Hay & Feed
Bale the First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Can Catch Fire Three Weeks Later
Hay put up above safe moisture keeps heating in the stack long after you've left the field, and by July it can…
Hay & Feed
Cutting Hay a Week Late Costs You More Feed Value Than the Extra Tonnage Is Worth
Waiting for the swather to fill the windrow buys you bulk, but the protein and energy are already walking out of the…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting Before You Ever Drop the Sickle
Weevil larvae skeletonize the leaves off your best alfalfa in June, right when the stand should be filling out. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and the Stack Cooks Itself From the Inside
Hay that goes in the stack a few points too wet heats, molds, loses feed value, and in a bad year lights…
Hay & Feed
Cut It at the Boot, Not When You Get Around to It: Timing First-Cutting Hay
Every day you wait past the boot stage, your grass hay loses protein and gains stem. Here's how to read the crop…
Water & Irrigation
Shut the Headgate in Time: Timing Your Last Flood Before First Cutting
On Montana's flood-irrigated hay meadows, the trick isn't turning the water on — it's knowing when to shut it off so the…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and It’ll Cook: Watching Moisture on the First Cutting
Hay put up a little green feels like a win in a short weather window, but bales stacked too wet heat, mold,…
Land & Grazing
Scout Grasshoppers in June, Before They Eat Your Fall Pasture
Grasshoppers do the most damage as small nymphs in early summer. Counting them now and hitting the hatch beds early is cheaper…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Crop at Bud Stage: Hay That Tests, Not Just Fills the Stack
First cutting is where you make or lose your protein for the year. A few days' delay and the right baling moisture…
Hay & Feed
Do the Hay Math in June, Not in a Panic Come October
First cutting is the time to figure out whether you'll have enough winter feed — because June is when you still have…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water On Before the Call Comes: June Irrigation on Montana Hay Ground
Mid-June is when snowmelt runoff peaks and the river goes on call. Here's how to make your water right earn its keep…
Hay & Feed
Wet Hay Heats Up: How First-Cutting Bales Catch Fire in the Stack
Baling first-cutting hay a little too damp can cook your stack from the inside out — and start a fire weeks after…
Hay & Feed
First-Cutting Hay: Cut at the Right Stage, Then Beat the Weather
Putting up good first-cutting hay in Montana comes down to two fights — cutting at the right maturity and getting it dry…
Ranching
Donating Hay in Montana: When It Helps Neighbors—and When It Helps at Tax Time
Across Montana, hay moves the same way it always has in a tight year: by pickup, by semi, and by neighbor-to-neighbor phone…
Farming
Wheat Holds Firm While Corn and Beans Slip: What Montana Producers Should Track Next
Reports from national market coverage indicate wheat futures stayed on the front foot heading into the weekend, while corn and soybean prices…
Farming
Grain Markets Firm as Trade Talk Chatter Returns—What Montana Feed, Hay, and Wheat Country Should Take From It
Grain futures ended the latest session with soybeans and wheat pushing higher and corn mostly firmer, according to market reporting from Brownfield…
Farming
Grain Markets End Mixed as Energy Swings—What Montana Producers Should Take From It
Grain futures ended the day with a split personality: soybeans and wheat were mixed, while corn gave back part of its earlier…
Ranching
New federal dollars could boost regenerative grazing on Montana ranches
Regenerative agriculture has been a buzzword in Montana coffee shops and sale barns for years, but the practical question on most outfits…
News
Montana Hay and Grain: What’s Driving Prices, and How Ranchers Can Plan Ahead
Across Montana, hay stacks and grain bins are more than winter security—they’re a line item that can make or break a year.…
News
Round baler upgrades: what Montana hay crews should watch in Deere’s newest lineup
As hay season planning starts long before the first windrow hits the ground, equipment announcements tend to catch Montana producers’ attention—especially when…
Ranching
Historic barns and main streets get a boost—why it matters to Montana ranch country
Montana’s working landscapes are full of history you can still use: barns that stack hay every summer, irrigation headgates that keep pastures…
Ranching
Keeping a Montana Ranch Intact: When a Family Chooses Legacy Over a Sale
Reports circulating nationally this winter describe a Montana cattle ranch valued in the tens of millions being transferred away rather than sold…
News
Dry Summer, Tight Hay: Montana Ranchers Weigh Feed Options and Winter Plans
Across parts of Montana, a dry growing season is translating into tighter hay supplies and higher-stakes decisions for ranchers and horse owners.…
Ranching
Luxury Ranch Deals Are Moving Quietly in Montana—Here’s What Working Ranchers Should Watch
Montanans don’t need a glossy brochure to know the ranch market has changed. Over the past few years, big-acre places have drawn…
News
Grain Benchmarks Matter in Cattle Country: A Montana Lens on Feed Costs and Risk
When grain markets get jumpy, Montana ranchers feel it fast—often through the feed bill before anything else. Even if you grow your…