Agriculture

News from Montana Farmers Union MONTANA — A new tractor repair MOU hasn’t changed the fact that farmers and ranchers do not have the ability to fully repair their own equipment. The most recent MOU was announced by American Farm Bureau Federation and CNH Industrial and comes on the heels of a similar MOU between Farm Bureau and John Deere. Like its predecessor, the new MOU lacks enforcement mechanisms and fails to give agricultural equipment owners the diagnostic tools and software to program parts to be fully functional. “This MOU is like a cowboy advertising a sterile bull for sale. The bull may look good but can’t finish the job. This MOU sounds good...

LAKE COUNTY — In the wake of the national egg shortage, which has seen national providers across the board lose flocks of chickens to avian influenza, local egg providers have been rising to the challenge to meet increasing egg demand.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Unite...

News from the MT Department of Livestock HELENA — Following multiple confirmed cases of equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in Flathead County, the Montana Department of Livestock recommended that horse owners and event coordinators in the Flathead Valley limit travel and cancel events th...

News from USDA WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the details of additional assistance for dairy producers, including a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Pro...

News from USDA BOZEMAN — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Community Agriculture Initiative. This initiative supports the conservation efforts of Montana’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners from small acreage to large. NRCS accept...

News from USDA BOZEMAN — The Montana Association of Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will host the 2023 Montana Soil Health Symposium on Feb. 8-9 at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. The event will feature Jerry Doan of Black Leg Ranch in McKenzie, N...

News from USDA  BOZEMAN — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Montana is accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) enrollment option and the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE). While NRCS accepts easement appl...

News from the office of Governor Gianforte HELENA — Governor Greg Gianforte and Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark announced on Nov. 1 a letter of intent for Heineken International Cerveceria Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (Heineken International) to increase its purchase volume...

News from USDA WASHINGTON — Dairy producers can now enroll for 2023 coverage through the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program, an important safety net program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps producers manage changes in milk and feed prices. 

News from the office of Senator Jon Tester BIG SANDY — As a part of his continued effort to strengthen Montana food systems, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured six United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grants totaling $1,968,000 for local organizatio...