The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit membership organization, has worked on behalf of Montana’s cattle ranching families since 1884. Our mission is to protect and enhance Montana ranch families’ ability to grow and deliver safe, healthy, environmentally wholesome beef to the world.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue hosted U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) today at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for a 2017 fire briefing to hear about this year’s efforts to contain wildfires out west as well as the way the USFS is funded. Currently, the agency has to borrow money from prevention programs to combat ongoing wildfires. Secretary Perdue believes Congress should treat major fires the same as other disasters and that those fires should be covered by emergency funds so prevention programs are not raided.
“This has been a tremendous fire season,” said Secretary Perdue. “As wildfire costs exceed $2 billion, I appreciate those in Congress who recognize this funding issue and are working to make a permanent fix that allows us to manage our forests preemptively. While we can’t stop these wildfires, we know we can be prepared in a much better way.”
You may click HERE or on the image above to watch the 2017 USFS Fire Briefing.
Background:
Recently, wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year exceeded $2 billion, making it the most expensive year on record. This summer, wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States. Currently, the fire suppression portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling ten-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the ten-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, consuming a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. This increase forces agency to take funds from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs. Secretary Perdue’s proposal would ensure both fire suppression and prevention efforts receive the proper funding they need. Just last week, Secretary Perdue urged State Foresters to call on Congress to fix this fire funding problem. You may click HERE and HERE to listen to excerpts of his remarks.
###
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Source: USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development is providing tools and resources to help rural communities recover from the devastation brought by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue highlighted today. The emergency procedures will provide additional flexibility for Rural Development borrowers and community partners to help them recover as quickly as possible and ensure they have what they need to rebuild their homes, businesses, and communities.
“Our team at Rural Development is devoted to supporting rural communities ravaged by the recent hurricanes,” said Secretary Perdue. “We are committed each day to the recovery effort, collaborating with federal, state and local partners to begin to rebuild.”
USDA Rural Development has provided disaster recovery assistance by coordinating with private partners to restore utilities to rural communities in hurricane-affected regions.
Rural Development is helping businesses and utilities that are current USDA borrowers by considering requests to defer principal and/or interest payments and to provide additional temporary loans. Current USDA single-family home loan customers may also qualify for assistance. Borrowers can contact their local Rural Development office to obtain information on potential assistance. Additional information may be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/services/rural-development-disaster-assistance.
USDA Rural Development is partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is taking the lead to provide emergency housing for people who need it in these affected areas.
To find the nearest USDA Rural Development office, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us.
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; homeownership; community services such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
U.S. beef exports remained well above last year’s pace in July, posting one of the highest monthly export value totals on record, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). July pork export volume dipped below its year-ago level for the first time in 15 months, with export value also down slightly.
July beef exports totaled 104,488 metric tons (mt), up 5 percent year-over-year, while export value reached $623.7 million – up 18 percent from a year ago and the highest since December 2014. For January through July, exports increased 11 percent in volume (711,364 mt) and 15 percent in value ($3.97 billion) compared to the first seven months of last year.
Exports accounted for 13.2 percent of total U.S. beef production in July and 10.7 percent for muscle cuts only. These were the highest ratios of 2017, but down from 14.2 percent and 11 percent, respectively, last July. For January through July, beef exports accounted for 12.8 percent of total production and 10 percent for muscle cuts – roughly steady with last year. Export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $299.21 in July, up more than $35 (or 13 percent) from a year ago. Through July, per-head export value was up 9 percent to $273.52.
Pork exports totaled 173,675 mt in July, down 4 percent year-over-year, valued at $488.9 million, down 0.6 percent. January-July volume was still up 11 percent from a year ago to 1.43 million mt, while export value was up 13 percent to $3.7 billion.
Exports accounted for 26 percent of total pork production in July (down from 27.5 percent a year ago) and 21 percent for muscle cuts only (down from 23 percent). For the first seven months of the year, with U.S. production at a record pace, the percentage of total production exported increased from 25.6 percent to 27.5 percent. For muscle cuts only, the increase was from 21.6 percent to 23 percent. Export value per head slaughtered in July was $54.22 – up slightly from June but 3 percent below last July. The January-July per-head average increased 10 percent from a year ago to $54.11.
