agriculture

Surging fuel and fertilizer costs due to the Iran war are hitting Montana farmers hard this spring. This comes on top of cost increases for machinery, labor and gas already in effect. Local producers are coping with the financial strain and looking to legislation aimed at alleviating it, for both farmers and consumers.

Montana’s farmers have been hit particularly hard by the war in Iran. Price increases and market instability are straining producers already under pressure. A federal judge ruled a logging project near Whitefish violated federal environmental laws. A former Montana campaign consultant who pleaded guilty to embezzlement is now in custody.

Montana Farmers Union is working to enhance legislative literacy in rural communities. Events demonstrate how to contact representatives and participate in the legislative session. Ag communities have been impacted by several state and federal policy changes in recent years.

Agricultural producers across the nation are aging out. In her podcast Reframing Rural, Montana-born journalist Megan Torgerson explores this issue and others that impact rural communities across the state. In her latest season, Succession Stories, Torgerson asks Montana farmers and ranchers one of the biggest questions they face today: who’s going to take over their land? MTPR’s Victoria Traxler sits down with Torgerson to hear what she learned

Cattle industry representatives say they need more workers. They hope expanding a foreign labor program will help. Finding adequate farm labor is one of the biggest challenges producers face.

A Montana couple is donating their multimillion dollar cattle ranch to preserve its conservation legacy and keep the land in the hands of locals. It's the largest ranchland donation in the history of Montana. The land sits among some of the state's best remaining habitat for threatened grassland birds.

Tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump last year are still straining Montana farmers. Producers are left in limbo as they wait for a ruling on the legality of those tariffs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched its new Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program. That means more funding for Montana farmers and ranchers who prioritize the health of the land they work.

The Bureau of Land Management announced its decision Friday to cancel key bison grazing permits for American Prairie, which is working to build a 3 million-acre nature reserve in northeastern Montana.

Farmers across the country have called for increased federal support for months, citing dire economic conditions. A letter sent to Congress on January 15 signed by 56 prominent agricultural groups warns of further fallout.