Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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The suicide rate among farmers is over three times higher than that of the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association. Too many in our community carry their mental burdens alone, as rural areas across the U.S. lack access to mental health care. This Mental Health Awareness Month, NFU acknowledges the very real mental health crisis plaguing farm communities. We acknowledge that to ask for support in times of emotional struggle is a sign of strength necessary to continue providing for others into the future. We...
The Western Valley 4-H Club held our April meeting on April 23. Our president, vice president, and parliamentarian forgot about the meeting, so they had to Zoom in. We discussed progress on the Rabies Clinic and Sewing Camp. June 17, is our tentative date for Rabies Clinic, but Sewing Camp plans are currently at a standstill. We also began to make plans for our annual Thoeny Cemetery clean-up. So far, May 7 seems to be the best day for cleaning the cemetery. After the meeting, we had cake and...
The Lucky Clover 4-H club met at the Senior Citizens Center on May 7. There were no demonstrations today but there were a lot of dates to talk about. The horse assessments are on May 10, 20, 24. Your last day to sign up for 4-H camp is May 19. The 4-H camp itself is on June 13 to 15. The VFW steak fry is on May 26, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 31 is your due date to drop a project. The horse identification is on June 1. We are planting flowers, cleaning up the dump, and doing highway cleanup on June 7, at 7:30 a.m. AQA is on June 20. The ranch horse...
At the Sieben Ranch Block Management Area, Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill on April 25, to double the payment cap for landowners increasing public access through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Block Management Program. “Thanks to generous landowners like the Baucus family participating in Block Management, Montanans have access to millions of acres of private land to hunt,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Today, we’re investing in the success of this program for years to come for the benefit of hunters and landowners.” The Block Managemen...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of April 27, show 735 cattle sold. Cows and bulls steady to higher on good high yielding kind. Utility and commercial cows brought in $95 to $108.50; canner and cutter cows $82 to $95; young feeding/turnout cows $120 to $186. Bulls brought in $109 to $130.50; three-year-old cow/calf pairs $3,125; and six-seven year old cow/calf pairs $2,700. North Bench Angus Ranch held their Angus Bull Production Auction, hosted by the Doug and Jody Mason Family, out of Richland. A total of 37 bulls were sold wit...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Data collected from farmers should not be used against farmers. To that point, HJ 27 would create an interim committee to examine how ag data is being collected and how to protect farmers agricultural data property rights from commercial misuse. Ag D...
The past week brought colder temperatures and snowfall to many areas in the State of Montana, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. According to the National Weather Service Forecast Office, temperatures ranged from 45 degrees to 22 degrees across the State, while there was 0.01 to 2.1 inches of precipitation observed in the State for the week ending April 23. Drought conditions improved slightly in areas experiencing moderate and severe drought. However, overall drought...
Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer praised the legislation of the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act, saying it’s needed to make sure farming and ranching families who are traditionally asset rich but cash poor receive the aid they need to pursue educational opportunities. “Reinstating the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption for FAFSA will help a countless number of families in rural America to seek opportunities to receive a higher education. Thank you, Senator Tester, for fixing a wrong created by the COVID Rel...
More than 35 women enjoyed a weekend of learning and networking during the first ever Eastern Montana Women’s Conference hosted by Montana Farmers Union in Sidney. “It brought people together in community and celebrating women and agriculture,” said Rachel Prevost, MFU’s member services director. The inaugural event held earlier this month featured panel discussions on cooperatives, succession planning, managing stress in agriculture, leadership development; hands-on workshops; and plenty of time to get to know the other attendees. “People...
On April 20, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) hosted a rollover auction at Glasgow Stockyards to raise funds for its appeal of Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision regarding American Prairie’s grazing allotments. The auction was supported by 34 donors and raised $20,100, the highest amount raised for the fund to date. Each rollover auction will raise funds for the MSGA Advocacy Fund, which allows for a collective voice for cattle ranchers advocating for change and accountability at the state and federal levels. This fund is...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of April 20, show 340 cattle sold. Utility and commercial cows brought in $95 to $105.50; canner and cutter cows $83 to $95; young feeding/turnout cows $111 to $178.50; and bulls $106 to $113.50. Bangs vaccinated heifer calves brought in $1,410 to $1,550 per head. Big Dry Angus Ranch, of Jordan, Mont., hosted by Brent and Jack McRae families held their 35th Annual Angus Production Auction. A total of 75 Angus bulls were sold at an average cost of $6,287. The top bull sold for $13,750 and the top...
U.S. Senator Jon Tester recently pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on staffing issues at the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and on suspending Brazilian beef imports to the United States. Tester grilled Secretary Vilsack on staffing issues at FSA, and blamed uncompetitive pay for the number of vacancies at Montana’s FSA offices. “One of the things that I didn’t expect to hear about, but I’ve heard about in every one of [my Farm Bill listening sessions] is that it’s really hard to hire people in our FSA offices,...
