News you can use
News you can use
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Press release BOZEMAN - Well-above normal precipitation during April was needed given the meager snowpack conditions experienced this year. Total monthly precipitation was above normal last month only in the Powder and Tongue River basins but was not widespread across Montana. "A couple mid-month storms did provide significant snowfall, but April is typically a wet month in Montana, and total precipitation last month did not meet that standard," said Eric Larson, USDA Natural...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has selected 28 organizations to host members of USDA’s Working Lands Climate Corps, an effort that will train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders, providing technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people and helping them deliver climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers. Selections were made in partnership with The Corps Network. WLCC is part of President Joe Biden’s historic American Climate Corps...
Press release BOZEMAN —The Montana Farm Bureau Summer Conference is set for June 10-12 in the historic cow town of Miles City. The summer conference provides an opportunity for the organization’s advisory committees to discuss current agricultural issues and concerns, and surface ideas for policy development. Events take place at the Custer County Events Center and the MCC Ag Advancement Center. “Members from across the state are excited to attend our annual summer committee meetings and foundation fund raiser. It’s been ov...
Press release The National Organic Standards Board was established to assist in developing standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary on the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. Through this Notice, the Agricultural Marketing Service is requesting nominations to fill the following vacancies: • One individual who owns or operates an organic farming operation or employee of such individual; • Two individuals who own or operate an organic handling operation or...
BOZEMAN — The U.S Department of Agriculture in April unveiled a new, online Livestock Indemnity Program Decision Tool and farm loan resources available to agricultural producers and cooperators who help producers access USDA disaster assistance, farm loans and other federal farm programs. The new LIP tool and the farm loan informational video resources were developed in partnership with FarmRaise and USDA’s Farm Service Agency. These tools are now available at https://www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa. “By providing colla...
Press release HELENA — Applications for the State Hail Insurance Program are now available through the Montana Department of Agriculture. Producers can insure crops against hail damage at the maximum coverage rate of $75 per acre for dryland and $114 per acre for irrigated land. Rates charged are a percentage of the insured amount and vary by county. A detailed list of rates by county and crop can be found online at https://agr.mt.gov/I-Want-To/Apply/Hail-Insurance-Applying on the MDA website. State policies are available f...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development will deploy $1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding to purchase U.S.-grown commodities to provide emergency food assistance to people in need throughout the world, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced April 18. “America’s farmers are the most productive and efficient in the world, and we rely on them to supply safe and nutritious food not only to our natio...
Press release The USDA Farm Service Agency announced the appointment of Tracey L. Peterson of Fallon and Lola Raska of Great Falls to serve on the Montana FSA state committee. Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson. Peterson and Raska join three previously appointed Montana FSA State Committee members. The individuals appointed to serve on the FSA State committee for Montana are: • Committee Chair Ryan Lankford — Chinook • Casey Bailey — Fort Benton • Jake Merkel ...
Press release HELENA — Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the Montana Department of Agriculture has announced approximately $1 million in round two funding under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, or RFSI. Through this agreement, USDA and Montana are working together to offer approximately $1 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain. MDA is accepting applications for...
From the MSU News Service BOZEMAN — Ten agricultural research projects in the Montana State University College of Agriculture received support from the Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee last month, seeking to advance knowledge around cropping systems, environmental preservation, water management and more. Each year, the seven-member Montana Fertilizer Advisory Committee disburses funds collected through an assessment on commercial fertilizers. The assessment was approved by the Montana Legislature to support research a...
HANNAH FINGERHUT and DAVID A. LIEB The Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Stung by paying billions of dollars for settlements and trials, chemical giant Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills providing it a legal shield from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year — with wording supplied by Bayer — would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer, if th...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee will meet remotely Tuesday, April 16, 2024, beginning at 1 p.m. to review applications and address general updates. Meetings will take place remotely via Zoom. To request more information to join the meeting virtually, people can email Dani Jones at [email protected]. To view an agenda for the meeting, people can visit https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/grantsandloans-docs/alfalfaseedpgm/alfalfa seedcommitteemeetings/4-16-2024-Alfalfa-Meeting-Agenda.pdf online. The M...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Stockgrowers Association is half-way through its slate of listening sessions to seek input and ideas from producers on areas where the American livestock industry can be strengthened, including a session set in Chinook. The listening sessions are part of the organization’s Producer Profitability Initiative, a grassroots movement started and led by cattle ranchers who have a vision to create a sustainable future for the American livestock industry. The Chinook session is set for Monday, Apr...
