First cutting proves challenging, in typical Montana fashion By Laura Nowlin The sweet smell of fresh air and fresh cut hay remain a rancher’s favorite smells. Windrows of hay down and bales churning out of baler are a rancher’s favorite...

Multi-generational Allens of Lewistown show how it’s done Photos and writing by August Schield In a high pasture on his ranch just east of Lewistown, rancher Russ Allen rides across his land in near silence. The only audible movement emanates...

Feature photo of organic potatoes grown in the Gallatin Valley. Goals: Buy Local Food, Anchor Uptown Businesses By Renata Birkenbuel UPDATES: Butte Food Co-Op Community Interest Survey is available online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/buttefoodcoop The newly formed organization's new website: https://buttefoodcoop.wordpress.com/ Since a...

Conservation Stewardship Program provides financial and technical assistance Ask any producer what their No. 1 job is, and most will tell you that it’s taking care of the land. Ranchers don’t only raise cattle; they farm grass. Farmers don’t just...

Ag Census and U.S. Census population estimates released this month April is tax season; it’s also census season. And this year, the federal government released two big censuses. Or is it censi? Either way, earlier this month the U.S. Census...

UNUSUALLY BITTER TEMPS, SNOW TRIGGER TOUGH, NEARLY FATAL CONDITIONS Well, we made it through the brunt of this year’s unusually harsh winter and onto the sweet, sweet springtime.   Enduring nearly a month of a strong, arctic polar vortex sitting...

Bottom of Maverick Mountain's only lift. Photo by Chris Goodhue Maverick Mountain, Recreational and Future Attract Money and Challenges Candice Kerr, who now manages Elkhorn Hot Springs, was 23 when she moved to Polaris, 40 miles west of Dillon and...

A Celebration of MSU's Role in Montana Agriculture. Back before Montana State became a University, with multiple colleges, graduate degrees and nearly 18,000 students, it was simply Montana State College (MSC). Its limited degree options included agriculture and economics, and...

This Was Not Your Typical Office Internship By Abigail Northrup Spending a summer traveling across Montana, stopping for two-week stints at six different ranches, may sound like a dream to some and possibly a bad reality television show to others....

Rangeland Education Program Offers Hands-on Experience to Prove There’s More to Ranching Than Cows Another day, another lengthy to-do list. That’s the reality for farmers and ranchers. There isn’t enough sunlight in a day to do the hayin’, move the...