October 15, 2018 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Livestock Groups Petition Department of Transportation for Hours of Service Flexibility

Today organizations representing livestock, bee, and fish haulers across the country submitted a petition to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting additional flexibility on Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. The petition asks for a five-year exemption from certain HOS requirements for livestock haulers and encourages DOT to work with the livestock industry to implement additional fatigue-management practices.

Current rules limit drive time to 11 hours and limit on-duty hours to 14. Instead, the organizations request that livestock haulers be granted approval to drive up to 15 hours with a 16-hour on-duty period, following a 10-hour consecutive rest period. Any livestock hauler wishing to operate under the extended drive time would be required to complete pre-trip planning and increased fatigue-management training.

“We are concerned that the 11- and 14-hour rules were not drafted with livestock haulers in mind and thus do not accommodate the unique character of their loads and nature of their trips,” the organizations wrote. The current requirements “place the well-being of livestock at risk during transport and impose significant burdens on livestock haulers, particularly in rural communities across the country.”

The strong safety record of livestock haulers demonstrates their ability to ensure the well-being of both live animals and other drivers on the road. A 2014 analysis by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that livestock haulers were underrepresented in truck-involved fatal crashes. Data cited in the petition also shows that, between 2013 and 2015, livestock haulers accounted for 6.6 percent of all commercial drivers but less than one percent of crashes involving large trucks.

Australia already implements rules for livestock haulers that focus on safety outcomes, not prescriptive limits. The petition encourages DOT to work with industry to develop and implement similar measures.

The petition was signed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association, and the National Aquaculture Association.

Source: NCBA Press Release

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October 11, 2018 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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The Montana Department of Livestock has adopted changes to rules affecting vaccination requirements

The newly adopted brucellosis vaccination rule (ARM 32.3.433) mandates that eligible animals in 10 Montana counties must be vaccinated against brucellosis. The change requires that all sexually intact female cattle and domestic bison 12 months of age or older in Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison, Park, Stillwater, and Sweet Grass Counties must be brucellosis vaccinates. Prior to this rulemaking, only cattle and domestic bison in Gallatin, Madison, Park, and Beaverhead Counties were required to be vaccinated.  This rule includes cattle that enter any of these counties for seasonal grazing.

Beyond the addition of new counties, the rule also moves away from December 1st as the cutoff date for completion of vaccination and no longer specifies that animals be calf-hood vaccinates. This gives producers more options for the management of replacement heifers and allows animals to be vaccinated as adults.

“Vaccination in a broader area than Montana’s DSA provides some protection from sudden changes to the distribution of infected wildlife on the landscape,” said Eric Liska, brucellosis program veterinarian with MDOL. “Vaccination has been shown to minimize the spread of the disease if it is introduced into a livestock herd.”

Producers who have not vaccinated their replacement females in the past should contact their local veterinarian to schedule replacement heifer vaccinations and discuss options for unvaccinated adult females in the herd.

Additionally, changes to ARM 32.3.433 adjusts the DSA boundary in a portion of Beaverhead County. Cattle and domestic bison that utilize this area will be subject to all brucellosis DSA regulations. DSA regulations include brucellosis testing prior to a change of ownership and movement as well as vaccination and identification requirements.

The DSA boundary has expanded 3 times since 2009. Each expansion was made in response to findings of brucellosis in elk which required the inclusion of additional cattle and domestic bison in the surveillance program. The undetected disease spread outside of Montana’s DSA could jeopardize Montana’s federal brucellosis Class Free status, and in 2008, a loss of brucellosis Class Free status was estimated to have cost Montana’s producers up to $11.5 million annually.  DSA regulations and producer compliance have allowed for early disease detection when a periodic transmission from wildlife to livestock does occur. This success promotes trading partner confidence in the disease-free status of Montana’s livestock.

The mission of the Montana Department of Livestock is to control and eradicate animal diseases, prevent the transmission of animal diseases to humans, and to protect the livestock industry from theft and predatory animals. For more information on the Montana Department of Livestock, visit www.liv.mt.gov.

October 11, 2018 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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NCBA Calls for Flexibility on Hours of Service Rules

At a public listening session hosted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today called for additional flexibility on Hours of Service rules for livestock haulers. NCBA President Kevin Kester and Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera delivered the group’s message at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington.