“July was certainly a solid month, especially for beef exports, but these results remind us that the U.S. red meat industry operates in an intensely competitive global environment,” said USMEF CEO Philip Seng. “At a time when some of our most essential trade agreements are under review, we must be mindful of how these agreements have helped make U.S. beef, pork and lamb more readily available and more affordable for millions of global customers, to the benefit of U.S. producers and everyone in the U.S. supply chain.”
Beef export volume to Japan largest in four years; value highest of post-BSE era
Beef exports to leading market Japan totaled 27,689 mt in July, up 20 percent from a year ago and the largest since July 2013 – which was shortly after Japan increased the eligible U.S. cattle age to 30 months. July export value to Japan increased 36 percent to $175.7 million, the highest monthly total since 1996. For January through July, exports to Japan were up 23 percent in volume (178,501 mt) and 29 percent in value ($1.08 billion). USMEF’s featuring of chilled beef in Japan continues to pay dividends as chilled exports were up 39 percent to 83,951 mt valued at $613 million (up 40 percent). Driven by strong growth in Japan’s foodservice industry, especially the gyudon beef bowl chains which heavily rely on U.S. short plate, U.S. frozen beef exports to Japan were up 12 percent to 64,928 mt (valued at $250 million, up 18 percent). But Japan’s frozen beef safeguard was triggered in late July, increasing the duty on frozen beef imports from suppliers without a trade agreement with Japan, including the U.S., from 38.5 percent to 50 percent. The impact of the safeguard is not likely to surface until the September export data is available. But since August, U.S. frozen beef has been at an even larger tariff disadvantage compared to Australian beef, which is subject to a duty rate of 27.2 percent under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.
Beef exports to South Korea dipped below the large volume of last July to 15,587 mt (down 5 percent), but were still the largest of 2017. July export value to Korea increased 8 percent from a year ago to $101.7 million. Through July, exports to Korea increased 9 percent in volume (98,944 mt) and 19 percent in value ($629.4 million), including an impressive 83 percent increase in chilled beef exports (22,432 mt) valued at $199 million (up 88 percent). The U.S. is now the largest supplier of beef to both Japan and Korea on a value basis, with the U.S. share of Korea’s imports increasing from 43 percent to 48.5 percent.
Other January-July highlights for U.S. beef exports included:
Written by Tim Fine, Extension Agent
Growing up, I heard the expression “you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” on more than one occasion and I try to abide by those words of wisdom.
For those of you not familiar with the term, in a round-about way, it means that if someone is willing to give you something, be gracious and accept it. I usually try to abide by this principle and it is generally a good principle to adopt, but there are those times that, even though the giver may have the best of intentions, the gift may be more than you bargained for.
Case in point is all of the hay that is being shipped into our state from more-than-generous people from all over the country. We all know that this is much needed and greatly appreciated but what is potentially coming with the hay we may be dealing with for some time. I am specifically referring to weeds and knowing that this could cause future weed problems, the Montana Department of Ag, USDA NRCS, and Montana DNRC put together a fact sheet. The entire fact sheet can be found online but I thought I would give the highlights. The factsheet gives these suggestions for handling donated hay:
• Use donated hay in an area that can be easily monitored for new weed species.
• Document where new weed species are located, then follow-up with weed control and monitoring; monitor for several years.
• Treat weeds before they produce seed.
• Remove and dispose of weed seed that becomes established.
• Defer moving livestock through an area with a new weed species until it is removed or contained.
• Ask where the hay was grown/donated from, if possible. View distribution maps of weeds in Montana and the West to get an idea of potential weed threats from donated hay.
• Use certified weed-free forage, if available.
• Collect unknown plants for identification (collect the entire plant and roots). For help with identification, take the plant to your county weed district, Natural Resources Conservation Service office, Extension agent, Montana Range Partnership, or submit a sample to Montana State University Schutter Diagnostic Lab for identification. This is a free service for Montana residents. Find contact information, submission instructions, fee information, and forms online at www.diagnostics.montana.edu. Insect pests and plant diseases can also be sent to the Schutter Diagnostic Lab for identification.
• Identify Montana Noxious Weeds. See this guide to Montana Noxious Weeds as a reference.
As I said above, in a year like we have had it is hard to turn down a donation of hay and hopefully, with the above tips, should you find yourself in this predicament you can at least have a game plan for dealing with the potential for weeds to come. So maybe you do look that gift horse in the mouth but decide before looking that, regardless of what it looks like in there, you have a plan to deal with it.
