Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Dear Editor, My father, Art Walby, homesteaded in 1917 and the following letters home recorded the weather. History repeats itself and now the East is getting what farmers experienced 100 years ago. Dec. 22, 1922. Believe me, we have had real winter here after it started. We had dandy weather out until Nov. 29 – then it started in. We haven't had much snow, but believe me, it has been cold and stormy all the time. I hope I will never have to put in another spring like last year-horses poorly a...
We will be celebrating a holiday this week -- Valentine’s Day. The usual purchases will be made -- candy, flowers, jewelry. But have you thought about a different way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? It could be so much fun to surprise someone with an unexpected gift. I’m sure we all know of people who are living alone. Granted there are some who have family or close friends who will celebrate the day with them. But what about the ones who have no family around or who are hospitalized or in the nursing home? Even a single rose or small bouqu...
All good things must come to an end. We had a good run boasting about the slower pace of the legislative session. Apparently, all it takes to speed things up is a nasty cold snap and suddenly we all decide it’s a much better idea to stay indoors and discuss bills. This week we testified on many bills covering some very diverse topics. We talked early in the week about funding mechanisms for the Aquatic Invasive Species prevention program and legislation clarifying fossil ownership. The week rounded out with discussions on hemp production in M...
Dear Editor, I am writing to thank Glasgow residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season. Because of the generosity of donors in Glasgow and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.8 million shoeboxes in 2018. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2018, the ministry is now sending more than 10.6 million shoebox gifts to children suffering from poverty, natural disasters, war, disease and famine. These s...
Dear Editor, Where’s the beef…from? No one wants to be mislead, but it is happening every day at your meat counter. “Product of USA” is now gracing your beef and pork labels, even though your beef and pork are quite possibly not from an American farmer or rancher. This loophole in the USDA process which allows this to happen has to stop. We can start reversing this process by correctly informing Montana consumers with accurate Country-of-Origin-Placards at grocery stores. In 2005, we banded together as Montanans to demand accurate placard...
Dear Editor, What do rural hospitals, small businesses, and 1 in 10 Montanans have in common? They all benefit from Montana’s Medicaid expansion. That’s why I’ve introduced the Keep Montana Healthy Act, which will continue a program that works well for the health of all Montanans. During the 2015 legislative session, I proudly co-sponsored a bill that expanded health care coverage to 1 in 10 Montanans. Now, four years later, Medicaid expansion is firing on all cylinders. Here’s what we know: First and foremost, Montanans are healthier than ev...
Those hardy individuals homesteading on the northern plains of Montana never expected the services that society now enjoys: There was on exception, though: doctors’ house calls. Living an austere life 40-plus miles from the nearest town was handled readily – that is, until illness struck. This happened in our family during the late 1920s. My only sister, Hazel, was struck by a mysterious malady. Word was sent to Malta with a neighbor who had already planned to make the trip. A horse-drawn farm wagon could travel the distance in two days – i...
Do you remember the winters of 49-50, 50-51 and 64-65? Those are only the years that come to my mind and I do know there were many other winters etched in memory. If you remember, I need go no further. For those who do not remember, let me help with some of those past winters. Do you remember driving from Point A to Point B along roads with snow banks higher than your car? Winds and snow so bad that you had small snow drifts along the base boards inside your house. Ice on top of the water bucket (your source of household water) that was broken...
Save the dates! Join in the fun and learning at the Glasgow City-County Library. We would love to have you and your child or children join us every Thursday at 10 a.m. for story time. The kids learn many social skills interacting with other kids, various reading skills such as numbers, shapes, rhyming patterns and much more. Adults have an opportunity to meet, interact and learn from each other as well as make new friends. February Highlights: The first Thursday of each month, September through June, we have story time at Valley View Home. Due...
“Don’t ever think your voice isn’t important.” This was the key message we hoped to impart on the Young Farmers & Ranchers who attended our Calling on the Capitol event this week in Helena. Attendees met with agency officials, bill drafters, committee chairmen and had the opportunity to participate in committee hearings. These events are a highlight of our time in Helena; getting farmers and ranchers in the halls of the Capitol is one of the key priorities to passing strong agricultural policy. In last week’s column we predicted the pace in H...
Dear Editor, These words come as no surprise to many of us. It is our lived experience that Native American women are more likely to go missing, more likely to be murdered, and less likely to have justice in our state. It is our lived experience that when we seek justice for Native women and children who go missing, law enforcement may not take action for weeks-if at all. It is devastating. Right now, we are facing an epidemic of missing and murdered women, many of them Native, in the state of...
Dear Editor, Central Montana is “ground zero” for the destruction of America’s food industry as the international investors bring their millions of dollars to buy private property surrounding public land to gain control of the agricultural leases. The American Prairie Reserve (APR) is methodically destroying the heart of American agriculture while also destroying our future hunting heritage. Sportsmen are being deceived by the APR propaganda as their future hunting will disappear—how much hu...
The year was 1951. A larger bed for Baby Gregory was very much needed after sleeping in the convenient bassinet. Mother could, and easily did, rock with one foot while hands were busy with garden fresh green beans. Soon baby was asleep and one step in meal preparation was complete. This was Montana prairie life. Forty-seven miles were traveled to the nearest furniture store, McFay’s, in Malta. Mr. McFay was most pleased to show a lovely blond crib; no choice as this was the lone one. After examining this piece of furniture, the young parents w...