The comments emphasized the need for a regulatory framework that encourages drivers to rest when they are tired. Under the status quo, drivers are incentivized to “push through” fatigue due to overly-restrictive Hours of Service rules.

“The current Hours of Service framework is incompatible with the realities of livestock hauling,” said Kester. “Drivers of our livestock need to be alert and safe, while also cognizant of the welfare of the animals they are hauling. We want them to rest as needed, instead of racing against the clock.”

Current rules require a livestock hauler to rest for 10 consecutive hours once they reach their maximum on-duty drive time of 11 hours. When a driver “runs out of time” while hauling live animals, they are given the grim prospects of unloading the livestock or leaving them on the trailer for a 10-hour stretch. Both options present serious logistical and animal welfare challenges.

NCBA comments encouraged FMCSA to provide livestock haulers with the flexibility of a split sleeper berth program that would allow for shorter rest periods of two or three hours during a trip, until the 10 hours of total rest has been reached. While stopping for a 10-hour period with a load of livestock is rarely feasible, allowing multiple rest periods of two or three hours would enable livestock haulers to get the rest they need while maintaining the health and well-being of animals in their care.

“In the livestock hauling world, common sense flexibility is everything,” said Rivera. “This need for flexibility comes from the fact that livestock haulers not only have to be concerned with the safety of themselves and other drivers on the road, but also the welfare of the live animals they are transporting.”

October 10, 2018 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Secretary Perdue Announces Vicki Christiansen as New Forest Service Chief

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that Vicki Christiansen will serve as the 19th Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service. Christiansen has been serving as Interim Chief since March of this year. Following the announcement, Secretary Perdue issued the following statement:

“As a former wildland firefighter and fire manager, Chief Christiansen knows what’s needed to restore our forests and put them back to work for the taxpayers. With seven years at the Forest Service and 30 years with the states of Arizona and Washington, Vicki’s professional experience makes me confident that she will thrive in this role and hit the ground running.”

Tomorrow, Secretary Perdue will swear-in Christiansen as Chief in the Sidney Yates Building in Washington, D.C.

Vicki Christiansen Background:

Vicki Christiansen has been serving as the interim Chief at the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service in Washington, DC. Prior to that she was Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry where she had oversight of Fire and Aviation Management, Tribal Relations, Forest Health Protection, Cooperative Forestry, Grey Towers and Conservation Education. She joined the Forest Service in 2010 as the Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management. Vicki has worked extensively on the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy bringing her experience as a line officer, land manager, wildland firefighter and State Forester to the effort.

Prior to joining the Forest Service, she served as the Arizona State Forester and Director of the Arizona Division of Forestry. She was responsible for the protection of 22 million acres of state and private lands in Arizona, including wildland fire management. As State Forester, Vicki represented Arizona at the national and state level on forest health and wildland fire issues. She was Chair of the Wildland Fire Committee for the National Association of State Foresters.

Vicki also served as the Washington State Forester where she had a 26-year career with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). She started as a wildland firefighter while still in college and held many different positions at Washington DNR with a strong emphasis in operations, managing state trust lands and regulating forest practices on state and private lands in Washington State. Her first permanent position was as a forester responsible for the reforestation of state trust lands in the Mt. Saint Helens blast zone. Vicki has been a wildland firefighter and fire manager for 36 years. She has numerous credentials in the wildland fire program with a special expertise as a fire line-blasting advisor. Vicki has a B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Washington (1983, cum laude). She is married to a Fire Chief (retired) and has two grown sons.

October 8, 2018 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana NRCS Announces Conservation Initiatives for 2019

NRCS is offering additional funding through EQIP to target specific resource concerns in Montana in 2019: on-farm energy, honey bee pollinators, high tunnel systems, Sage Grouse Initiative invasive conifer removal and cropland seeding, Capital 360 Forestry Project, and the National Water Quality Initiative.

While NRCS accepts EQIP applications on a continuous basis, NRCS has set a deadline of Oct. 19, 2018, to apply for 2019 initiatives funding. Below is an overview of each initiative:

National On-Farm Energy Initiative:  This initiative has two components. In the first component, agricultural producers work with an NRCS-approved Technical Service Provider to develop Agricultural Energy Management Plans or farm energy audits that assess energy consumption on an operation. In the second component, NRCS may also provide assistance to implement various recommended measures identified in the energy audit through the use of conservation practice standards offered through this initiative.