As always, should you have questions, you are welcome to give me a call at 433-1026 or send an email to [email protected].
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year have exceeded $2 billion, making 2017 the most expensive year on record. Wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States this summer. As the Forest Service passed the $2 billion milestone, Perdue renewed his call for Congress to fix the way the agency’s fire suppression efforts are funded.
“Forest Service spending on fire suppression in recent years has gone from 15 percent of the budget to 55 percent – or maybe even more – which means we have to keep borrowing from funds that are intended for forest management,” Perdue said. “We end up having to hoard all of the money that is intended for fire prevention, because we’re afraid we’re going to need it to actually fight fires. It means we can’t do the prescribed burning, harvesting, or insect control to prevent leaving a fuel load in the forest for future fires to feed on. That’s wrong, and that’s no way to manage the Forest Service.”
Currently, the fire suppression portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling ten-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the ten-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, chewing up a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. The agency has had to borrow from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs. Perdue said he would prefer that Congress treat major fires the same as other disasters and be covered by emergency funds so that prevention programs are not raided.
“We’ve got great people at the Forest Service and great procedures and processes in place,” Perdue said. “We can have all of that – the best people, the best procedures, and the best processes – but if we don’t have a dependable funding source in place, then we’ll never get ahead of the curve on fighting fires.”
This fiscal year, Congress appropriated additional funding above the ten-year average – almost $1.6 billion total – to support Forest Service firefighting efforts, but even that amount has not been enough. With three weeks left in the fiscal year, the Forest Service has spent all of the money Congress appropriated for fire suppression, which means the agency has borrowed from other programs within its budget to meet this year’s actual fire suppression costs.
Continuous fire activity and the extended length of the fire season is driving costs. At the peak of Western fire season, there were three times as many uncontained large fires on the landscape as compared to the five-year average, and almost three times as many personnel assigned to fires. More than 27,000 people supported firefighting activities during peak Western fire season. The Forest Service has been at Preparedness Level 5, the highest level, for 35 days as of September 14, 2017. Approximately 2.2 million acres of National Forest system lands have burned in that time.
“We are breaking records in terms of dollars spent, acres of National Forest land burned, and the increased duration of fires.” said Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke. “Our firefighters are brave men and women, who risk their own lives to protect life and property. We must give them every opportunity to do their jobs effectively through better management of the forests in the first place.”
Both Perdue and Tooke have traveled recently to areas of the country besieged by wildfires. Secretary Perdue visited Montana with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke near the end of August, receiving an assessment from Forest Service personnel on the ground at the Lolo Peak Fire. Chief Tooke was in Oregon earlier in September, when he visited firefighters, communities, and local and state decision-makers. Perdue said he wants to embrace Good Neighbor Authority, which permits contracting with states to perform watershed restoration and forest management services in National Forests.
“We are committed to working together, with federal, state, and local officials, to be good stewards of our forests,” Perdue said. “We want to make Good Neighbor Authority more than just a slogan. We want to make it work for our forests, so that they work for the taxpayers of America.”
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains world-renowned forestry research and wildland fire management organizations. National forests and grasslands contribute more than $30 billion to the American economy annually and support nearly 360,000 jobs. These lands also provide 30 percent of the nation’s surface drinking water to cities and rural communities; approximately 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originated from the National Forest System.
Source: USDA
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana plans to cut programs and services to fill a projected $227 million budget shortfall in the midst of a disastrous drought and dozens of wildfires that are draining the state treasury.
More than 90 percent of Montana is in drought, creating tinderbox conditions that have led to its worst fire year since 2012. The state has spent more than $50 million on fire suppression since June — not counting the U.S. government costs to respond to fires on federal lands — and the blazes are likely to burn well into the fall, driving up those costs.
Montana has already exhausted its wildfire suppression reserve account and other emergency funds. Tax collections are below the estimates set in the state budget, adding to the financial strain.
The state is required by law to have a cash reserve of at least $143 million, but Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration forecast an $84 million deficit by 2019 if nothing is done — leaving a $227 million gap to fill, even after $70 million in cuts that were triggered last month by low revenue results.
As a result, Bullock ordered government agencies to submit proposals Friday to cut their budgets 10 percent, which would amount to at least $237 million in savings over the next two years.
Even if the cuts aren’t implemented fully, “program reductions will be substantial,” Bullock budget director Dan Villa said in a letter to department heads.
