Midday reports indicate the cash cattle market was mostly a waiting game, with very light trade and buyers and sellers still feeling each other out. After a small round of business late in the week, bids reportedly showed back up around $246 live in the South and about $385 dressed in the North—levels described as […]
Montana’s small-grain season is shaping up as a tale of two (or more) Montanas: places with moisture and functioning irrigation are holding onto yield potential, while dryland acres in tougher pockets are increasingly dependent on timely spring rains. Reports from producers and local observers indicate that crop prospects can change quickly this time of year, […]
When drought or wildfire squeezes feed supplies, Montana producers often step up with hay. From the Bitterroot Valley to the Hi-Line, it’s common to see neighbors hauling bales to a ranch that’s short on grass, or a fairgrounds lot filling up with donated feed after a tough summer. The goodwill is real. The tax side, […]
Across Montana, hay moves the same way it always has in a tight year: by pickup, by semi, and by neighbor-to-neighbor phone calls. When drought, wildfire, or a hard winter hits, ranchers in the Bitterroot Valley, the Hi-Line, the Yellowstone Valley, the Gallatin Valley, and the Flathead Valley often step up with donated feed. The […]
Reports indicate the U.S. Department of Agriculture is again weighing whether to resume live cattle imports from Mexico, a policy decision that always draws attention from cow-calf producers, feedlots, and veterinarians. A Texas cattle group recently told Brownfield that protecting the health of the U.S. herd should be the top priority as USDA considers next […]
Montana’s winter wheat picture this spring is shaping up as a tale of different neighborhoods. Reports from around the state suggest some fields are coming out of dormancy with decent stand and color, while others are thin, stressed, or simply waiting on a soaking rain that hasn’t arrived. The split isn’t surprising: moisture has been […]
Montana grain country is heading into spring with a familiar problem: winter wheat prices that can’t seem to settle down for long. Reports indicate the market is being tugged in multiple directions—weather risks, uncertainty around planted acres, and broader commodity and currency moves that can change the tone in a hurry. For Montana producers, that […]
Reports from national ag outlets indicate USDA is weighing whether and how to resume or adjust live cattle imports from Mexico, a move that has ranchers in multiple states emphasizing herd health protections first. While the immediate debate is centered farther south, any shift in import policy can ripple through U.S. cattle markets and disease-prevention […]
Across Montana, the spring wheat picture is shaping up like it often does in a big state: uneven. Reports from producers, agronomists and local observers indicate some areas are carrying decent soil moisture and workable field conditions, while other pockets are watching the sky and hoping the next system actually delivers. That split matters because […]
Across the Northern Plains, reports tied to USDA acreage expectations are pointing to a familiar pressure point: when crop prices slide, planting intentions and input spending start to shift. That matters in Montana, where wheat remains a cornerstone crop from the Hi-Line to the Yellowstone Valley, and where feed costs and pasture conditions connect grain […]