Honey Bee Pollinators:  NRCS will work with agricultural producers to combat future declines by helping them to implement conservation practices that provide forage for honey bees while enhancing habitat for other pollinators and wildlife.

High Tunnel Systems:  NRCS helps producers implement high tunnels that extend growing seasons for high value crops in an environmentally safe manner. High tunnel benefits include better plant and soil quality and fewer nutrients and pesticides in the environment.

Sage Grouse Initiative Invasive Conifer Removal:  Conifer encroachment into sagebrush rangelands affects the productivity of grazing lands and can be detrimental for sage-grouse and other species that depend on sagebush-steppe habitat. The most cost-effective approach for conifer treatment is to target early encroachment stands, where small trees can be completely removed and the existing sagebrush community sustained. By targeting early stages of encroachment in intact sagebrush landscapes, habitat for wildlife can be improved.

Sage Grouse Initiative Cropland Seeding:  Loss and fragmentation of sage-grouse habitat is the primary threat to sage-grouse. Through this initiative, landowners can work with NRCS to seed cropland in sage-grouse habitat back to perennial species to improve the connectivity for not only sage-grouse, but the many other species that depend on large, intact landscapes.

Capital 360 Forestry Project:  The goal of the Capital 360 partnership project is to improve forest health by integrating resource management across all administrative boundaries. Through this localized initiative, fuels reduction treatment projects will be strategically placed across Broadwater, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Powell counties.

National Water Quality Initiative: This initiative helps producers implement conservation systems to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous, sediment and pathogen contributions from agricultural land in the Camp and Godfrey Creeks (Lower Gallatin) Watershed.

EQIP offers financial and technical assistance to eligible participants to install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. Conservation practices must be implemented to NRCS standards and specifications. In Montana, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers will receive a higher payment rate for eligible conservation practices applied.

For more information about EQIP, or other programs offered by NRCS, please contact your local USDA Service Center or visitwww.mt.nrcs.usda.gov.

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October 5, 2018 Comments are off MoonShine Design Studio
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Rangeland drought resilience study

by Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist

Although the majority of the state has had ample rain this year, it’s good to be prepared when a drought does occur.  Drought preparedness is especially crucial when multi-year droughts occur.  I am currently working with several scientists on a drought resilience study: Identifying mechanisms of rangeland drought resilience: management strategies for sustainable ecosystem health.

Key Personnel

  • Sally Koerner, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina – Greensboro
  • Lauren Porensky, Ecologist, USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research, Fort Collins, CO
  • Kevin Wilcox, Ecologist, USDA-ARS Rangeland Resources & Systems Research, Fort Collins, CO
  • Kim La Pierre, Senior Scientist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
  • Kurt Reinhart, Ecologist, USDA-ARS Range, and Livestock Research, Miles City, MT
  • Megan Van Emon, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist/Assistant Professor, Montana State University

 

Long-Term Goals

  1. Examine the resilience of rangeland function under various magnitudes of drought
  2. Assess the impacts of realistic grazing strategies on long-term sustainability and resilience of rangeland function, both during and after extreme droughts
  3. Provide relevant information and tools to land managers to optimize management strategies focused on long-term forage quantity and quality after extreme droughts

 

Supporting Objectives

  1. Identify drought-driven “tipping points”, where forage quantity and quality suffer disproportionately large declines
  2. Quantify drought impacts on plant community structure and soil properties
  3. Explore the direct and indirect mechanisms controlling forage quality and quantity responses to drought
  4. Assess rancher philosophies concerning grazing during and after multi-year droughts
  5. Examine how realistic grazing strategies during/after drought effect plant community structure, soil abiotic and biotic properties, and forage quality and quantity
  6. Promote stakeholder implementation of research findings through producer-based meetings, extension bulletins, local field days, and non-traditional web-based learning as well as the development of an online management tool

 

Research Sites

  1. Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, Miles City, MT
  2. Thunder Basin National Grassland, Northeastern WY

 