We’ve wrapped up week 14 of the Montana Legislature and the legislature is moving quickly towards the end of the 68th Legislative Session. As we near the finish line, we want to provide an update on bills we advocated for that reached the governor’s desk and became laws. This week Congressman Ryan Zinke’s hosted a Farm Bill listening session at the Montana Farm Bureau Center: Signed by Governor Gianforte back on March 2, HB 153 Generally revise laws related to livestock markets sponsored by Brandon Ler (R) HD 35 aligns Montana Department of Liv...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of April 6, show cows and bulls steady. Utility and commercial cows brought in $85 to $100, top $107; canner and cutter cows $70 to $85; and bulls $100 to $120. 400-500 SC brought in $242-$273.50, HC $249 to $271; 500-600 SC $235 to $278, HC $212 to $236. Math Farms Angus Ranch, of Whitewater, Mont., hosted by Bob and Cody Math families sold 22 yearling Angus bulls, average $5,284. The top bull sold at $7,250. Fifty-one two year old bulls sold at an average of $4,603 with the top bull selling for...
Montana State University Extension and a group of scientists who are studying drought impacts on Montana and Wyoming pasture and soil health are seeking feedback through a survey of beef cattle producers. Over the past few years, Montana and Wyoming have had record-setting droughts, and producers regularly altered management decisions to reduce drought impacts on pastures and cattle, said Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension beef cattle specialist and one of the researchers. Van Emon said the survey will help determine the predominant practices of...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. MFU continues to support a bill that would provide property tax incentives for alternative fuel production. Senate Bill 510 is a good step forward toward incentivizing renewable diesel production. A Refinery in Great Falls is in the process of converting...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Political appointment of water court judges, as included in Senate Bill 72, could have unintended consequences, including giving priority to non-agricultural uses of water. Montana Farmers Union opposes SB 72 and instead supports current water law with p...
Montana Farmers Union Foundation opened their second year of grant applications on March 1. The grant program supports projects which align with the MFU Foundation’s Mission to create new opportunities and contribute to the growth and enhancement of Montana agriculture and rural communities. Projects must include an educational component for youth and/or adults with priority given to rural communities. Submission deadline is Monday, May 1, and the grants are open to anyone from Montana. The application form remains simple to not deter s...
Montana Stockgrowers Foundation (MSF) is accepting applications for its annual Education Heritage Scholarship Program. Scholarships will be awarded to three students in the amounts of one $5,000 scholarship and two $2,500 scholarships. Each year, MSF awards college students, who are seeking a career beneficial to ranching, with a scholarship. To be eligible applicants must be currently enrolled in college and have completed at least one semester in college, be a member of Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA), or have at least one parent/guar...
Great Northern Development Corporation (GNDC) was successfully awarded $4M through the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP) to assist regional processors in further supporting the local food supply chain. MPILP provides grant funding to intermediary lenders who finance – or plan to finance – the start-up, expansion, or operation of slaughter, or other processing of meat and poultry. The objective of the MPILP is to strengthen the financing capacity for independent meat processors and to create a more resil...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Protecting farmers’ data, providing more access to Montana foods, and incentivizing bio- and alternative fuels took priority for Montana Farmers Union’s efforts in the Legislature this week. When it comes to data collection, MFU holds that Montana farme...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of March 30, show 620 cattle sold with cows and bulls steady. Young feeding/turnout cows were higher and there was no test on feeder cattle or bred cattle. Utility and commercial cows brought in $92 to $104, with the top at $108; canner and cutter cows $75 to $90; young feeding/turnout cows $115 to $160.50; and bulls $115 to $129.50. The Gibbs Red Angus Production Auction, hosted by the Pat and Bill Gibbs Family, of Jordan, had 37 Red Angus Bulls sell with an average of $3,541. The top bull sold...
To mark Montana Agriculture Day, Governor Greg Gianforte convened a roundtable discussion with ag leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the industry on March 21. “Agriculture is Montana’s number one industry, and we’re committed to being a good partner to producers as they drive our economy, strengthen our communities, and feed the world,” Gov. Gianforte said. “With farmers and ranchers in mind, we delivered Montanans the largest tax cut in state history, and with farmers and ranchers in mind, we’re investing in value-added...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Montana Farmers Union’s Government Affairs team based opposition and support for several bills heard this week on MFU’s member-written, grassroots policy, including speaking against bills that would confuse food safety rules local farmers markets can a...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of March 23, show 562 cattle sold. Cows and bulls steady. Utility and commercial cows brought in $90 to $104, top $108; canner & cutter cows $75 to $90; young feeding/turnout cows $110 to $157; bulls $107 to $128.50; three-to-six year old bred cows $2,100 to $2,575. Martin Red Angus averaged $3,215 with the top of $3,750 Koss Angus averaged $3,625 with the top of $4,250. 3Y Bar Angus averaged $3,250 with the top of $4,000. 3Y Bar Angus two-year-olds averaged $3,625 with the top of $4,000....