No cuts will take effect until lawmakers scrutinize the plans and make recommendations in a process expected to last at least two weeks.
The hardest-hit agency under the 10 percent reduction plan is the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. Bullock asked the department to find ways to trim $105 million in spending over the next two years, including in senior and long-term care, child protection services and addictive and mental disorder programs.
“To say this has been difficult is a tremendous understatement,” health department director Sheila Hogan said in an emailed statement. “We will do the best we can to minimize the impact on Montanans as much as possible, but we remain hopeful the legislature will work with the governor to find more responsible solutions.”
The state university system must identify another $44 million in spending reductions. State lawmakers already slashed the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education’s budget in the 2018-2019 state budget passed in April.
Those previous cuts left a $19 million shortfall that resulted in tuition hikes, and Deputy Commissioner Tyler Trevor said tuition may have to go up again. It will be up to the Board of Regents to approve the cuts and tuition hikes, Trevor said.
“They all will have the ability to weather the storm, it’s just a matter of the tactics we take,” Trevor said of the state’s colleges and universities.
The Department of Corrections has the third-highest amount to cut, at $40 million over two years.
“Unfortunately, there are no good options for such significant cuts,” said Corrections Director Reginald Michael. “We hope that throughout this process we can identify more responsible solutions to this situation, but for now we’ll keep making public safety decisions in the best interest of Montanans.”
U.S. beef exports continued to trend above year-ago levels in June, capping a very strong first half of the year. Exports also achieved higher values on a per-head-slaughtered basis and accounted for a steady-to-higher percentage of total production.
June beef exports were the largest of 2017, reaching 241.5 million pounds – up 11 percent year-over-year and the largest June total since 2011. Export value increased 10 percent to $602.5 million. For January through June, beef exports were up 12 percent in volume (1.3 billion pounds) and 15 percent in value ($3.35 billion) compared to the first half of last year.
Exports accounted for nearly 13 percent of total U.S. beef production in June and 10 percent for muscle cuts only – each about even with a year ago. The ratios were the same for January through June, which was also steady with the first half of last year. Export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $264.51 in June, up 6 percent from a year ago. Through June, per-head export value was up 8 percent to $269.21.
Beef exports to leading market Japan continued to gain momentum in June, with volume up 7 percent to 60.7 million pounds and value up 13 percent to $174.4 million (the highest since 2000). First-half exports to Japan exceeded last year’s pace by 23 percent in volume (332.5 million pounds) and 28 percent in value ($905.8 million). This included a 40 percent increase in chilled beef exports to 156.1 million pounds, valued at $511 million (up 38 percent), as the U.S. captured more than 50 percent of the chilled beef market. While demand for U.S. beef is very strong in Japan’s retail and foodservice sectors, frozen exports to Japan face a higher tariff rate through March 2018. See more details on this issue online.
June exports to South Korea were the largest since January at 32.4 million pounds, up 14 percent from a year ago, valued at $92.4 million (up 20 percent and the highest of 2017). First-half exports to Korea were up 13 percent in volume (183.8 million pounds) and 21 percent in value ($527.7 million). The U.S. also captured more than 50 percent of Korea’s chilled beef market as chilled exports totaled 41.5 million pounds (up 83 percent year-over-year) valued at $166 million (up 86 percent).
Other first-half highlights for U.S. beef exports included:
The above-mentioned statistics are released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the beef checkoff. Complete June export results for U.S. beef are available from USMEF’s statistics web page. Monthly charts for U.S. beef exports are also available online. If you have questions, please contact Joe Schuele at [email protected] or 303-226-7309.
For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
Source: Cattlemen’s Beef Board
NCBA Launches new website: CattlemenForTaxReform.com
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association today kicked off a media and advertising campaign that will shine a spotlight on how various federal tax provisions impact America’s cattle and beef producers. The campaign, which will focus heavily on the death tax, aims to build support in Washington for comprehensive tax reform that makes our tax code fair for agricultural producers. The campaign will be centered around a new website,CattlemenForTaxReform.com, and will run through September.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enact truly comprehensive tax reform, and we can’t afford to let this opportunity pass or to get it wrong,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Craig Uden. “Family ranchers and farmers deserve a full and permanent repeal of the onerous death tax, which charges them in cash on the often-inflated appraised value of their property and equipment. This campaign will shine a spotlight on the stories of real ranchers who have had to deal with this issue, and it will also highlight current tax provisions that we need to maintain, such as stepped-up basis, cash accounting, and deducibility of interest payments.”
