Sorted by date Results 766 - 790 of 1242
The Montana Farm Bureau is applauding the legal opinion released today by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke the law with its social media and grassroots lobbying campaign advocating for its own Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. “It’s rewarding to see a government office has found a government agency to be in violation of the law,” noted Montana Farm Bureau President Bob Hanson who is currently in Washington, D.C. for an American Farm Bureau board meeting. “At least there is stil...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today finalized a rule to ensure that farm safety-net payments are issued only to active managers of farms that operate as joint ventures or general partnerships, consistent with the direction and authority provide by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill. The action, which exempts family farm operations, closes a loophole where individuals who were not actively part of farm management still received payments. “The federal farm safety-net programs are designed to protect against unanticipated changes in the m...
The 131st Montana Stock-growers Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, held Dec. 3-5 at Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, drew strong crowds from ranching communities across the state. The three-day convention featured several speakers to help ranchers learn about innovative tools and technologies available in the industry. Highlights also included nightly NFR viewing and Calcutta auction, live music from Exit 53 and Crazy Mountain Express, over $100,000 in prizes awarded and a trade show with more than 100 exhibitors representing many...
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! Recently the World Trade Organization (WTO) authorized Canada and Mexico to recover over $1 billion in damages each year from the United States because it claims those countries are harmed by our mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law. The COOL law requires retailers to inform consumers where their meat was bor...
Montana State University researchers have found that producers throughout Montana who grow cover crops cite soil health as their main reason for growing those crops. The research findings came from a survey that addressed producers’ perceptions and ideas about management of cover crops and the barriers and incentives for cover crop adoption. The survey was part of a larger study by MSU researchers, including Clain Jones, Perry Miller and Cathy Zabinski, MSU Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences faculty, on soil quality and agr...
Registration is now open for the Montana State University Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology’s crop and pest management school. The workshop, which will be held Jan. 5-7 at MSU, will focus on forage and pulse crops. The 2½-day workshop will feature three guest speakers. Earl Creech, assistant professor of agronomy at Utah State University, will present two lectures on forage crop management; Pierce Paul, associate professor of cereal pathology from Ohio State University, will present two lectures on disease epidemiology and ma...
Montana farmers planted wheat varieties developed by the Montana State University Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) more than any other variety in 2015, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA statistics show that Montana planted 5.8 million acres of wheat this year, with 2.2 million acres of spring and winter wheat varieties developed by MAES. MSU wheat varieties accounted for approximately $500 million of $1.2 billion wheat sold by Montana farmers in 2015, according to MSU wheat breeding specialists. Some...
Area farmers and ranchers are invited to Design Your Succession Plan workshop, which will be held in Watford City on Dec. 1, 3, and 10 at the McKenzie County Courthouse. Classes will start at 5:30 p.m. CT and will conclude by 8:30 p.m. An optional lite supper will be served at 5 p.m. Cost to attend is $150.00. Additional family members can attend at a cost of $100. Registrations can be taken at www.bit.ly/DYSPreg. They can also be mailed to the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Fargo. This program is sponsored by the NDSU Exten...
USDA North Dakota Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Aaron Krauter announced that approximately 26,000 North Dakota farms enrolled in new safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill are receiving financial assistance for the 2014 crop year. The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices or revenues due to market downturns. “These new safety-net programs provide help when price and revenues fall below normal, unlike the p...
The Montana Farm Bureau is proud to learn Montana State University College of Agriculture has been named one of the four best colleges for studying agriculture by the online service, Campus Explorer. According to Campus Explorer, MSU’s College of Agriculture was ranked for its diverse six departments, working farms, specialized research centers and the popularity of agriculture on campus. “Montana Farm Bureau has very close ties with MSU, as our state’s land grant university,” said Montana Farm Bureau President, Bob Hanson. “They have an e...
During the winter months, especially in western North Dakota, one of few options ranchers have for feed is grass. During the summer months they wait until the right time, start to middle of July, to cut and bale their hay fields. Feeding this grass hay may raise some questions for ranchers, is this hay healthy enough for my cattle? Raising cattle is a yearlong job, winter time can be tough on the ranchers just as much as it is tough on the cattle. Testing feed for nutritional value may be on...
A series of producer meetings entitled “Cropping Decisions 2016: Putting the Profit Back in Your Crop” have been scheduled for December 7-11 across northwest North Dakota. The NDSU Extension Service in McKenzie County will be hosting one of these meetings at the Cartwright Hall in Cartwright on Thur., Dec. 10th at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. The “Cropping Decisions” meeting series is designed to cover a variety of agronomic, management, and market issues that could be of concern to producers in the 2016 growing season. The meetings will begin w...
