Every December, a slice of the West sets up camp in Las Vegas. For Montanans who rope, ranch, ride, or just like the smell of leather and fresh coffee before daylight, Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) week can feel like a big family reunion—only with brighter lights and longer lines. There’s the rodeo itself, of […]
In Montana, a milk check can feel a lot like river flows in July: you can’t control the weather upstream, but you can manage what happens on your place. Milk pricing is influenced by national and global markets, federal milk marketing rules, processing capacity, and transportation realities—especially in a state where distance is always part […]
On a good year in Montana, you can drive a section line and feel like the crop is doing fine—until harvest proves otherwise. On a tough year, you might already know where the wheels are wobbling, but pinning down exactly why can be the hard part. That’s where modern aerial imagery is trying to earn […]
When the days get long on Montana ranches and the county fairgrounds start filling up, rodeo season feels less like a weekend diversion and more like a traveling scoreboard. In saddle bronc, that scoreboard can swing fast—one big check, one great horse, one clean ride at the right time—and suddenly a rider is in the […]
In Montana, a “good plan” can change between breakfast and the first pass with the sprayer. A wind shift can ground a spray rig. A surprise rain can push haying back a week. A rally in wheat can make a call to the elevator worth your time. And a sudden basis change can turn what […]
When corn starts showing pale, yellow striping across the newest leaves, it can turn a calm drive-by into a stop-and-scout moment. Across the northern plains, reports indicate more growers are noticing striping early in the season, and sulfur (S) is often one of the first nutrients agronomists consider—especially when conditions slow root growth or limit […]
Crop news can feel like it’s written for the Corn Belt, but the ripple effects reach Montana fast—through input prices, grain bids, insurance decisions, and even the availability of certain seed traits and chemistries. Whether you’re raising winter wheat on the Hi-Line, irrigating malt barley in the Yellowstone Valley, or trying to time a pulse […]
Across Montana, conversations about soil health have moved from coffee-shop theory to line-item budgeting. A big driver is the rise of “carbon markets” and climate-related incentive programs that may pay producers for practices that store carbon in soil or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Reports indicate interest is growing, but so are questions: What counts? Who verifies […]
Every December, plenty of Montanans point the pickup south and trade frozen corrals for bright lights. The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas has become more than a rodeo week—it’s a 10-day grind of early mornings, late nights, and a whole lot of walking. Whether you’re going to watch your favorite contestant, shop […]
Montanans don’t need a studio to tell a good story. It’s right there in the stubble after a long day of cutting, in the steam off a horse at daylight, and in that quick flash of a trout before it slips back under a cutbank. Every week, social feeds fill up with scenes that feel […]