Agriculture
Why it takes a crisis to trigger funding for Montana’s largest irrigation project
Latest AG Reporting
‘Land is kin’: Old Salt Festival celebrates local food and open landscapes
It’s a rarity these days for ranchers to see people eating the animals they raise. In the conventional U.S. agricultural market, most ranchers sell livestock to out-of-state feedlots and can’t track where the meat is ultimately sold. Just 5% of cattle raised in Montana are processed here. Some Montanans are trying to change that.
What do Montana’s independent ranchers need to survive? Customers.
Just four companies process 85% of American beef, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Though the consolidation has long affected ranchers, it wasn’t until the pandemic — when the industry made headlines with bottlenecks, price hikes and COVID-19 outbreaks among workers — that the general public noticed. Even the White House got involved, pledging…
Tester introduces bipartisan bill to deregulate industrial hemp
In late March, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Montana, and Mike Braun, R-Indiana, introduced the Industrial Hemp Act, which would loosen testing restrictions and other regulations for varieties of hemp plants grown for industrial purposes, like fiber, grain, biofuel or “hempcrete.” Supporters say the act could lower barriers for farmers and boost production.
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Missoula food group, area ranchers look to alleviate beef-processing bottleneck
Ranchers across the West often truck their cows hundreds of miles to meatpacking facilities that slaughter, butcher and package the meat for sale. The highway miles add financial burden to an industry that already struggles for economic sustainability.
Common Ground
Our three-part series reports on how Montanans are using organic and regenerative agriculture to revitalize rural economies and the soil they depend on.
BLM approves American Prairie Reserve’s bison grazing proposal
The Bureau of Land Management approved American Prairie Reserve’s application for grazing leases on 63,000 acres of BLM-administered land in Phillips County on July 28. The application became a lightning rod for opinions about both bison and APR, which aims to conserve prairie species by acquiring large private parcels and connecting them with tracts of…
Common Ground, Part III: Rebuilding soil by building relationships
In the Judith Basin, the Myllymaki family has gone all in on regenerative farming techniques aimed at building the health of the soil that sustains them. A national agency born of the Dust Bowl helped them get started, and is now seeding local initiatives to bring a more diverse swath of local knowledge into conservation…
Common Ground, Part II: Building on soil in Big Sandy
In Big Sandy, farmers are adding value to their operations by investing in soil health, reinvigorating both their farms and the rural communities that depend on them.
Montana hemp growers awarded $65 million for ‘deceptive’ deal
Montana hemp growers awarded $65 million — the second-largest civil judgment in Montana history — for a ‘deceptive’ deal that left thousands of acres of hemp “rotting” in northeastern Montana fields.
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Common Ground, Part I: ‘Soil is our livelihood and we better protect it, or we’re screwed.’
With climate change threatening almost 25,000 Montana agricultural jobs in the next 50 years and a movement toward ecologically based agricultural practices gaining ground nationwide, an increasing number of Montana producers are building topsoil, drought resilience and profits by integrating practices like organic or regenerative systems.
‘Reimbursement’ or ‘bounty’?
SB 267 would allow for reimbursement of hunting expenses, and SB 314 would remove bag limits and legalize baiting and spotlighting.
Rewilding the national mammal
There’s a bottleneck of bison at brucellosis quarantine facilities outside of Yellowstone National Park. Two bills introduced by a Montana lawmaker could alleviate that, helping tribes across the U.S. restore viable wild herds. Will the Montana Legislature back them?
Tribal leaders ratify water compact
The CSKT Tribal Council unanimously ratified its water compact with the state Tuesday, settling a decades-long dispute.
CSKT water compact clears Congress
The long-negotiated water rights agreement, now endorsed by the state and federal governments, heads to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for final approval.
Promoting health — and trust
How Latina community health workers — or promotoras de salud — are improving health outcomes and countering COVID in Montana.
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