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. In a recent letter to President Barack Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and U.S. Trade Ambassador Michael Froman, R-CALF USA stated the U.S. has a new and unique opportunity to persuade Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to cease Canada’s saber rattling against the U.S. mandatory Country...
The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing livestock per capita fee bills this week. For the first time, livestock owners can pay online at reportyourlivestock.mt.gov. In the past, they could just report online. Payments are due on Nov. 30, either electronically or by mail. “The department wants to make it more convenient for livestock owners to report their livestock and pay their fees,” said Director Mike Kadas, Montana Department of Revenue. “The new online system should be efficient and effective, making it easier for livestock owner...
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) has been a hot policy topic for the past two decades, with voluntary and mandatory labeling being debated and discussed by Farm Bureaus at both the state and national levels. In the 2002 farm bill, the issue jumped to international debate when Congress included provisions mandating COOL for all U.S. commodities. Simply put, Country of Origin Labeling law meant just that: the label Product of The U.S.A. should be stamped on agricultural commodities and products raised and processed in the U.S. However,...
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2015 – Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin mailing ballots to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country for the 2015 FSA County Committee elections on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 7, 2015, to ensure that their vote is counted. “County committee members represent the farmers and ranchers in their communities,” said Dolcini. “Producers elected to these committees have al...
It’s a rancher’s dream. Over a million acres of land. Fresh water in abundance. Thousands of cattle belly deep in rich, lush grass. No predators, no disease. Except…. The ranch is in the Aleutians, on Umnak Island, south of Dutch Harbor where storms are frequent and the only transportation is by small plane or helicopter. Howard Rambur, owner of Rambur Charolais and Ryan Obergfell representing Prewitt and Company visited Bering Pacific Ranches on Umnak Island in late August. They flew from Billings to Anchorage, to Dutch Harbor, then to the ran...
The Montana Agriculture in the Classroom program has released a comprehensive educational project on invasive species to help increase public awareness, identification, and reporting procedures. Species that are non-native to Montana, interfere and often destroy native plants, wildlife and livestock habitat, forests, waterways, and food crops. These species, which may not harm the environment in their native area, can cause destruction and major problems when introduced to a new environment. “The impact to agriculture and the environment can t...
The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is holding a Small Landowner’s Seminar Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula as part of their annual convention. The seminar will feature three sessions of panelists who have built successful agricultural operations on small pieces of land. The seminar will run from 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The first set of panelists consists of small business commodity producers who have found a niche. These include Julie Pavlock, who will address the benefits of farming garlic...
R-CALF USA submitted a white paper to the Senate agriculture committee urging it to update the Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act (Act) prior to the Act’s Sept. 30, expiration. R-CALF USA asserted that packers had introduced new cattle procurement methods over the past five years that have significantly reduced price transparency. Rather than update the Act, Congress requested a mere study to determine if the Act was serving the needs of the livestock sector when it reauthorized the Act for another five years. Originally passed in 1999, t...
Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Montana, in partnership with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, will be holding a series of soil health workshops throughout Montana next month. The workshop series will feature regional and local producers who have incorporated various practices into their farming and ranching operations that have improved their soil resources, management, and bottom-line. Included among the speakers is Gabe Brown, a farmer and rancher from Bismarck, North Dakota. Brown and his family operate a 5,000-acre...
Producers have Until Sept. 30 to Sign Up for ARC/PLC and MPP-Dairy, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini reminds farmers and ranchers that they have until Sept. 30 to enroll in several key Farm Bill safety net programs – Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). “These programs provide important risk protection for farm and dairy operations, so it is important not to miss the deadline for enrollment,” said Dolci...
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is seeking nominations for the 2015 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 October 31 and the recipient will be recognized at MSGA's annual convention in Billings, December 3-5. "Women are often the backbone of Montana's ranching communities. These women often go...
Montana State University’s new Regional Pulse Crop Diagnostic Laboratory in Bozeman offers several diagnostic tests on seed samples to check for pulse crop diseases. The tests cost $200 per sample and screen for seven important fungal diseases of pulse crops, which include ascochyta blight, anthracnose, fusarium wilt, botrytis, gray mold, and stemphylium blight. Another test, known as the smart package, costs $400 per sample and includes the seven fungal diseases and two virus tests: Pea seedborne mosaic virus (PSbMV) and Pea enation mosaic v...
While the court case dealing with the request for an injunction against the fish bypass and concrete weir at Intake is not over yet, Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project manager James Brower no longer feels like it is an uphill battle. Strong responses from the Department of Justice combined with that of LYIP effectively argue against the injunction on the basis of law and the public interest. The DOJ filings dispute every part of the suit filed by the defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Council, including the plaintiffs’ claims t...
