Montana

The Beef Checkoff program and fifteen grassroots-led state beef councils won a major court victory last week. The U.S. District Court of Montana ruled in favor of USDA and the Montana Beef Council in the matter of R-CALF vs. Sonny Perdue and USDA ...

As the USDA’s probe into price-fixing allegations in the beef industry continues, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue would like some extra tools to deal with potential price manipulation across the industry. Perdue spoke during a Senate Appropriations Agriculture-FDA Subcommittee hearing last week. He t ...

The Bureau of Land Management has announced plans to fund 11,000 miles of strategic fuel breaks in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah in an effort to help control wildfires.  According to the Oregonian, the fuel breaks are intended to prop up fire mitigation efforts and help protect firefighters, communities and natural resources.  Ac...

The Idaho Senate Ag Committee is looking at changing the eligible age cattle can be tested for brucellosis from 18 months to 12 months, impacting those in brucellosis surveillance areas, primarily in the eastern portion of the state.  The Washington Ag Network’s Riley Haun said this will help Idaho get on a level playing field with its neighbors.   “...

Women across the Northwest are encouraged to learn how to run resilient farms and business while enhancing their own health at Washington State University’s 2020 Women in Agriculture conference.  This year’s event will take place January 25th, at 31 locations across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and even Alaska and Hawaii.  WSU’s Margaret...

A new rule that went into effect this year removes penalties for cherry processors in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Utah, who previously faced lost market access to or through California for an entire season when fruit from just a few individual growers tested positive for fruit fly larva...

Will it be a little tougher to get operating capital this spring?  For some the answer is yes.   “And I think it will be instead of a $150,000 operating line, it might be $110,000 or $100,000 operating line," said Montana Banker Heather Malcolm.  "So, it might...

If you ask farm and ranch lenders from across the country their thoughts on the future of the Ag economy, their responses may not be as somber as you’d expect.  And while there is caution about the current farm economy, Montana banker Heather Malcolm says it’s not all gloom and doom as we look at 2020.   “From a...

When it comes to the national winter wheat pictures, the USDA is emergence is now at 87%, which is improved from last year's 85% at this time, but off the five-year average of 90%.  USDA Meteorologist, Brad Rippey, said there are some concerns nationwide.  ...

The national winter wheat picture is looking fairy good for this time of year.  According to the first USDA numbers 56% is rated good to excellent, 15% very poor to poor, which is just slightly better than this time last year.  USDA Meteorologist, Brad Rippey said, the amount of winter wheat planted is ahead of schedule.   ...