News

The Office of the Governor released the 2021 Montana Water and Supply Drought Outlook Report on Monday, April 26th.

According to data in the report, 42 percent of the state is classified as abnormally dry, with another 18 percent of the state in severe to extreme drought conditions. May and June are historically the two wettest months of the year in Montana.

“Following an unusually mild winter, the conditions we see for the next eight to ten weeks are going to be critical as we head into growing season in Montana,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I am tasking state agency directors to begin reviewing authorities and options to support our agricultural producers as some battle extreme drought conditions.”

The governor’s office will be monitoring conditions closely in 12 eastern counties – Phillips, Daniels, Sheridan, Valley, Roosevelt, McCone, Wibaux, Prairie, Dawson, Richland, Fallon, and Carter – where drought conditions are most severe.

The Water Supply and Drought Outlook is an annual report compiled by water planning staff at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Click here to view 2021 report.

The Montana Oilseed Advisory Committee will meet via Zoom on Thursday, May 13th beginning at 1:00 p.m.

To receive Zoom meeting information, please contact Dani Jones at Danielle.Jones@mt.gov or (406) 444-2402.

The Montana Hemp Advisory Committee will meet vitrually via Zoom on Wednesday, May 12th beginning at 9:00 a.m. A meeting agenda will be posted soon.

To receive Zoom meeting information, please contact Dani Jones at Danielle.Jones@mt.gov or (406) 444-2402.

Click here to learn more about the MT Hemp Advisory Commitee.

Montana State University Extension Pondera County and Purdue Extension – Bartholomew County are teaming up to provide a webinar series dedicated to helping agricultural producers improve their agriculture communication skills. Adriane Good, from MSU Extension, and Cora Carter, from Purdue Extension, noticed that many farmers and ranchers want to engage with the public and share their story but have difficulties doing so. This webinar series aims to help producers with that, giving them the skills to communicate effectively and present themselves professionally online when engaging with a non-agricultural based public.

• May 13: Media Literacy & Critical Thinking - Beth Forbes, Purdue University
• May 20: Communication & Engagement - Linda Pfeiffer, Purde University
• May 27: Communicating Controversial Topics - Group Discussion
• June 3: Crafting Your Story - Carrie Mess (@dairycarrie)
• June 10: Presenting Yourself Professionally Online - Sara Hollenbeck, High Five Meats
• June 17: Practice Telling Your Story - Group Discussion

Each week’s class will begin at 5 PM MST and last until 6 PM. The webinar series will be hosted via Microsoft Teams, which will allow class participants to interact with each other between sessions. If you are unfamiliar with teams, a video will be distributed to familiarize you with the software. The webinar series is free of charge. Registration can be accessed at puext.in/comm4farm. For more information about the webinar series, contact Adriane Good at 406-271-4054.

The Agriculture Development Council will meet via Zoom on May 18th beginning at 9:00 a.m. Meeting topics include the Food and Agriculture Development Center application review and presentations as well as a Growth Through Agriculture business meeting. An agenda will  be available soon.

To receive Zoom meeting information, please email a request to Tina.Bateman@mt.gov.

Click here to learn more about the Ag Development Council.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it’s extending the nominations deadline for their Environmental Education Presidential awards program. EPAs Office of Environmental Education will now accept applications for the 2021 President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) and Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) through April 30, 2021.

EPA is seeking PEYA and PIAEE award applications for projects on a variety of environmental topics, including (but not limited to), projects on: 

• Sustainable agricultural practices
• Climate Change 
• Reducing food waste and loss and excess food recovery efforts
• Using science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to teach environmental education
• Environmental sustainability
• Healthy school environments

Teacher awardees will receive a Presidential award plaque and an award of up to $2,500 to be used to further the recipient's professional development in environmental education. The teacher's local education agency will also receive an award of up to $2,500 to fund environmental educational activities and programs (and not for construction costs, general expenses, salaries, bonuses, or other administrative expenses).

Click here to learn more and submit a nomination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a primary agricultural disaster designation for counties in North Dakota. Under this designation, producers in contiguous counties in Montana (Fallon, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Wibaux) also qualify for benefits.

Affected producers are encouraged to work with their local FSA office to apply for assistance. Click here to visit USDA's disaster assistance program.

The Agriculture Development Council will meet virtually via Zoom on Thrusday, April 29th beginning at 1:00 p.m. for a training on Food and Agriculture Devleopment Centers.

To receive Zoom meeting information to join the meeting, please email Tina.Bateman@mt.gov.

Click here to learn more about the Agriculture Development Council. 

The Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council announced the recipients of over $2 million awarded through the Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund grant program. Over 130 Montana counties, tribes, conservation districts, local communities, and educators were awarded funds to develop and implement noxious weed management programs across Montana.

“I was very impressed with the quality of projects submitted to the noxious weed grant program this year,” said Mike Foster, Director of Montana Department of Agriculture. “These projects play a crucial role in preserving agricultural lands and livelihoods here in Montana, and I’m looking forward to seeing their work in action.”

The Noxious Weed Trust Fund (NWTF) grant hearings and deliberations were held virtually March 8-12^th. Click here to view the full list of 2021 grant project recipients.

Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill to eliminate unnecessary telehealth regulations and open the door to expanding access to health care.

Sponsored by Rep. Rhonda Knudsen (R-Culbertson), House Bill 43 permanently eliminates some telehealth regulations waived during the pandemic, like geographic and site restrictions and a requirement that patients and providers establish a relationship prior to leveraging telehealth services under certain circumstances.

The new law also revises the definition of telemedicine to allow for the use of more technologies and expands which insurance plans cover telehealth services.

“Telehealth services are transforming how care is delivered in Montana, particularly in our frontier and rural communities,” Gianforte said. “This new, commonsense law eliminates unnecessary, burdensome regulations, increases flexibility for patients and providers, and makes health care more accessible to more Montanans. If these telehealth regulations weren’t needed as we confront the pandemic, they’re not needed as we move forward.”