As many of my readers remember, I really do miss having the dimmer switch on the floor on my vehicles. That thought came to mind again the other day and made me think of all the good progress auto manufacturers have made. Things like the ability to lock all of your vehicle doors with one click, as well as rolling your windows up or down. What about seat adjustments—not only up or down, but closer or further from the steering wheel, not to mention lumbar adjustments and heated seats. Makes me wonder what we will progress to. Though, electric c...
With over 3,000 bill draft requests and only a few hundred bills actually introduced, the Legislative Session is off to a remarkably slow start. While we don’t expect the lull to last, it has made the first few weeks of the session surprisingly bearable! Since committee hearings have been few and far between in recent history, we’ve had time to work on pieces of legislation that aren’t yet introduced. It’s often helpful to reach out to legislators before they even have a committee hearing scheduled. Sometimes we’re able to prevent bad bills...
Dear Editor, Snow is starting to fall, cattle are being fed, and the legislature is back in Helena for the 66th Legislative Session. Fifty-eight Republicans and 42 Democrats have pulled up stakes and moved to Montana’s capitol for the next approximately three and a half months to try and make our state a better place to live. There has been many bills heard so far over the past two weeks, but where they lack in number, they make up in substance. In the House Judiciary Committee, we have heard bills concerning the board of pardons and parole, m...
One of the first pieces of legislation to hit the ground during each legislature is the state’s budget. It’s usually the last piece of the puzzle to get solved, too. Balancing the budget each session is one of the most challenging tasks the legislative body takes on; agencies, members of the public and the Governor all have requests and priorities for the state’s piggy bank. Our industry is no different. We aren’t making any specific asks for General Fund dollars but we do closely follow the budget hearings of several agencies and the Extensi...
The past weeks have been filled with medical appointments and tests, consultations with doctors, and changes in medicines. With traveling added to everything, it’s been quite exhausting and I’ve been sleeping a lot. Yet, with all that’s happened, I’m grateful. Grateful for so much. A family that takes care of me, that does so much for both me and my husband. Then there’s the medical personnel who truly care about me. They take time to discuss any concerns I may have and my questions. If they can’t answer me, they research for the answer and...
I know that I do not succeed 100 percent of the time, but I do try to steer clear of religion and politics. However on my way to church the other day memories flashed through my mind. Do you remember when nothing, school or social events, were scheduled for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings? Sunday mornings were reserved for church, your choice of course, and on Wednesday evenings most church youth groups met. It could be my failing mind, but it seems that CYO, MYF and Luther League (those were the church groups active in my small town)...
As I’ve covered the trade war with China and dove into research on Russia and agriculture for an upcoming interview, I’ve learned a lot, mostly about what I don’t know. Even though I grew up on a farm, in a farming and ranching community, I did not take any interest in the day-to-day operations, production or sales. Recently I came across an article that captured my attention, focused as it was on issues facing farmers, ranchers and agricultural communities. While tariffs and the trade war have not yet produced positive results for these produc...
The 66th Montana Legislature convened Monday, Jan.7, in Helena. While the session is still in its infancy, committees are beginning to meet and legislators are introducing their first bills of the term. We’ve hit the ground running. If you read our last column, you’re already familiar with these important Legislative committees. This is where issues surface and begin the legislative process. Here are some key agriculture issues that were introduced in committee this week. House Bill 63: Remove sunset date to extend financial liability for pes...
Hidden in the shadows of modern farm buildings, rests a gray rotting log cabin, whispering its memories of the homestead days on the Montana prairie, northeast of Malta. My sister and I made many a journey, through the crescent wheat grass, winding through the caraganas and between the plump grain bins, to the little cabin where we could turn the time clock back sixty years before our time. The cabin was kept shut by a weak, one-hinged door and what seemed to be an oversized wooden frame screen door, tied tightly to a coat hook with a golden...
How many housewives still save bacon grease? I have to admit that I still do, but it does not get used nearly as often as it was in past years. Gone are the days when you spooned some bacon grease into your cast iron skillet in order to fry your hash browns, etc. Some of us still use and love our cast iron, but that no-stick cookware is pretty “slick” also. Still on the bacon grease, I have a vague memory of some of my ancestors using bacon grease on some injuries, but please don’t try that as it could be a false memory. There were so many...
To many people, story time and libraries go hand-in-hand. But surprisingly many parents don’t know about the story time program we have here at the library. Not only is story time a free form of entertainment for parents looking for activities for their children but it has numerous cognitive benefits as well. It brings parents and children together and shows a commitment to our community with regards to early literacy and child development. Early literacy refers to what children know about reading and writing before they actually learn to r...
Dear Editor, On Jan. 7, the 66th Montana Legislature convened. I will be serving in my fourth session on the following committees: As a Senate Finance and Claims member we will analyze the following general government agencies: Department of Administration Governor's Office, Department of Labor and Industry, Department of Military Affairs Secretary of State, Legislative Branch, Department of Commerce, Commissioner of Political Practices, Consumer Counsel, Department of Administration and...