Key Activities

  • Drought manipulation – Assess ecosystem response to differing drought intensities
    • Rainfall reduction gradient – 5 levels
      • Open for discussion
    • Rainfall reduction will be based on the current year’s precipitation
    • Rainout shelters will be in place from April to September
    • Measure impact of a reduction of spring moisture on mixed-grass prairie ecosystem
  • Grazing manipulation – Evaluate differing grazing rest rotations during drought on the ecosystem
    • Grazing rotations – 3 levels – We want your input
      • Example: graze annually (control), do not graze in year two of drought, do not graze in year one of recovery
    • Graze to moderate level
      • Open for discussion
    • Timing of grazing
      • Open for discussion
    • Field sampling – pre-drought, during drought, and during recovery
      • Forage quality and quantity
      • Soil abiotic factors
      • Soil microbial makeup
      • Plant species makeup
    • Management response to drought assessment
      • Assess rancher grazing strategies during and after a multi-year drought
      • Evaluate drought management tools used, drought management strategies, production information, preparedness for multi-year drought
      • Field days and meetings at each research site for demonstrations and assessment of the project
    • Stakeholder implementation of research findings
      • Provide research findings to develop new and update existing grazing strategies during multi-year droughts
      • Conduct producer-based meetings to evaluate project progress and discuss current results
      • Develop a web-based tool for aiding in drought management strategy development

 

Several factors will be determined based on survey feedback, including the rainfall reduction gradient, grazing intensity, and timing of grazing.  We are asking for Montana and Wyoming beef cattle producers to complete the Rangeland Drought Resilience Survey. The survey information includes how grazing and cattle management strategies were altered during drought, how management strategies may be altered in a single or multi-year drought, and feedback on the study design to determine the impacts of drought severity and length on rangeland response.

 

 

October 4, 2018 Comments are off MoonShine Design Studio
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USDA Launches Interactive Data Tool to Help Rural Communities Address the Opioid Crisis

New Community Assessment Tool Empowers Rural Leaders to Make Data-Driven Decisions to Build Resilient Communities

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched an interactive data tool to help community leaders build grassroots strategies to address the opioid epidemic.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural America in addressing this monumental challenge,” Hazlett said. “Local leaders in small towns across our country need access to user-friendly and relevant data to help them build grassroots solutions for prevention, treatment and recovery.”

The opioid misuse Community Assessment Tool enables users to overlay substance misuse data against socioeconomic, census and other public information. This data will help leaders, researchers and policymakers assess what actions will be most effective in addressing the opioid crisis at the local level.

The Community Assessment Tool is free and available to the public. It can be accessed on USDA’s Rural Opioid Misuse Webpageor at opioidmisusetool.norc.org.

USDA’s launch of the Community Assessment Tool closely follows President Trump’s declaration of October as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. Approximately 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017; 49,000 of those deaths involved an opioid. Many of these deaths have been fueled by the misuse of prescription pain medications. The severity of the current opioid misuse crisis requires immediate action.

Rural Development partnered with the Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at NORC at the University of Chicago to create the Community Assessment Tool. NORC at the University of Chicago is a non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business and policy decisions. Today, government, corporate and nonprofit organizations around the world partner with NORC to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge. The Walsh Center focuses on a wide array of issues affecting rural providers and residents, including health care quality and public health systems.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.

To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

 

Source: USDA

September 25, 2018 Comments are off MoonShine Design Studio
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Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame announces 2018 inductions

Today the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) announced the eleventh class of inductions into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The inductees were chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general public. Inductees are honored for their notable contributions to the history and culture of Montana.

“Our volunteer trustees around Montana vote on nominations that come from the district in which they reside,” said Bill Galt, MCHF & WHC President. “This process gives the local communities a strong voice in who will represent them in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame exists to honor those who have made an impact in their part of the state and represent Montana’s authentic heritage for future generations.”

The MCHF & WHC board of directors has designated 12 trustee districts across the state from which up to 20 trustees may be appointed. Nomination criteria established by the board for the Class of 2018 inductions allowed the election of one Living Inductee and one Legacy Inductee from each of the 12 districts.

