agriculture

Summertime in Western Montana means long days, time outside, and for many, farmer’s markets. But beyond the once a week event, people have become increasingly distanced from their food. One local publication is working to change that.

State officials and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) this year gained sizable water rights east of Missoula. Last week, they solicited feedback from water users on how they intend to exercise that right.

Five grizzly bear deaths have been confirmed in Montana so far this year. Montana ranchers may qualify for meat processing settlement funds. Deer ticks, carriers of Lyme disease, detected in eastern Montana

This week’s topic comes from a listener who asks, ‘Why is there no hog industry in Montana?’ While Montana famously has more cows than people, as we dug into this question, we found out that pigs are a big deal in Montana.

The Milk River Project provides drinking and irrigation water to thousands of people along the Hi-Line. After a catastrophic failure in 2024, managers say irrigation will soon be restored in part. And, a lawsuit filed by conservation groups alleges water quality violations in Big Hole River management.

Canada is Montana’s largest trading partner. But, the ongoing U.S. trade war is putting pressure on that relationship. That's led to higher costs, shrinking markets and uncertainty for Montana farmers as they begin their planting season.

“Food deserts” are common in Montana – usually in rural areas where the nearest grocery store is a long drive away. But, food deserts can be found in cities, too. A new community garden in East Missoula is aimed at solving that problem.

Montana legislators seek to protect a main source of eastern Montana’s water as wells start to run dry. A proposed bill would pause new permits for the Fox Hills-Hell Creek Aquifer to study its viability.

Millions of dollars in grants to help rural business and agricultural producers in Montana remain tied up in federal funding freezes. The grant recipients are asking the state’s congressional delegation to ensure their contracts get paid.

A back-and-forth over tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Mexican and Canadian goods has created uncertainty among Montana businesses. Montana’s agricultural producers may be hit especially hard by uncertainty in international trade.