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 […]
Dry spells don’t hit Montana evenly. One week the Hi-Line is watching wheat and range grass stall out, while parts of the Gallatin Valley catch a timely shower. The next week it flips. That patchwork is exactly why drought tracking matters: the better the on-the-ground reports, the better the picture for producers, lenders, insurers, and […]
USDA’s latest national look at winter wheat suggests the crop is coming out of dormancy with more stress than growers saw this time last year. Reports indicate the share rated in the top categories is lower than a year ago, while a larger portion is sitting in poor shape. The headline driver nationally is dryness […]
Montana’s small-grain season is shaping up as a tale of two (or more) Montanas: places with moisture and functioning irrigation are holding onto yield potential, while dryland acres in tougher pockets are increasingly dependent on timely spring rains. Reports from producers and local observers indicate that crop prospects can change quickly this time of year, […]
Reports from around the West suggest a familiar pattern heading into the heart of the growing season: some areas are catching timely moisture while others are watching topsoil dry out fast. Montana is no stranger to that kind of “have and have-not” spring, and it can show up within a single county—one place greening up, […]
Reports out of the Western Corn Belt point to a drought pattern that isn’t letting up. That matters in Montana even if the worst of the dryness is centered farther east, because the Corn Belt drives national feed availability, freight flows, and price signals that reach every sale barn and hay stack in the state. […]
Reports from market analysts indicate weather across much of South America has been generally supportive for corn and soybean production so far, though conditions can vary sharply by region and timing. For Montana, that matters less because we grow Brazilian beans and more because those crops help set the tone for global feedgrain and oilseed […]
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 […]
Across Montana, it doesn’t take much of a weather swing to turn a promising crop into a tough decision. A few weeks without meaningful moisture can stall growth, and one fast-moving hail cell can shred leaves, bruise stems, and knock heads to the ground. When both show up in the same season, the questions come […]
Across Montana, it doesn’t take long for a season to turn. One week you’re watching clouds slide past the Judith Basin with nothing to show for it; the next, a fast-moving storm can shred a barley field or lodge wheat flat enough to make harvest decisions feel like guesswork. Reports from across the Northern Plains […]