Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development in Montana State Director Kathleen Williams announced on June 12 an investment of more than $47 million in two telephone cooperatives that will bring affordable high-speed internet connection to rural residents, farmers, business owners, and educational institutions across six Montana counties. “Internet access is a necessity for Montanans to participate in the many needs and opportunities online in education, health care, business, keeping in touch with loved ones, and more,” said Williams. “At...
Montana Department of Agriculture and Montana State University Extension were recently announced as partners in a $30 million U.S. Department of Agriculture effort to establish a regional center to create opportunities for food producers and increase food security. Co-led by Colorado State University and Oregon State University, the new Northwest and Rocky Mountain Food Business Center is part of a larger effort nationwide, for which the USDA announced $400 million in funding last September. “This funding represents a great opportunity to b...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of June 1 show 282 cattle sold with cows and bulls steady to strong. Utility and commercial cows brought in $95 to $115.50; canner and cutter cows $80 to $95; young feeding/turnout cows $112 to $187; bulls $125 to $140; four to six year old pairs $2,650 to $3,050 (black and red cows with Char. cross calves at side). Thursday, June 8, 15, and 22 will be the All Class Cattle Auctions. Saturday, June 17, Glasgow, Mont., Newton Warehouse Auction 72’ x 165’ storage building on 1.24 acres. Thursday and...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of May 25 show 527 cattle sold with cows and bulls steady to strong. Utility and commercial cows brought in $95 to $112; canner and cutter cows $80 to $95; young feeding/turnout cows $112 to $183; bulls $115 to $133; four to six year old pairs $2,425 to $2,850 (black and red cows with Char. cross calves at side). Thursday, June 1, is the Cow/Calf Pair Special and All Class Cattle Auction. Friday, June 2 is the catalog deadline for first Northern Video Auction of the Season. With the outstanding...
The Western Valley 4-H Club held our May meeting and annual Theony Cemetery clean-up on May 19. Michael Ketchum, Linden Holt, Cooper Albus, Broc McColly, and I were the only members able to make it. LaMae and Steve Lacock joined us and fed us after the clean-up. Historically, the cemetery has suffered from a cactus infestation, but over the years we have been able to cut back on the cactus quite a bit. As usual, our May meeting was rather unorganized, due to the absence of our President, Vice...
The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) made a special delivery to the Governor’s office in the Montana Capitol May 17 to celebrate National Beef Month. MSGA delivered a platter of Reminisce Angus Beef ribeye steaks for the Governor and first lady to enjoy. “May is a great month to share the story of beef production. We are excited to celebrate ranchers who work hard each day to raise and care for cattle while preserving the land and environment, all while feeding the world,” MSGA Executive Vice President Raylee Honeycutt. “We hope the Gia...
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has provided additional flexibilities and further enhanced disaster recovery assistance provided by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) in response to needs expressed by livestock producers in the western U.S. who have experienced significant feed, forage, animal and infrastructure loss from preexisting, long-term drought conditions further compounded by unprecedented snowfall and w...
A new resolution was signed into law on May 12 that will designate the first week of April as Montana Soil Health Week and the first Wednesday in April as Montana Soil Health Day. The weeklong celebration is designed to raise awareness about how healthy soils can increase crop yields, strengthen food security, create greater climate resiliency, and improve nutrition. Soil Health Day and Week will also provide an opportunity to highlight the work of farmers, ranchers, gardeners, agencies, and organizations that are stewarding soil health across...
The market report for the Glasgow Stockyards as of May 11 shows 622 cattle sold with cows and bulls steady. Utility and commercial cows brought in $90 to $101; canner and cutter cows $80 to $90; young feeding/turnout cows $100 to $165.50; bulls $110 to $123 and first calf heifer pairs $2,600 to $3,250. Koenig Ranch 14th Annual Production Auction, hosted by Francis and Arley Koenig, of Winnett, Mont., was held. Forty-one two-year-old Red Angus bulls sold for an average of $4,683; with the top bull selling for $8,000 and the top 10 average was...
The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reminding agricultural producers to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture by June 1, 2023. Taken only once every five years by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census provides a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The Census of Agriculture covers land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, and expenditures, and more. Census data includes all...
USDA in Montana reminds agricultural producers of important Farm Service Agency (FSA) program dates. Contact your local service center to apply and with any questions. Visit online at farmers.gov and fsa.usda.gov/mt. May 26, 2023: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for grants until May 26, 2023, to fund Montana projects that could stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. May 31, 2023: Crop year 2022 Final Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL)/Loan D...
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...
