Montana

Earlier this week, the Bureau of Land Management announced a public meeting to solicit feedback on utility-scale solar energy planning.  BLM is considering updates to its 2012 Western Solar Plan that included six southwestern states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.  On top ...

The overall condition of the nation's winter wheat crop is still near 30-year lows.   “But the good news is a few production areas have received much needed moisture in recent weeks and that has started to turn the condition around a little bit," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.  He said the i...

Montana Senator Jon Tester pushed the leader of the Securities and Exchange Commission to avoid taking action on its proposed Climate Rule that could potentially hurt American farmers.  Tester said he’s concerned that action would lead to burdensome reporting requirements for family farmers and ranchers who are part of the supply chain for a publicly-traded company as part of the agency’s proposed

Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo joined fellow Senate Republican, Steve Daines from Montana, asking the Administration to collaborate with states when it comes to Forest Management.  In Thursday’s letter sent to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, the lawmakers urged the development and implementation of a transparent and swift process to allocate funds promised to States for effective forest managem

The canola crop in the Northwest is making a comeback after last year's drought.  PNW Canola reports 2022 yields were up from the previous drought year, but still lower than average.  It's not clear at this point why the crop is making a sluggish recovery, or whether it's a long-term impact from the two-year drought.  This past summer ...

Dozens of wildfires continue to burn across the western U.S. which has led to a lot of smoke and air quality issues, especially across Idaho, Montana and other states in the northern Rockies.  And while conditions remain ripe for fires to start and spread, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey said the wildfire picture has improved here in the west, when compared to last week.   “...

Despite the challenges of inflation and elevated fuel prices, Idaho’s barley growers have recovered many of last year’s losses thanks to solid yields.  Laura Wilder, Executive Director of the Idaho Barley Commission, said 2021’s drought conditions led to a 21% year-over-year production decrease.   To completely reco...

"Unfortunately not unexpected, but if you look at the map of wildfires current in the Northwest, extending from northern California through Oregon, Washington and then eastward through Idaho into western Montana, there are a number of large wildfires on the map...

Researchers at the University of Idaho says they have found a correlation between agricultural chemicals and cancers in adults and children in Idaho, and across 11 Western states.  UI researchers analyzed federal and state health and agriculture data, and report a relationship between cancer incidence and pesticide applications in Idaho’s 44 counties, as well as 459 counties in the Western United

How are pasture conditions nationwide? "Good to excellent ratings at 31% of the country; up 3% points from last week," noted USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey.  "Meanwhile, the very poor to poor ratings 42%, that is down 1% from last week's 43%." ...