat were planted in Montana last year, making it the third-highest state for planted wheat acres in the country. MAES-developed spring and winter wheat varieties accounted for 2.3 million of th...
The hearing to dissolve the injunction stopping the fish bypass and diversion dam at Intake has been set for Wednesday, April 5 in Great Falls. Richland Economic Development is coordinating buses and food for those wishing to attend the hearing. Please call them at 406-482-4679 to reserve your seat, or to let them know that you will be driving on your own. It is critical that RED get a head count since the judge will need to know how many people are there in support of LYIP. Buses will leave promptly at 5:30 am from the MSU – EARC building n...
The hearing to dissolve the injunction stopping the fish bypass and diversion dam at Intake has been set for Wednesday, April 5 in Great Falls. Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project manager James Brower urges the community to show its support at the hearing stating, “It’s very important that all aspects of the community come and show their concern.” The injunction has to be removed by April 15 so the Army Corps of Engineers can issue a Notice to Proceed or all federal funding will be lost. LYIP will still be required to provide fish passa...
With sweeping views of the Yellowstone Valley and room for their family to grow, Curtis and Heidy MacGrady are creating a haven for themselves and their sons Ryker, 3, and Xander, 7 months, in their new home just north of Sidney. MacGradys purchased the 20 acre property in 2011 and moved the older home just a mile down the road in 2015. "It's been a 2 year process," Heidy said of their building project. "But this is our forever home and we want it to be right." The home is still under...
Although the date has not yet been confirmed, the judge in Great Falls who is deciding the fate of the fish bypass and diversion dam at Intake, has set a date of March 22 for a hearing on the motion filed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to allow completion of the project. The plaintiffs in the case have asked to have that date postponed until April 5. Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project is happy that the judge will be making his...
Savage High School sophomore Soda Rice will be heading to Washington, DC, for a week this June to represent Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Cooperative on the Youth Tour. The Electric Cooperative Youth Tour program has convened high school sophomores and juniors in Washington, DC, for more than 70 years. Students are selected by their local electric cooperative to gather together and learn the importance of electric cooperatives to their communities, in addition to touring the nation's...
In President Trump's recent joint address to Congress, he called for a national time of rebuilding, while recalling the last great infrastructure undertaking in our country, the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower. A few weeks ago I toured the modern marvel that is the Hoover Dam-an infrastructure investment that has provided irrigation for millions of acres, electricity for millions of homes, and which after 80 years, is still used today. Here in Eastern Montana, we can quickly...
To co-operate is defined as working together, jointly or united in producing a common effect. Each year the Richland County Conservation District recognizes a local entity or individual that co-operates with the district on promoting or practicing conservation. For 2016 the Conservation District supervisors chose Dunlap Creek Inc. as the Co-operator of the Year. Dunlap Creek Inc. is a family operation, Matt and David Ler work together on their farm/ranch in the Savage area. They run a...
Paddlefish anglers planning to fish in the Upper Missouri River (From Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton) will need to apply for an Upper Missouri River Paddlefish Tag. Applications are available to apply by mail, online at fwp.mt.gov, or by stopping by any regional or area FWP offices. Applications must be received no later than March 30, 2017. For 2017, a total of 1,000 tags will be available for the drawing. Successful applicants may harvest a fish anytime during the season, from May 1 through June 15. The season will not be shortened if more...
Duane Claypool and Ann Kulczyk, Program Specialists, MT DNRC, Conservation and Resource Development Division Conservation District Water Reservations for irrigation. How do I apply? What is the advantage of using reserved water? What are my responsibilities as a water reservation user? Presented by Duane Claypool and Ann Kulczyk, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. In 1978 the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation granted water reservations to several entities in the Yellowstone River Basin, the Missouri...
Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project (LYIP) held its annual meeting on Valentine’s Day, beginning with a delicious dinner prepared by members of the Moose Lodge. Project manager James Brower reminded everyone that water rights are being adjudicated and that anyone wishing to extend their irrigation boundaries to include current or proposed areas not already covered needs to stop by the irrigation office by February 24. A main focus of the meeting involved the canal breach south of Sidney. High praise and deep thanks were given to Franz C...
In 2015, a federal court judge in Great Falls issued an injunction against the construction of the fish bypass and concrete weir on the Yellowstone River at Intake. At risk is water for 58,000 acres of irrigated cropland, the economic vitality of several communities, and any project being completed for the recovery of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon. Acting assistant US Attorney General Jeffrey Wood filed a motion Feb 1, 2017 on behalf of federal agencies asking the court to dissolve the construction injunction and dismiss most of the case...
“It looks bad, it tastes bad, the only good thing about it is that it is wet” -McCone County Resident When my family and I moved back to Montana in 2012, I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to help carry out something as essential as regional water. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind primarily because I had been off living in heavily-populated areas since leaving Circle. I had quickly grown very accustomed to the great quality water that was found seemingly everywhere. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I had become thoroughly desensi...
In 2015, a federal court judge in Great Falls issued an injunction against the construction of the fish bypass and concrete weir on the Yellowstone River at Intake. At risk is water for 58,000 acres of irrigated cropland, the economic vitality of several communities, and any project being completed for the recovery of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon. Acting assistant US Attorney General Jeffrey Wood filed a motion Feb 1, 2017 on behalf of federal agencies asking the court to dissolve the construc...
According to the National Children's Center for Rural and Agriculture Health and Safety, about every 3 days a child dies in an ag-related accident. Every day 38 children are injured in an ag related accident, yet 80% of those injuries were not from working when the injury occurred. For the past 22 years the Progressive Agriculture Foundation has trained hundreds of volunteers about agriculture safety and how to hold a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day in your community. Lambert School was the c...
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) would like to notify the public and seek comments on a proposal to design and build Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant multi-use path and sidewalk along approximately 0.37 miles of the north side of 14th Street SE and the west side of 9th Ave SE in Sidney. The project begins at the intersection of 14th Street SE and 4th Avenue SE at reference post (RP) 0.37 and extends east along 14th Street SE for 0.28 miles to 9th Avenue SE at RP 0.65. The project then runs northeast for 0.09 miles a...
Parents of children of all ages are encouraged to attend the Nurtured Heart Approach to Parenting class offered on Saturday, January 28 from 9 am to 4 pm CT at the Yellowstone Meeting Room in the McKenzie County Courthouse located at 201 5th Street NW in Watford City. This class will offer new parenting techniques and strategies to create positive behaviors to bring to life a new way of shifting intense children and all children to a life of success. Here are the top five reasons you will want t...
Are you ready to improve your parenting skills and build a better relationship with your family and others? If so, the revolutionary, Nurtured Heart Approach parent class series is for you! This series is designed to create healthy relationships with people in your life. The Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) lays the foundation for a healthy, positive relationship between you and your children. Through the methods recommended in this approach, you will see your children develop “inner wealth” and ma...
