Author: Harry Ward

Ranching

Reports from national farm outlets indicate a nonprofit group, Farm Rescue, has mobilized hay deliveries to ranchers hit by wildfire, using a coordinated effort sometimes described as an “Operation Hay Lift.” While that work is happening outside Montana in some cases, the message lands close to home: when flames take fences, pasture, and winter feed, […]

Ranching

As wildfire seasons stretch longer across the West, one of the first pinch points for ranchers is rarely the flames themselves—it’s feed. Reports indicate Farm Rescue has activated its “Operation Hay Lift” effort in response to wildfire impacts, coordinating donated hay and trucking to get roughage to ranch families dealing with burned pasture, evacuations, and […]

Farming

Montana producers have learned to budget for weather risk, but 2026 could bring another variable that’s harder to predict: energy price volatility. Reports indicate economists are watching diesel and broader energy markets because fuel touches nearly every line item on a farm or ranch budget—hauling hay, running tractors, moving cattle, pumping irrigation water, and getting […]

Ranching

New USDA numbers suggest more cattle moved into U.S. feedlots in February while fewer cattle moved out the front end. Reports indicate the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report landed close to what analysts were expecting, but the year-over-year comparisons come with a big asterisk: last year’s winter weather disruptions and calendar quirks can make […]

Ranching

Fresh numbers out of USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report are giving the cattle trade something to chew on as spring work ramps up across Montana. Reports indicate U.S. feedlot placements during February were higher than a year ago, while marketings were lower. That combination doesn’t automatically mean “good” or “bad” for Montana ranch country—but […]

Ranching

Montana cattle country has never lacked for opinions on markets. What’s changed is how fast a sales pitch can reach you. Ranchers from the Bitterroot Valley to the Hi-Line report getting more unsolicited texts, social media messages, and webinar invites promising “guaranteed” price gains, secret formulas, or inside access to buyers. Some of these services […]