Press release HELENA — The Montana Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for more than $1.5 million in Round #2 federal funding available through the ARPA Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program. The intent of the Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program is to advance Montana’s agricultural industry through targeted investments in value-added agriculture projects across the state. Grants will assist with the development of innovative agricultural business improvements to keep pace with a transforming agr...
Cattlemen suspect that the mandate for electronic tags — EID tags — on cattle moving interstate is not really about veterinary surveillance even though the rule comes out of APHIS, the veterinary division of USDA. The USDA announcement talks about the need to rapidly traceback the movement of cows with disease, yet the vets are strangely quiet in defending it. Even the private veterinarians. The cow/calf sector of the industry are most affected and the most vocally questioning. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA...
Press release HELENA — Gov. Greg Gianforte held a roundtable discussion Monday to recognize Soil Health Week in Montana and raise awareness about how healthy soils can increase crop yields, improve nutrition, and strengthen food security. “Montana Soil Health Week serves as an opportunity to highlight our farmers, ranchers, and all producers working toward better soil health stewardship,” Gianforte said. “By being good stewards, we are creating opportunities for the next generation and cultivating a future where Montana...
Press release WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing up to $22 million in partnerships that expand access to conservation technical assistance for livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting proposals through its Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative — GLCI — until Sunday, May 26, 2024. “Privately owned grazing lands cover nearly 30 percent of the national landscape, which means we have a tremendou...
BOZEMAN — U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Montana State Director Kathleen Williams announced Thursday that USDA is investing nearly $2 million in 26 renewable energy projects throughout Montana to lower energy costs, generate new income, and support Montana’s farmers, ranchers, and rural small business. “One way to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses retain more income for their families and communities is by helping them lower their operating costs — in this case, what they pay for ene...
Editor's note: This version corrects the caption with the photo of Hi-Line rancher Tammy Copenhaver speaking at the National Farmers Union convention. Family farmers and ranchers from Montana traveled to Scottsdale, Ariz., March 10-12 for the 122nd National Farmers Union convention. Delegates and attendees heard from nationally known speakers, administration officials, and each other during policy debate. Over the past year, NFU has increased membership by more than 12,600 mem...
HELENA — Agricultural producers with land enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program are invited to apply for enrollment in Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ CRP Add-on Lease option. This option is designed to benefit producers while also providing habitat for upland game birds and other wildlife and also giving game bird hunters more places to hunt. The CRP Add-on Lease option is offered through FWP’s Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program and is available to private landowners, including landowners with land enrol...
Montana Farmers Union Several Montana Farmers Union members and locals received awards for their efforts on behalf of family farmers and ranchers during National Farmers Union's 122nd Anniversary Convention held last week in Arizona. The Liberty/Toole County, Flathead County and Teton County locals received leadership awards for their work engaging members on behalf of Montana Farmers Union and National Farmers Union, while Melissa Wacker, a Farmers Union Insurance agent in...
Press release PHOENIX — At the National Farmers Union Annual Convention Monday, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the finalization of a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. Vilsack also announced USDA is awarding $9.5 million to 42 projects through the Local Meat Capacity grant program to expand processing options for the meat and poultry industry and new actions to ensure transparency and a fair and competitive market in th...
Press release The National Organic Program has posted a new Transitional Production Plan template on the Agricultuual Marketing Service website. This new public resource was developed under the Organic Transition Initiative’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program). The TPP template helps new crop producers who are transitioning to organic production to develop the supporting documentation needed to qualify for OTI services provided through the USDA’s Risk Management Agencyand Natural Resource Conservation Service. The...
Press release The public comment period and oral comment registration are now open for the National Organic Standards Board Spring 2024 Meeting. Interested parties are encouraged to review the online meeting materials and provide feedback on topics included on the agenda. Meeting materials are now available online. They include the tentative agenda, proposals and discussion documents. Individual proposal documents are posted on the subcommittee web pages and as a single combined PDF on the NOSB Spring 2024 meeting webpage (...
BOZEMAN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the general Conservation Reserve Program starting March 4 and running through March 29, 2024. This conservation opportunity gives producers tools to conserve wildlife habitat while achieving other conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health. “The USDA has a long track record of fostering and supporting the vital relationship between agr...
