Montana farming news, insights, and analysis covering the crops, markets, weather, and innovations shaping agriculture across Big Sky Country. This section of Montana Outdoor News focuses on the farmers who produce Montana’s wheat, barley, hay, pulses, and specialty crops, along with the equipment, irrigation systems, and agronomic practices that keep operations productive from the Hi-Line to the Yellowstone Valley.
Here you’ll find updates on Montana crop conditions, planting and harvest progress, market trends affecting grain and hay prices, drought and water outlooks, agricultural policy developments, and the technology transforming modern farming. We also highlight the challenges and opportunities facing Montana producers, including soil health, input costs, labor, and changing climate patterns.
Whether you’re a farmer, landowner, ag professional, or simply interested in the agricultural backbone of rural Montana, this category delivers timely reporting and practical insights on the people and operations driving Montana’s farming industry.
USDA’s latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) update is getting plenty of attention in grain country, and for Montana it’s…
Soybean futures posted a modest gain recently, with market watchers pointing to short covering, technical buying, and renewed strength in crude oil.…
Montana producers don’t need a reminder that grain markets can move on headlines as fast as they move on rain. But the…
Dry springs and tight soil moisture have a way of reshuffling the weed deck in Montana. In some years, drought can slow…
Reports from national market analysts indicate overnight grain trading has been choppy, with corn and soybeans moving in different directions as global…
Corn and soybean futures have been leaning lower in recent trade, with market attention shifting away from outside energy headlines and back…
Grain and livestock futures finished Monday with a split personality: corn and soybeans nudged higher, wheat drifted lower, live cattle posted a…
USDA’s latest national look at winter wheat suggests the crop is coming out of dormancy with more stress than growers saw this…
Across Montana, reports from lenders, appraisers and real estate brokers indicate farmland and ranchland values have been more resilient than many producers…
Reports from hay country outside Montana are pointing to earlier-than-usual alfalfa weevil activity this spring. Montana isn’t Missouri, and timing can vary…
Montana producers are used to living with volatility—weather, freight, interest rates, and basis swings that can turn a “good” futures market into…
Montana’s small-grain season is shaping up as a tale of two (or more) Montanas: places with moisture and functioning irrigation are holding…
When drought or wildfire squeezes feed supplies, Montana producers often step up with hay. From the Bitterroot Valley to the Hi-Line, it’s…
Montana’s winter wheat picture this spring is shaping up as a tale of different neighborhoods. Reports from around the state suggest some…
Montana grain country is heading into spring with a familiar problem: winter wheat prices that can’t seem to settle down for long.…
Across Montana, the spring wheat picture is shaping up like it often does in a big state: uneven. Reports from producers, agronomists…
Across the Northern Plains, reports tied to USDA acreage expectations are pointing to a familiar pressure point: when crop prices slide, planting…
Cash dairy markets posted a mixed-to-firmer tone Thursday, according to reports from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Cheese blocks moved higher, while…
New USDA planting and acreage information is once again rippling through grain markets, and reports indicate it’s creating short-lived pricing windows for…
USDA planting reports have a way of jolting grain markets, even for producers a long way from the Corn Belt. This week’s…
Grain futures turned lower after a round of USDA data and a softer tone in outside markets, with reports pointing to profit…
USDA’s annual Prospective Plantings report is one of those market events that can move prices fast, even though it’s built on producer…
Soybean futures moved higher after a USDA acreage estimate that came in toward the low end of what many analysts were expecting,…
Grain markets started the day on a softer note as traders positioned ahead of fresh USDA numbers. Reports indicate corn futures were…
Grain markets were on the defensive heading into the next round of USDA data, with reports indicating corn futures were pressing toward…