Sorted by date Results 270 - 294 of 362
It’s disappointing that the Legislature tabled SB 295 – the bill to repeal the oil and gas tax holiday. Had it passed, the bill would have provided millions in new revenue to communities in eastern Montana that are facing major infrastructure expenses due to the oil boom. Now, instead of generating new funds to address the impacts, the Legislature is moving forward proposals that raid the general fund. All of the remaining bills that are still moving forward take this approach. Why are we giving the oil and gas industry a break while sim...
We at AWARE Inc., the Montana affiliate of The Arc, are proud to join advocates across the country to recognize March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This month commemorates the progress in improving the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and highlights the challenges that remain in achieving full inclusion. The Arc’s advocacy efforts were crucial to President Ronald Reagan’s signing of a proclamation in 1987 affirming that “Americans are becoming increasingly aware that such disab...
In recent years North Dakota crop producers have been offered at least one new active ingredient per year for weed control. For 2011 it was saflufenacil, commonly known as Sharpen. It has become a popular herbicide for use in chickpeas, field pea, small grains and other crops. Sunflower growers can use it as a harvest aid/desiccant. In 2012 Bayer released thiencarbazone. It is a relative of flucarbazone (Everest 2.0) and propoxycarbazone which is contained in Olympus and Rimfire Max. Thiencarbaz...
Words. They’re a God thing. And they’re a human thing. Think about it. How did God create the world? By the power of His word. He spoke, “Let there be,” and there was. And what is the one biological creature He created that has the ability to speak words? Only human beings. Words are God’s domain, and because He created us to bear His image, He has made words our domain. He has given us the capacity to speak. Words. Enter Satan. Jesus describes Satan as “the father of lies.” And what does a liar do? He uses words to do something God cannot do...
Recently a cattle producer asked about the term “drop credit” as it related to beef value. Drop credit (or drop charge) is the value of nonmeat items such as blood, meat, hides, fat, bones, hair, etc. The term is also applied to pork values. Today’s drop credit for a steer or heifer is approximately $14 per cwt. live weight. Much of this value is influenced by energy prices and those parts of the animal carcass which provide energy by-products such as tallow. The weighted average price of choic...
A few weeks ago I wrote about corn being one of the most profitable crops for northwest North Dakota according to the recently released 2013 crop budget of North Dakota State University. Then Rick Bieber of Trail City, South Dakota spoke during the Wheat Show explaining how corn and the crops worked so well in his no-till cropping system. He gave corn a lot of credit for his farm’s profitability. Also, about this time, I received research reports of Williston and Minot and found two-year d...
The 60th National Hard Spring Wheat Show is now history. I may sound a bit prejudiced by saying the line-up of speakers was outstanding starting with Jolene Brown, who is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and ending with Rick Bieber, a self-spoken farmer who has taken his farm rags to riches. Jolene is an exciting public speaker with a vast amount of experience working with farm families who desire to pass the farm’s legacy from one generation to another. One of her many statements w...
Plans for the 13th annual MonDak Pulse Day are now complete. It will take place on Wednesday, February 20 at the Airport International Inn in Williston beginning at 8:30 am CST with registration. One of the featured speakers will be Dr. Rosalind Buckert, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Some of her research is to study whole plant and field responses of crops (particularly pulse crops) to nutrients, water, and weather. In her research, she is working to understand and improve yield...
It seems everyone wants to bury a pipeline from Canada to Texas. Has anyone thought of processing oil through a refinery in North Dakota and then deliver the finished product? This seems to me it could really reduce cost of gas and other products throughout the United States from a more centralized area than out of Texas. Lloyd DeBruycker, Dutton, MT...
“The Top Ten Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business” is one of two topics that Jolene Brown, a family business consultant, will address during the National Hard Spring Wheat Show on Tuesday, February 5. Jolene is an award winning communicator who has spent many hours sitting around kitchen tables and family business meeting rooms. She has learned what works and what doesn’t. During her first presentation she will discuss the following: 1)The top ten assumptions that create major problems for i...
Some of 16 experts scheduled to speak during this year’s National Hard Spring Wheat Show will include representatives of four commodity groups who work hard to make sure there is profitability in providing the crops they represent. All are scheduled to report to area producers on Tuesday afternoon, February 5. Doug Opland and Deanna Weise, President and Executive Director respectively, of the U.S. Durum Growers Association will share efforts of that organization to maintain the dominance of that...
Up until the break of the new century the U.S. beef industry could set its watch on a 10 year market cycle. In other words, producers could expect market lows to be 10 years following the previous market highs. Such things as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), major drought throughout large sections of the Midwest, competition from rising crop values and an aging group of ranchers have all contributed to a major reduction in the number of mama cows across our nation. USDA data from 2011...
The North Dakota Wheat Commission recently released the 2012 Regional Quality Reports for both U.S. hard spring wheat and northern durum wheat. The hard red spring wheat samples were produced in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Idaho and Oregon while the durum samples were taken from North Dakota and Montana. The northern durum crop grades a number one Hard Amber Durum on average with slightly higher test weights and thousand kernel weights compared to last year. Vitreous kernel...
