Live and feeder cattle futures moved higher this week, with market watchers largely waiting on broader negotiated cash cattle trade to show up. Reports indicate the futures lift came ahead of widespread direct business, a pattern that can leave ranchers sorting out what’s real demand versus what’s simply positioning in the futures market. For Montana, […]
Dry years in Montana rarely show up evenly. One operation in the Bitterroot Valley can be watching grass stall out while a neighbor a few miles away catches a timely shower. On the Hi-Line, wind and heat can take topsoil moisture in a hurry even when totals don’t look terrible on paper. That patchwork is […]
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 […]
Reports from around Montana suggest spring is arriving with a familiar twist: moisture is not landing evenly. Some producers are looking at fields that are finally recharging after a dry stretch, while others are watching showers stack up fast enough to delay early fieldwork. That split matters in a state where a couple inches at […]
Reports from around Montana suggest spring is arriving with a familiar complication: moisture isn’t showing up evenly. Some valleys are dealing with saturated fields and slow warm-up, while nearby benches and rangeland are still waiting on meaningful recharge. That split matters as farmers eye spring planting windows and ranchers plan turnout, hay acres and water […]
Reports from ag meteorologists watching the central U.S. indicate drought has been hanging on across parts of the western Corn Belt, with limited signs of a quick turnaround. While that geography is outside Montana, the same large-scale weather patterns that keep Nebraska and the Dakotas dry can also influence moisture tracks into the Northern Rockies […]
Live and feeder cattle futures closed the week with sharp Friday losses—feeders hit harder. Here’s what it could mean for Montana calf and yearling bids, basis, and risk-management decisions heading into spring marketing.