Weather, prices upside down in north-central Montana

A topsy-turvy weather year that looked bleak early on received enough moisture in the north-central Montana region including Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties to produce some good harvests, although a decline in prices at the same time has kept farmers and ranchers from gaining much through that harvest.

The forecast for the next few months calls for more precipitation — along with some colder weather — but what will happen with prices is unknown.

Early dry weather reverses

The moisture over the last half-year is a reversal of the conditions early on, which looked like nort...