During last year’s Wheat Show, many crop producers came just to learn more about soil health and how it can impact productivity of the land and profits on the farm. Since then many of the attendees urged members of the Wheat Show planning committee to include more information on soil health during the February, 2013 event. So this year’s Wheat Show will feature two speakers who will address the components of soil quality and how certain farming practices specific to western North Dakota and eas...
One of my “claims to fame” in life is that I once saw Mother Teresa in person. I had recently graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and read on a church bulletin board that Mother Teresa was to be the featured speaker that very afternoon at a pro-life convention being held in downtown St. Louis. I jumped in my car and drove to the convention site. I arrived late, so I didn’t hear Mother Teresa’s entire speech. However, when I saw and heard her, I was startled by two things. First, Mother Teresa was an extremely small woman. She was ve...
One month has passed since our wonderful medical profession has realigned my spine, cleaned out the corrosion in some of the major nerve channels and inserted some wood screws to hold my spine in place. Recovery is on pace and I am now able to spend a full day in the office and continue writing a weekly column. The first thing I need to do is call attention to the tax program scheduled Friday, November 30th, 9 a.m. to 12 noon CST. This interactive video meeting will take place in the Conference...
Fellow Montanans, This November 15 will be the 15th anniversary of America Recycles Day! This day is an opportunity to recognize the daily decision we can all make to save energy and resources by recycling resources back into our economy. There will be community events in Shelby, Helena, Miles City, Missoula, Lincoln, and Dillon. Additional events can still be posted at AmericaRecyclesDay.org or through RecycleMontana.org. A dozen Montana schools are competing in this year’s national Recycle Bowl from October 15 to November 9, with the s...
At first glance, Constitutional Measure No. 3 sounds good. I’ve listened to the ads supporting it and they are emotionally appealing. Most of us in North Dakota have strong, positive feelings about ranching and farming and we want to do what we can to support them. However, this measure has the potential to create unforeseen and unwanted problems. One area of concern is the use of chemicals in farming. Most farmers are dependent on them and there is ongoing research to continue their use to improve crop production. However, take the example of...
Almost all farms and ranches in North Dakota are owned and operated by individual family units. It is the dream of most to pass the business to the next generation but this can be a complex task. Some of the challenges include assessments of financial impacts and tax consequences. For some choosing the successor or successors who are best suited to continue the business and dreadful decisions are often ignored. Thus the development of a transition plan for the farm or ranch ends up on a road of...
North Dakotans have a right to know the truth. It is illegal for Jack Dalrymple, Ryan Taylor, Wrigley, and Chaffee to be on the November ballot. Candidate Roland Riemers was removed from the ballot, after the primary, for violating election laws[Article V, Section 3 of N.D. Constitution and N.D.C.C. 16.1-11-06(2)]. Dalrymple, Wrigley, Taylor, and Chaffee all violated the same laws. They, too, by law must be removed from the ballot. Jaeger, however, has refused to obey the law and remove them, as he had done with Reimer. State ex rel. Dorval v....
The E-rase your E-waste committee would like to thank everyone who participated in our 2012 "E-rase your E-waste" e-cycling events. We've had another great year, with a grand total of 57,939 pounds of e-waste collected for recycling! That's nearly 30 TONS of e-waste that DIDN'T go into our local landfill again this year! Our thanks to everyone who made it possible: our participants, our amazing volunteers, our local media, both print and broadcast, our sponsors and our e-cycler, UNICOR, which enables us to provide our e-cycling for free....
Longtime durum growers contemplating adding hard red spring wheat to their crop rotation could be surprised and a little over-whelmed by the long list of varieties to select from. In fact, yield trials of North Dakota State University have included close to 50 varieties. Besides those developed at NDSU and the state universities of Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota many of the varieties hail from private industry. Many of the varieties have a fit for the drier climate of western North Dakota...
Dear Editor, Everyone has heard the election is only (xx) number of days away, the first week in November, and some find the mere mention of that irritating. But a very important date will arrive much sooner. This Tuesday, October 9, is the last day to register to vote in Richland County. It is quite simple and painless for those who can make/take the time to visit the Courthouse and pick up the form. For the many citizens that have arrived in our area to help, it is easy to be caught up in the busy daily activities and miss this but it is...
Yvonne Volkman is the best qualified candidate for the position of Clerk of District Court. She has been trained and employed four years under our present respected clerk, Arlene Riggs and now serves as chief deputy clerk of court. My experience working with Yvonne has been church related where as a Director of Religious Education and a volunteer, she always has been prepared, efficient, and dedicated to her obligations. I know her to be mature, honest and a very hard worker. At the forum sponsored by Farm Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce...
1. Unemployment over 8% since Obama took office despite trillions in bailouts and stimulus. Actual unemployment 14% counting underemployed, part-time employment and those who have simply stopped looking for a job. Obama’s unkept promise 5%. 23 million Americans unemployed—the most since the depression of the ‘30s. 2. National debt under Bush 5 trillion. National debt under Obama 16 trillion. That exceeds the combined debt of all the so-called bankrupt countries of Europe. It would be impossible to pay off this debt in our lifetimes, so we ar...