In addition to the launch of the new website, the campaign kicked off with a two-minute video that will be heavily promoted on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. The campaign’s first video features fifth-generation California rancher Kevin Kester, whose family struggled for a decade to pay a large death-tax bill after his grandfather passed away. With the specter of the death tax still looming, Kevin is forced to spend precious time and energy – not to mention thousands of dollars – planning for how to pass the ranch on to his children and grandchildren.
“Without a doubt the biggest challenge that keeps me up at night is trying to figure out how to pass the ranching operation – our family operation on to the next generation,” Kester says in the video as he drives across his Bear Valley Ranch near Parkfield, Calif. “The current tax code is…leading toward more fragmentation of farms and ranches, which is not good for the environment or our ranchers and farmers.”
Over the coming weeks, NCBA will roll out several other promoted videos and infographics featuring profiles of ranchers and other members of the cattle-production community. The products will enable American cattlemen and women to share their priorities for tax reform in their own words. The campaign will also connect grassroots ranchers and producers with their elected officials on Capitol Hill as tax-reform legislation is considered this autumn.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there on the tax debate – especially when it comes to who’s affected by the death tax,” Uden said. “This campaign will educate elected officials, the media, and the general public about how the tax code affects our American farmers and ranchers, who literally feed the world.”
Those were the makings of a fun, even if exhausting, weekend for the Montana Running Ranchers. The group, consisting of ranching community members from Montana and surrounding states, recently competed at the Ragnar Relay Colorado and finished competitively among teams from across the region.
The Running Ranchers take part in a Ragnar Relay event each year to showcase beef and ranching to running communities who often have questions about agriculture, beef, and many who may have never met a rancher. Of course, the relay events are great fun with runners of all skill levels from many states across the country.
This year’s Ragnar Relay Colorado took place high in the Rocky Mountains. The start line festivities took place at Copper Mountain, where the course looped around Lake Dillion before going over Vail Pass, to Glenwood Springs and back up to Snowmass Village. There were plenty of miles and hills for the crew on the beautiful course that wound through mountain towns and ranching country.
During the event, conversations are easy to spark with vans covered in ranch brands from supporting ranches and infographics describing the significant role beef has in a healthy diet. The team shares beef jerky with runners along the course and is able to leave a positive impression of ranching and beef.
Each year, the Running Ranchers run and compete in races across Montana representing Team Beef, a program funded by the Montana Beef Council, the team’s primary sponsor, showing how beef is part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Many team members have completed half marathon, marathon and even ultramarathon distances of 50 km and 50 miles in 2017.
2017 Montana Running Rancher team members include: Heather Fryer of Hobson; Christy Gerdes of Huntley; Ryan Goodman of Parker, CO; Evelyn Halverson of Big Timber; Billie Jo Holzer of Moccasin; Cory Jassen of Belt; Dustin Ladenburger of Stratton, NE; Jessica Lundgren of Littleton, CO; Robert Majerus of White Sulphur Springs; Ian Morse of Spokane, WA; Sarah Nash of Harlowton; and Ed Rollins of Lone, OR.
The Montana Running Ranchers would like to thank area ranches and agriculture businesses who made this year’s event possible: B Bar M Ranch, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Lincoln County (NE) Feedyard, Meagher County Cattlewomen, Nash Land and Livestock, Ladenburger Farms, Indreland Angus, Bank of Eastern Oregon, Indian Creek Ranch, Follmer Ranch, Earl and Glenna Stucky, Thomas Sparks, Jim and Heather Fryer, Samuel Berg, Gilbert Majerus, Bohleen Cattle Co, Linda Grosskopf, Martin-Morse Livestock, Rance Gerdes, David Dover, Keon and Billie Jo Holzer, Mick and Earline Goettle.
To show your support for the Montana Running Ranchers, follow their running adventures on Facebook by joining the group “Montana Running Ranchers/ Team Beef Montana” or email [email protected].
If you are interested in joining Team Beef Montana, contact the Montana Beef Council.
L to R: (front) Evelyn Halverson, Heather Fryer, Christy Gerdes, Jessica Lundgren, Billie Jo Holzer. (back) Ian Morse, Cory Jassen, Ryan Goodman, Sarah Nash, Ed Rollins, Robert Majerus, Dustin Ladenburger.