The 2018 inductees into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame are:

  • District 1 (Daniels, Phillips, Roosevelt, Sheridan, & Valley Counties): Living Award – Raymond & Echo Garberg, Whitetail. Legacy Award – Scobey Saddle Club, Scobey.
  • District 2 (Dawson, Garfield, McCone, Prairie, Richland, & Wibaux Counties): Living Award – Michael Earl “Mike” Pierson, Brusett. Legacy Award – Harvey L. Rattey, Glendive.
  • District 3 (Carter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River, Rosebud, & Treasure Counties): Living Award – Wade Wayne Berry, Miles City. Legacy Award – Paul T. Ringling, Miles City.
  • District 4 (Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, & Liberty Counties): Living Award – Joseph Louis “Joey” Malsam, Chinook. Legacy Award – Marion Laureen (Kearful) Vercruyssen, Chinook.
  • District 5 (Cascade, Glacier, Pondera, Teton, & Toole Counties): Living Award – Clarence Allan & Mary Ann Pursley, Great Falls. Legacy Award – Francis X. Guardipee (Ah koo in slak mi) Big Lodge Pole, Browning.
  • District 6 (Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum, & Wheatland Counties): Living Award – Jordan Family of Missouri River Breaks Country, Roy. Legacy Award – Ann (McNally) “Annie” Fergus, Geyser.
  • District 7 (Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, & Yellowstone Counties): Living Award – Walter Lee “Walt” Secrest, Hardin. Legacy Award – Ignatius Daniel “I.D.” O’Donnell, Billings.
  • District 8 (Broadwater, Jefferson, & Lewis and Clark Counties): Living Award – Rodger & Sheila (Johnson) Nordahl, Helena. Legacy Award – John R. Quigley – Frontier Town, Helena.
  • District 9 (Gallatin, Meagher, & Park Counties): Living Award – Lester “Bud” Griffith, Gallatin Gateway. Legacy Award – Jack & Louise Galt, Martinsdale.
  • District 10 (Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, & Sanders Counties): Living Award – Carl V. Moss, Polson. Legacy Award – Asa Clayton “A.C.” Brooks, Saint Ignatius.
  • District 11 (Mineral, Missoula, & Ravalli Counties): Living Award – Louis Woodrow “Louie” Vero, Greenough. Legacy Award – Major John Owen, Stevensville.
  • District 12 (Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Silver Bow, Granite, Madison, & Powell Counties): Living Award – Earl Ben Stucky, Avon. Legacy Award – John Raphael Quigley, Sr., Elliston.

The MCHF & WHC will honor these inductees during the annual Circle the Wagons gathering February 8-9, 2019, in Great Falls at the Best Western Heritage Inn. More information on this event will come later in the year.

Full biographies for past inductees are available on the MCHF & WHC’s website, http://www.montanacowboyfame.org. This year’s inductees will be added to the website soon.

September 20, 2018 Comments are off MoonShine Design Studio
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NRCS Sets Program Funding Application Cutoff for October 19

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has set a Oct. 19, 2018, application cutoff for agricultural operators to be considered for 2019 conservation program funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices that provide environmental benefits to help sustain agricultural operations. Conservation program participation is voluntary and helps private landowners and operators defray the costs of installing conservation practices.

NRCS accepts conservation program applications year-round; however, applications for 2019 funding consideration must be submitted by Oct. 19, 2018. Applications made after the Oct. 19 cutoff will be considered in the next funding cycle. Additional information is available on the Montana NRCS website at www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov under the Programs tab or you can contact your local NRCS service center.

Source: NRCS Press Release

September 18, 2018 Comments are off MoonShine Design Studio
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USDA Details Trade Damage Estimate Calculations

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue last week released a detailed accounting of how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) calculated estimated damage from trade disruptions.  USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist developed an estimate of gross trade damages for commodities with assessed retaliatory tariffs by Canada, China, the European Union, Mexico, and Turkey to set commodity payment rates and purchase levels in the trade mitigation package announced by USDA on September 4, 2018.  USDA employed the same approach often used in adjudicating World Trade Organization trade dispute cases.

“We have pledged to be transparent about this process and how our economists arrived at the numbers they did,” Perdue said.  “Our farmers and ranchers work hard to feed the United States and the world, and they need to know that USDA was thorough, methodical, and as accurate as possible in making these estimates.  It was a large and important task, and I thank Chief Economist Robert Johansson and his staff for their hard work.”

The full description of the Trade Damage Estimation for the Market Facilitation Program and Food Purchase and Distribution Program is available on the website of USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist.