Hi-Line Farm & Ranch January 2016

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12 12 January January2016 2016

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March 2015 May 2015 March 2015

Green Spaces in Rural Places

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State Draws Students from Musings Around the the State State Courier Columnist Chimes In with Winter State FFA FFA Conventions Conventions Draws Students from Around

MARY HONRUD look as though theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve died, but still I FOR FARM & RANCH water the pots weekly. Usually theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it was that time of year resurrect themselves and bloom again yet, but apparently it is: The seed cata- the next fall. Some of them stay leafed logues are arriving in the mail even as out and will bloom during the summer. the snow continues to fall! I have no explanations for my success There was a meme on Facebook re- with them, other than I keep caring for cently that noted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that Christmas them. is over, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m ready for summer.â&#x20AC;? These I also bring in geraniums. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure seed companies have taken that to heart. many others do, too, although the exAnd while I yearn for the return of green perts say to let them die off, put the pot outside, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really not quite ready to in a cool, dark place for the winter, and start ordering seeds for next spring. to bring them back to the light and reGive me a couple more months of sume watering in the spring. This seems indolence. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m enjoying lazing about like too much work to me, so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the house, crocheting and catching up on follow the expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; advice. reading (I love our local library). My geraniums do get very leggy, but I must confess, I do some limited they can be broken off and re-rooted to gardening while inside during the winter start new plants. I usually just stick the months. There are a great many plants cuttings directly into my flowerbeds or I bring inside once the frosts have hit a garden where I want the plant. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll shade few times each fall. the cutting with a large plastic cup (with I have brought in annuals that are the bottom of the cup cut off) upended FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH not meant to be house plants. Some of over them. FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus, Wyatt Pattison and Advisor Patti these are thriving, while others have Once established, or within week at Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus, Wyatt Pattison and Advisor PattiaArmbrister Armbrister at the state convenstion in Billings. spindly,in Billings. and some few have or two, the cups are removed and saved the gotten state convenstion remained true to their nature in WYATT that PATTISON for use the next spring. (This cup trick WYATT PATTISON they have lived their single season and is employed over all the bedding plants HINSDALE CHAPTER HINSDALE CHAPTERREPORTER REPORTER succumbed. I set out. It saves them from transplantof my Farmers favorites toAmerican) bring inside ing shock.) The State FFA was TheSome State(Future (Future Farmersofof American) FFAConvention Convention washeld held in in Billings Billings on on March March 25 25 -- 28. 28. are myFFA collection of from amaryllis bulbs. I gathered I have blooming my kitchen. Over 1,500 the to compete in ranging Over 1,500 FFAmembers members fromaround around thestate state gathered tobasil compete in State StateinCDEs, CDEs, ranging from from seem totopublic pick a new one each year I have a mint plant Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to keep mechanics speaking. mechanics publicup speaking. before the holiday season.chapter, After theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve alive. They make the kitchen smell Ten members of the Hinsdale including Cache Younkin, competed in Ten members of the Hinsdale chapter, includingSophomore Sophomore Cache Younkin, competed in mechanmechanbloomed, I leave them in the pot they good. ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking. When they ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking. When they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t came with, in the original planting meI have thunbergia blooming and dium. They are placed in a south-facing vining through the blinds in the spare window and I water them deeply once bedroom. I have begonias, both tuberous a week. and annual, blooming in my bedroom. I Come spring, once the dangers of have a birdbath planted with succulents frost are over, I set them out on the back in the living room. deck (north side of the house) so they My home is a bit of a jungle right ** are shaded most of the day. now, and I revel in the contrast between " # $ " # $ * " # $ After about a week of this hardening, the green plants inside and the white

# # they moved to the east side of the snow outside. I from can wait for spring.

are # from from each house for the summer. Sometimes they each way way

IfIf save both. both. time is money, money, save If time time is is money,

Riding Border to Border

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Creed third place place winner winner and and greenhand greenhandsecond secondplace placewinner winnerMickayla MickaylaJohnson Johnsonaccepting acceptingan anaward awardatatthe the Creed third state convention in Billings. state convention in Billings. competing they went went to to various various workshops workshopspresented presentedby bypast paststate stateofďŹ cers ofďŹ cersand andeven evennational nationalofďŹ cers. ofďŹ cers. competing they Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil served on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seserved on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt Pattiniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt Pattison were awarded awarded their their State State Farmer Farmer Degrees Degrees at at the the State State Degree Degree dinner dinner on on Friday Fridaynight. night. son were There were over over 500 500 members, members, advisors advisors and and their their families familiesattending attendingthat thatdinner. dinner.Mickayla MickaylaJohnson Johnson There were competed for star star greenhand greenhand and and received receivedsecond secondplace. place.She Shealso alsocompeted competedwith withother othercreed creedspeakers speakers competed for from around the state and received third. from around the state and received third.

PUTTING IN SOME DAM DAM WORK WORK

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$$

! ! !

#

# IMAGES COURTESY OF MARY # HONRUD

each taxes way including includingall all taxes and and fees fees including all taxes and fees

An assortment of plants and flowers constitute a small sampling of Honrud's winter gardening crop. Pictured above is her mother-in-law's ama ryllis, which bloomed for Christmas, and which, according to Mary, "is hanging in there for New Years as well." Bottom (L-R): A blossoming begonia (annual), a variety of ivy (also an annual), and a geranium that can be grown indoors or out.

Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride. Enjoy the ride.

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Lih-An Yang, Merlin, Iris and Ellis Ellis McKean McKean work workon onclearing clearingout outaabeaver beaverdam damalong alongthe theLittle LittleBrazil BrazilCreek, Creek, southwest of Glasgow.

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New Trends in Agriculture on the Horizon Seminar Brings High Caliber Speakers to Glasgow

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COURTESY OF THE GLASGOW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Speaker Damian Mason is set to lead off on Jan. 13 in Glasgow.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 8:30 am ~ 3:00 pm$15.00 at The Cottonwood Inn RegistrationTicket Price

8:30 9:00 8:00 8:30 8:30 9:15 8:30 9:00 10:30 9:00 9:15 10:00 10:45 9:15 10:30 10:15 12:00 11:30 10:30 10:45

Welcome - Haylie Shipp ~KLTZ/KLAN Registration ~ Ticket Price $20.00 Registration- Ticket Price $15.00 Welcome Haylie Shipp ~ KLTZ/KLAN Barry Flinchbaugh “What to Expect from Washington in 2015 and Beyond” RegistrationTicket Price~KLTZ/KLAN $15.00 Welcome Haylie Shipp Damian Masonby Agriculture: Break ~Sponsored Glasgow TBID“Trends, Topics and Tomorrow” Welcome Haylie Shipp ~to KLTZ/KLAN Barry Flinchbaugh “What Expect from Washington Break ~ -Sponsored by Glasgow TBID in 2015 and Beyond” Bob Stougaard “Weed Science and Small Grain Agronomic Research Update” Barry “What to Expect fromManagement” Washington in 2015 and Beyond” BreakFlinchbaugh ~Sponsored by Glasgow TBID Janet Knodel “Integrated Pest Ticke Lunch Lunch GeResearch Break ~Sponsored by Glasgow TBID Bob Stougaard “Weed Science and Small Grain Agronomic $20 t you tsUpdate”  Del Strommen Trend Setter Award Cham rs at t • Del Strommen Trend Setter Award he Bob Stougaard “Weed Science and Small Grain Agronomic Research Update” 10:45 ber O 12:00 Lunch fﬁce! • Cahill Seed Update Cahill Seed Update 12:00  Lunch Del Strommen Trend Setter Award 12:30 Matt Roberts ~ Grain Petroleum Markets 1:00 Mike Pearson “What’s Driving Agricultureand in theBiofuel Year Ahead?”  Strommen Trend Setter Award  Del Cahill Seed Update 2:00 Break 2:30 Break  Mike CahillPearson Seed Update 1:00 “What’s Driving Agriculture in theGrowers/USA Year Ahead?” Dry Pea 2:15 Updates NAWG/Montana Craig Millerfrom ~Protective Life and AndriaStock Mueller ~Legacy Design Strategies 2:45 1:00 Mike Pearson “What’s Driving Agriculture in the Year Ahead?” BreakLentil Council 2:30 and BreakMiller ~Protective Life and Andria Mueller ~Legacy Design Strategies 2:30 Craig 2:45 2:45Sponsored Craig Miller ~Protective Wheat Life and & Andria Mueller ~Legacy Design Strategies by: Montana Barley Committee. Glasgow Sponsored by: Montana Wheat & Barley Committee . Glasgow Automobile &

Automobile & Implement Dealers Association. Pro Co-op. EGT, Implement Dealers Association . Pro Co-op . First Community Bank . Farm Credit First Community Bank. Credit Services. Independence Bank. LLC. Sponsored by: MontanaBank Wheat &Farm Barley Committee . Glasgow Automobile & Services . Independence . Valley Bank .Wells Fargo . Columbia Grain . Burlington

Valley Bank. Wells Fargo. Columbia Grain. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Northern Santa Fe Railroad . NorVal Electric Co-op EGT, . Dupont . .Agland Winfield Implement Dealers Association . Pro Co-op . Inc. First Community Bank Farm .Credit Sponsored by: Montana Wheat & Barley Committee . LLC Glasgow Automobile & Railroad. NorVal Electric Co-op Inc. Edward Jones. Gary L. Wageman, Solutions . Arysta Life Science . CHMS . Ezzie’s . Farmers Elevator . Ag Partners, LLC . United Insurance . BayerLPL Services . Independence Bank . Valley Bank .Wells FargoCommunity . Columbia Bank Grain. .Farm Burlington Implement Dealers Association . Pro Co-op . First Credit Crop Sciences . Valley Co . Alison MolvigElectric CropSolutions. Insurance Seeds .LLC Helena Chemical Company . Crop Financial. Dupont. Agland. Winﬁeld Arysta Life CHMS. Ezzie’s. Northern Santa FeSeed Railroad . NorVal Co-op. Cahill Inc. EGT, .Science. Dupont . Agland . Winfield Services . Independence Bank . Valley Bank .Wells Fargo . Columbia Grain . Burlington

Production ServicesAg . Wilbur Ellis . Saco Dehy, Inc. Glasgow Area ChamberBayer of Commerce andSciences. Agriculture Valley Farmers Partners, LLC. United Insurance. Crop SolutionsElevator. . Arysta Life Science . CHMS . Ezzie’s . Farmers Elevator . Ag Partners, LLC . United Insurance . Bayer Northern Santa Fe Railroad . NorVal Electric Co-op Inc. EGT, LLC . Dupont . Agland . Winfield Seed Alison Insurance. Cahill Seeds. Chemical Company. CropCo. Sciences . ValleyMolvig Seed Co . Crop Alison Molvig Crop Insurance . Cahill SeedsHelena . Helena Chemical Company . Crop Solutions . Arysta Life Science . CHMS . Ezzie’s . Farmers Elevator . Ag Partners, LLC . United Insurance . Bayer Production Services . Wilbur Ellis . Saco Dehy, Inc. Saco Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture T&T Crop Production Services. Wilbur Ellis. Dehy Inc. State Farm Insurance. Crop Sciences . Valley Seed Co . Alison Molvig Crop Insurance . Cahill Seeds . Helena Chemical Company . Crop Chemical. S&S Welding Supply. ValleyArea County Abstract. Syngenta. Production Services . Wilbur Ellis . Saco Dehy, Inc. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture For More Information and Tickets Please call The Glasgow Chamber Office 228-2222 Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and Ag. For More Information and Tickets Please call The Glasgow Chamber Office 228-2222 For More Information and Tickets Please call The Glasgow Chamber Office 228-2222

GEORGIE KULCZYK FOR FARM & RANCH The Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture is once again sponsoring the New Trends in Agriculture seminar aimed at helping agribusiness in the area stay in touch with the latest trends in their fields. Attendees can expect to hear a wide range of topics from quality speakers. This year’s seminar will be held Jan. 13, 2016 at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow. In addition to updates from NAWG, the Montana Stock Growers Association, and the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, the seminar will feature three speakers for the one day event: Damian Mason Damian Mason is the first scheduled speaker of the day and will focus on “Trends, Topics, and Tomorrow.” According to his website, Mason is a professional speaker with a positive and informative message for the people of Agriculture. Raised on an Indiana dairy farm, he has a degree from Purdue University in Agricultural Economics, and owns and manages a farm in Indiana. Mason’s message is aimed at the people who produce, process, package, sell, and transport the bounty of North American Agriculture. Since 1994, Mason has presented his message to more than 1,600 audiences in all 50 states and eight foreign countries. He had his first job at age 8, bottlefeeding calves on the Indiana dairy farm

where he was raised, and like many children of agriculture, he was involved in FFA and was a ten-year 4-H member. When he’s not traveling for work, Damian can be found on his Indiana farm with his wife Lori, or escaping from winter at their Arizona residence Janet Knodel Just prior to the lunch break, Janet Knodel will present her information on integrated pest management. Dr. Knodel is the Extension Entomologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. Knodel received her B.S. in Zoology and Ph.D. in Entomology from North Dakota State University in Fargo and her M.S. in Entomology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in Blacksburg, Va. Her primary responsibilities include insect pests of field crops, trees/shrubs, garden and home. She oversees insect diagnostics, administers the North Dakota Integrated Pest Management Program and co-edits the NDSU Extension Service Crop & Pest Report. Her applied research focuses on IPM strategies (cultural control, biological control, host plant resistance and chemical control) for insect pests of canola, cereal grains, potato, soybean and sunflower. See SEMINAR, Page 10

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Film and Book Follow Adventurers from Border to Border Plight of Wild Mustangs, BLM and Ranchers Featured Front and Center

GINEVRA KIRKLAND FOR FARM & RANCH Gorgeously filmed and chummily “cast,” Unbranded is a documentary about four friends who set out for an unusual post-collegiate trek: riding wild mustangs across a wide swath of American public land from Mexico to Canada. We’re dropped into the trek without a lot of explanation or exposition, and the film moves along at a steady clip from there. The film follows two tracks: the main event of following the foursome through their journey, and delving into observations with an intersection of ranchers, Bureau of Land Management employees, and activists. Unbranded leaves most of the realityshow tropes of conflict and high drama by the way, aside from a foray into Jackson, Wyoming, for some much-needed R&R and a few heated disagreements among the pals. Considering the massive amount of footage taken, the challenge is, refreshingly, the completion of the journey, rather than stirring up of trouble between the travellers. The troubled and overpopulated

wild mustang herds managed by BLM are treated as American icons as much as the land itself. The simple fact that the horses featured are trained and conditioned to handle a backcountry trek across five states in four months is no mean feat, and the small herd are quite the cast of characters. The best “character” in the whole movie is, decidedly, the scenery, but a close second is Donquita, a donkey that rider Ben Thaymer says is, “the third most famous donkey in the history of the world, behind the donkey that carried Jesus Christ.” A close runner-up is a support staff that seems to consist entirely of a musical cowboy named Val. The documentary gives some nuance to the thicker issue of managing the mustang population and the importance of public land. Everyone in the film has diverse occupations and reasons for being involved, but the overarching goal seems consistant throughout: the importance of preserving both the land and the lives that depend on it, human and equine. Unbranded is available on Amazon, Netflix, and via purchase at unbrandedthefilm.com

IMAGES COURTESY OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PRESS

Above: Ben Masters and dog Ruby pose with Chief, one of the horses he rode in the film. Bottom left: A book version of Unbranded has proven to be a bestseller. "Part of our focus at the press is conservation and wildlife management," said Texas A&M University Press Marketing Manager Gayla Christiansen, who went on to explain that Masters' proposal seemed an obvious fit for the publisher. The book is available in a cloth (hardback) edition and a flexbound (softbound) edition as well. Available at fine bookstores everywhere, or by visiting tamupress.com.

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Sarah Swanson Partridge of Farm Equipment Sales recieves recognition from Nemont for being the first business in the Glasgow area to take advantage of broadband speeds that are 100 times faster than traditional services. According to Partridge, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are in the process of installing a new state of the art business system, allowing us to have real time parts inventory and sales access to all of our locations to better serve our customers.â&#x20AC;?

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Matt Roberts The final speaker of the day will be Matt Roberts. As a nationally-renowned expert on the grain and energy markets, Roberts will present information to the audience on grain, petroleum, and biofuel markets. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State University. Roberts is an active speaker, appearing approximately 50 times per year around the nation. He is also an active consultant to the commodity industry. Boasting a B.A. in Economics from Wil-

Motherhood CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 how we measure up to other moms, or how well behaved our children are, but by our ability to see the beauty in the mess of things! You see, our brains works in such a way that if we begin to see and focus on the negative point of view, we will work to find supporting evidence for that view. But if we say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m choosing to see the positive, the beauty in the mess,â&#x20AC;? our brains will begin to find the beauty and we will shift our point of view and focus on that. There is so much beauty in motherhood, especially those beautiful and exciting firsts. The first smile, the first bike ride, the first â&#x20AC;&#x153;A.â&#x20AC;? Seeing your child learn a

liam Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., and a Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University, Roberts has also worked as a commodity and energy derivatives broker in Vienna, Austria, and as a market research consultant to the pharmaceutical industry in North Carolina. Dr. Roberts lives in Worthington, Ohio ,with his wife and four children. They enjoy traveling, hiking, biking and rock-climbing as a family. He has been an amateur bicycle racer for 19 years, and is currently the youth rock-climbing coach for Vertical Adventures Rock Gym in Columbus, Ohio. Registration for the seminar begins at 8 a.m. Speakers for the day will begin at 8:30 a. m. and continue until afternoon when several agencies will share updates with attendees. new skill and the pride they take in it. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the joy in finally getting past those explosive diapers and being able to relate to another mom whose babies experienced similar trials. Or figuring out what makes your colicky baby happy. The chubby arms wrapped around your neck for a hug, or the unexpected praise or loving words from a teenager, and finding ways to love your spouse, communicate your needs, and seeing him take them to heart. Lewis Howes, American author and entrepreneur, said,â&#x20AC;&#x153;Greatness is not about being perfect, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about giving your best at every moment.â&#x20AC;? That I can do, with Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help, of course. I know you can too! What kind of beauty in the mess do you choose to see today?

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The author (pictured near Porcupine Creek) can be read regularly via her blog at theruralsisterhood.com. ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD FOR FARM & RANCH Motherhood is a beautiful thing, but many times itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not what you dreamt it would be. I remember the expectations and dreams I had while pregnant with my first child. Some of them did come true. Others just werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feasible. Sometimes motherhood is simply surviving until bedtime, putting one foot in front of the other, keeping the kids alive and fed â&#x20AC;Ś then, falling into bed only to be awoken way too soon. Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trial and error when it comes to what works to calm a colicky baby, or what works for â&#x20AC;&#x153;discipline,â&#x20AC;? or figuring out what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll eat, or how to find a balance between investing in your marriage and giving so much to the kids, or figuring a successful bedtime routine, or, orâ&#x20AC;Ś Often, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing diapers. Changing those nasty blow-out, up-the-back diapers, and all the clothes, and the changing

table cover, and even your own clothes. Or it's resigning yourself to wearing spit-up on your shirt, after going into the bathroom at church and trying to wash it off with water and scrub it with a paper towel. Many times, it can be tired eyes that no makeup will cover or being sleep deprived to the point of struggling with remembering the names of people you should know and wondering if people figure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve completely lost it. Also, bribing your toddler to wear panties and pants with M&Ms, or giving them the choice of which pair of underwear they can wear on their head (which is often just as successful as M&Ms). It can be going it alone during harvest and/or hunting season or simply because Dad is just â&#x20AC;&#x153;checked outâ&#x20AC;? most of the time, or wondering, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can I do this?" Once neck deep in all things "motherhood," you realize that your pre-kid dreams and expectations flew right out the

window at the moment of birth. You realize that this is the biggest undertaking of your life to date, and the enormity and the stress and pressure of it all can weigh heavily on your shoulders. Then, as most any caring mother does, you begin to evaluate yourself in this role and question your success, your strength, etc. You begin to look around at other mothers and measure yourself against your perception of their â&#x20AC;&#x153;success.â&#x20AC;? You say things to yourself like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;her kids are always so well behaved,â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;her house isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a wreck like mine,â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;look at how involved her husband is.â&#x20AC;? On and on goes the internal evaluation, and it begins to write inadequacies and concern upon your heart. This cycle has to be broken. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do us any good. We have to redefine motherhood for ourselves. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s define motherhood not by how â&#x20AC;&#x153;successfulâ&#x20AC;? we are, or See MOTHERHOOD, Page 10

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A close look at Trans-Pacific Partnership Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com Just say the words trade agreement and you are likely to touch off a contentious debate in Washington, D.C., and throughout the country. There are two competing narratives in America, and most likely anywhere else when it comes to trade. One narrative is that increased trade overseas opens up new vistas of opportunity, markets where goods harvested and made by American hands can be sold to the other 95 percent of the world's consumers. The other evokes the shuttered factory and a global economy tilted in favor of foreign nations. An economy where inner cities are decimated by the effects of outsourcing and the drive for competition comes at the expense of the American worker, farmer and rancher. In October, seven years of discussions concluded on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Representatives from the United States and 11 other nations — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam — walked away with a 5,544 page agreement that, if passed, would affect nations that, all together, make up 45 percent of global trade. The agreement reaches into multiple sectors of the global economy: manufacturing,

Havre Daily News/Matthew Strissel Lochiel Edwards, a Big Sandy wheat farmer, poses for a photo in December. Edwards said he thinks Montana farmers will come out ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

human rights, workers rights, intellectual property, energy and agriculture. As lawmakers in Washington look at the fine print, both narratives are playing out in discussions and in the minds of TPP advocates and opponents. In Montana, a state where agriculture dominates and from where $1.5 billion of goods were exported in 2014, according to the Montana Department of Commerce, views of the pact are mixed. Ask Lochiel Edwards, a wheat farmer from Big Sandy, if he thinks the TPP will benefit farmers along the Hi-Line, and he will say that, while every agreement has winners and losers, Montanans — especially its grain growers — come out on top. “There is no question for the grain industry this opens up our markets because we have a surplus of grain in the U.S. and always do,” Edwards said. Wheat is Montana’s number one export, 75 percent of which is sold to buyers in Asia, according to the Montana Department of Commerce. “You have a lot more middle class people in Asia now, and this has changed the demand and increase in goods,” Edwards said. A central objective of any trade agreement is the lifting of tariffs, or taxes on imported goods. Import tariffs are taxes levied by a country on goods bought and sold on foreign markets,

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Chinese medicinal herbs provide niche market for US farmers MARY ESCH, Associated Press DELMAR, N.Y. — Expanding interest in traditional Chinese medicine in the United States is fostering a potentially lucrative new niche market for farmers who plant the varieties of herbs, flowers and trees sought by practitioners. While almost all practitioners still rely on imports from China, dwindling wild stands there, as well as quality and safety concerns, could drive up demand for herbs grown in the U.S. Several states have set up "growing groups" to help farmers establish trial stands of the most popular plants. "As a farmer, I love the idea of growing something no one else is growing, something that's good for people," said Rebekah Rice of Delmar, near Albany, who is among 30 members of a New York growing group. "This project is seriously fascinating." Jean Giblette, a researcher who has established New York's group, said it could also be a moneymaker. She estimates the market for domestically grown medicinal plants to be $200 million to $300 million a year. Traditional Chinese medicine is gaining mainstream acceptance in the U.S. There are 30,000 licensed practitioners across the country — 46 states issue licenses, often requiring a master's degree and continuing education credits. In 2014, the Cleveland Clinic opened one of the first hospital-based Chinese herbal therapy clinics in the country. Jamie Starkey, a licensed practitioner of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, said quality, authenticity and purity are important concerns with herbal products. "If growers in the U.S. can produce a highest-quality product that is identical to species from China, without contamination from heavy metals or pesticides, I think it's a great opportunity for farmers," Starkey said. More than 300 plants are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Giblette and Peg Schafer, an herb grower in Petaluma, California, compiled a list of marketable

AP Photo/Mary Esch Rebekah Rice, left, and Jean Giblette examine Dec. 7 seedlings of trees used in Chinese herbal medicine, after Giblette brought them to Rice’s greenhouse for the winter in Delmar, N.Y. Rice, an organic farmer, is participating in a project launched by Giblette to foster medicinal herbs as a profitable niche crop for small farmers. Giblette estimates the market for domestically grown medicinal plants to be $200 million to $300 milliion a year. species for U.S. farmers. They include Angelica dahurica, a flowering perennial whose root is used to relieve pain and inflammation; Aster tataricus, a relative of garden asters said to have anti-bacterial properties; Mentha haplocalyx, a mint used for stomach ailments; and Salvia miltiorrhiza, a type of sage whose roots are used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The National Institutes of Health says traditional Chinese medical techniques — which included practices such as acupuncture and Tai Chi — are primarily used as a complement to mainstream medicine. The agency cautions that some medicinal herbs can have serious side effects, and there isn't enough rigorous scientific evidence to know whether traditional Chinese medicine works for the conditions it treats. Clinical trials are difficult because treatments involve combinations of plants customized for each patient. G i b l e t t e, w h o s ta r t e d H i g h Fa l l s Foundation in New York's Hudson Valley in 2008 to foster research and conservation of medicinal plants, said growing under condi-

tions similar to a plant's natural habitat is one of the keys to producing high quality medicinal plants. The foundation will provide the plants so it can ensure the authenticity of species and market products only to licensed herbal practitioners. Market research shows high demand and low supply, said Rob Glenn, chairman of the nonprofit Blue Ridge Center for Chinese Medicine in Pilot, Virginia. "The current herbs from China are not of the quality they once were and U.S. practitioners indicate they are willing to pay a premium price for herbs grown with organic principles, locally, with high efficacy," he said. Using an economic development grant from the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, the Blue Ridge Center is enlisting local farmers to grow medicinal herbs that the center will process and sell to licensed practitioners. This year, the center planted 38 species on 35 farms. The center sent samples from the first harvest to 26 practitioners who agreed to evaluate the quality and efficacy.

www.havredailynews.com "We were super impressed by the samples we received," said Ken Morehead, a practitioner at Oriental Health Solutions in Durham, North Carolina. "We really want to have access to clean organic herbs. I think the farmers can do well and we can have an industry that supports the local economy, is good for the environment and improves people's health." From an economic standpoint, Glenn said the goal is to introduce a crop that could supplement a farmer's income by as much as $15,000 a year — effectively doubling the income of farmers in the economically distressed area. To reach that goal, a farmer would have to devote an acre to the project for eight years, Glenn said. Because some of the plants are trees or perennials that take years to grow to marketable size, it will take time to achieve maximum return on investment, he said. The center's initial research indicates a return-on-investment ranging from $1.69 per plant for Celosia, an annual flowering plant used for various eye maladies and bleeding, to $20 for Angelica. "As we continue our experimentation, we will endeavor to have our farmers plant more of the high-value and high-demand plants," Glenn said.

Rare source of critical blood n Continued from page 8 basically taught ourselves how to make this operation work." Within two years, the Quad Five had shifted its major focus of operations toward blood products. Today they manufacture 110 different blood fraction products. Micks said that it's difficult for him to believe the career path his life has taken. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in animal science, but the potential for him to earn a living selling blood products never entered his mind. "I cannot believe I'd ever have a calling to do this," Micks said. "I took microbiology as an elective course and I didn't do very well. I wish like hell I'd paid more attention in my biology courses." The lessons Micks has learned through 25 years of on-the-job training have served both him, and thousands of unsuspecting patients, very well.

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Remote Montana ranch rare source of critical blood DAVID MURRAY Great Falls Tribune GREAT FALLS (AP) — The wide, treeless plains of Golden Valley County seem a long way from the world's international centers of medical diagnostic testing. North of the small town of Ryegate, sheep and cattle browse for grass among clumps of sagebrush and greasewood, and antelope outnumber humans by more than two to one. Yet lab techs, doctors and university professors from Tel Aviv to Singapore are all aware of this remote locale — or are at least familiar with one isolated Montana ranch that provides the world with one of the most critical components of human diagnostic testing — animal blood products. "It's something that the average person will never think of, but it's very, very important to the medical industry," said Jennifer "J.R." Tonjum, quality control consultant for the Quad Five Ranch. "There's a huge market for it and we provide what we feel is the best quality blood product in the world." Quad Five is one of only five companies in the U.S., and perhaps a couple dozen more across the planet, that collect and sell animal blood products to pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, hospitals and universities worldwide. Without the blood products these companies provide, human diagnostic testing as we know it would be nearly impossible. Ever been tested for strep throat or a uri-

nary tract infection? If so, the results of your test almost certainly hinged on the presence of a small quantity of sheep's blood. Sterile goat serum is an integral component of HIV test kits. Factors of horse blood are frequently used to test for venereal disease, and the blood of cows is a common substitute for human blood — used by medical schools to train a new generation of doctors and researchers dedicated to the treatment of blood-borne illnesses. The human medical applications for animal blood are extensive and worldwide, and much of the raw product comes from donor animals living on the Quad Five ranch north of Ryegate. Most of the blood harvested there goes toward the production of agar plates: petri dishes that contain a sterilized growth medium and are used to culture microorganisms. Tens of millions of agar plates are used in medical research and for diagnostic testing each year. "Think about a huge hospital and how many agar plates they're going to have," Tonjum said. "Then multiply it by all the doctor's offices, all the hospitals, all the academic labs and all the universities in the world." In describing the need for animal blood, many people might assume that acquiring it would require the destruction of the animal. In many instances, that assumption is accurate. According to Wiley Micks, owner of the Quad Five ranch, the nation's largest suppliers of animal blood products are companies affiliated with the meat packing industry. In these cases, blood is drawn from sheep, cattle and goats in a sterile environment prior to their eventual slaughter. However, since its establishment in 1990, Quad Five has relied upon a "donor animal" program in which blood is drawn in limited quantities from young animals (primarily sheep) loaned to the ranch from outside livestock operations. Over the course of one year, blood is drawn repeatedly from these donor sheep; approximately once every 28 days. They are cared for, sheltered and fed, and eventually returned to their original owners — very much alive. "We have a very strong relationship with the sheep breeders who have been coming back to us for 20 years," Micks said. "The

sheep are all ewe (female) lambs, which we receive when they are around 8 months of age. The owners do not want the ewe lambs in their first year because they are too young to safely lamb." "Over the course of a year we'll put on 40-50 pounds of gain on the lambs," Micks added. "We don't skimp on the feed. In October we sell them back to their initial owners as yearling ewes. They just come here for a year, then they go back and are bred for the next 10 years. Killing them would not make financial sense." The emphasis in Quad Five's operating model is squarely focused upon the health of the animals. A healthy animal will provide a better blood product, and because they are obtained as lambs, Quad Five can better guarantee that the blood they obtain is free from antibiotics and growth hormones — contaminants that can foul the results obtained from blood agar plates used for medical diagnostic testing. In total, Quad Five maintains a flock of around 7,500 sheep from which they draw approximately 1,500 liters — roughly 400 gallons — of blood each week. Blood products are also drawn from the ranch's 600 goats, 85 horses and 50 head of cattle. All of this is done under the close scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and independent auditors who can arrive unannounced to inspect the facility at any moment. "The USDA comes at least once a year to look at the facilities and all the animal housing," Tonjum said. "We probably have half a dozen on-site audits a year where companies from all over the world inspect our facilities. We have some of the biggest players in the world that buy blood from this facility. The scrutiny comes in a measure far beyond anything most livestock producers will ever have to experience." The bleeding process itself is surprisingly sedate. The sheep are led into a narrow, sheltered corridor, eight at a time, where they are immobilized in a squeeze chute similar to a calf branding table. Once the ewes are rotated onto their sides, they immediately become docile, entering into a quiet torpor — a characteristic of the animals that shearers have known for centuries.

There is no bleating or struggle in the blood drawing room. The ewes' heads are restrained with a rope to prevent the needle from being dislodged. The wool around their throat is shaved and antiseptic is swabbed across the extraction site. Then a 16-gauge needle — about the same diameter as those used for human blood draws — is inserted into their jugular vein. A vacuum pump draws about a liter of blood into a sterilized plastic bag, while their human attendants watch the animals closely for any signs of adverse effects. The whole process takes about five minutes. Once the blood draw is completed the animals are released and wander, somewhat wobbly, out into a holding pen where they are held overnight for observation. Back in the laboratory, the newly filled blood bags are placed into a plastic sack and put into an old clothes dryer where they are tumbled for several minutes. As the blood is tumbled the fibrin, or clotting factor, adheres to a small foam sponge contained within each blood bag. Removing the fibrin ensures the blood will remain in its liquid state prior to future processing. The blood is then transferred into larger sterile bags and prepared for shipment according to the directions of the individual customer. Blood products are picked up each afternoon and flown out of Billings to different delivery points throughout the world. Customers in North America can typically expect to receive Quad Five blood products less than 24 hours after they are drawn from the animal. Overseas deliveries are frozen and typically take two to four days to arrive. On the day of the Tribune's visit, blood products were being prepared for shipment to customers in Thailand, Israel, Hong Kong and to the University of Toronto in Canada. Quad Five employs 20 people, providing well-paying jobs in a community where independent employment is in short supply. Micks' own entry into the blood products industry came 27 years ago, when he was employed by Quad Five's original owner, Herman Wessel. According to Micks, Wessel came to Golden Valley County in 1988 with the goal of establishing a lamb slaughter operation, but low market prices nearly put him out of business. "He was bringing probably 50,000 head of sheep through here a year, but he couldn't make any money at it," Micks said of his former employer. "He was sending out one or two shipments a week, but he lost his tail." Then, during an international flight, Wessel began a conversation with another passenger who suggested the sheep man look into harvesting the animals' blood for the diagnostic testing industry. "Herm had no idea, and we started bleeding from ground zero," Micks recalled. "We began bleeding horses for an antibody product that was used to treat newborn foals for the failure of passive transfer (not enough antibody protection from the mother). We

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to drive up the price of that good. The imposition of tariffs or duties are meant to prevent a deluge of cheap goods from flooding the domestic market. To do this, countries impose a tax on that good, which is passed on to the consumer, ensuring that the imported product costs more than the same product produced domestically. Those seeking to expand into foreign markets view such tariffs as barriers to other markets. The U.S. imposes few if any tariffs on foreign goods. However, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said tariffs on agricultural products are on average about 19 percent in Japan and 16 percent in Vietnam. Edwards said the abundance of cheap goods produced at low costs — along with regulation or the lack thereof — in other countries tilt the playing field in favor of other countries and against the U.S. The TPP, Edwards said, will make progress in remedying that. However, those looking at the TPP as some kind of immediate fix for all that ails farmers when it comes to selling their products overseas will likely be disappointed, said Les Rispens, executive director of Hill County Farm Service Agency in Havre, a federal agency that administers farm regulatory laws. “Our short-term barrier is the strong U.S. dollar,” Rispens said. A robust dollar drives up the cost of U.S. goods in countries overseas, making those consumers less willing to purchase them. The strength of the dollar, along with low commodities prices, are the issues most likely on the minds of farmers right now. In the long-term, however, the TPP contains mechanisms and reforms that will likely be beneficial to farmers, or at least not harmful, Rispens said. Among other things, the TPP establishes a modern framework for a uniform grading system that will be used in evaluating the quality

FARM & RANCH of a given product. For example, if wheat in the U.S. is rated grade one or grade two, it might not matter in another country because they might have a different grading system. The TPP will create a common standard in all 12 countries rather than 12 separate standards. The deal will also help make America a stronger player in the Asia Pacific region, providing a counterbalance to China, Rispens said. China, which is not part of TPP, is growing more wheat, but given the country’s large population, their harvest will most likely stay within their domestic market, Rispens said. Beyond wheat and grain, the Hi-Line’s ranchers are likely to be affected by the TPP. Altogether, Montana exported nearly $4 billion of beef and beef products in 2014 to countries party to the TPP, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service. Still, many of those countries can impose tariffs as high as 50 percent on such products. If approved, the TPP will lower those tariffs, allowing more product to be sold in foreign markets. “In the beef industry, we’re all for it,” said Leon LaSalle, a Bear Paw Mountains rancher and member of both the North Central Stockgrowers Association and the Montana Stockgrowers. LaSalle said with increased demand overseas, ranchers need as many opportunities as they can get to sell their product on the world market. LaSalle said Errol Rice, vice president of Montana Stockgrowers, had traveled with Gov. Steve Bullock on a trade trip to Asia in November, confirming what LaSalle said many ranchers knew: beef, especially American beef and beef products, is in high demand. “They recognize our product is safe and they want access to it,” LaSalle said about

Pacific Rim nations. But where many see promise and the chance to tap new markets or “write the rules” for global trade as President Barack Obama likes to say, many others see peril and cause for anxiety. Politicians such as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., have been the voice of such frustration. “In the Senate I will do all that I can do to defeat this agreement,” said Sanders, when the deal was released back in October. Opponents decry what they see as secrecy surrounding the details over the course of seven years when the agreement was being negotiated. Some in Montana are wary about, if not outright opposed to, the TPP. “We believe it will be a disaster for our cattle and sheep industry,” said Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, an organization based in Billings that has chapters in 48 states, The group advocates for cattle ranchers small and large. After 23 free-trade agreements, some of which have been entered into with TPP member countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Singapore, Bullard said, the U.S. has accumulated a $46 billion trade deficit in the trade of beef, cotton, beef products and processed beefs. U.S. Cattle imports have increased 25 percent greater over last year and cattle prices have been falling, Bullard said. Though the TPP does reduce tariffs, Bullard said it fails to address practices such as currency manipulation, where a country

www.havredailynews.com purchases or sells a foreign currency to prevent it from having equal value with the domestic currency. Not addressing this issue, Bullard said, can have the effect of a backdoor tariff. “You can spend 10 years negotiating tariff reduction and currency manipulation can nullify any concessions over night,” Bullard said. Furthermore, opponents of the TPP say the agreement allows for legitimate domestic regulations regarding worker’s rights and food safety standards to be challenged through the investor-state dispute settlement process, an arbitration process for settling disputes between states, corporations and states and individual states. When nations, corporations or individuals have a dispute with a country, it is brought before the three-person panel and a decision is reached. Critics worry such a process could be used to undo legitimate regulations. “It represents another step of ceding U.S. sovereignty to international tribunals that will circumvent and second guess our legislative and judicial systems here in the U.S.,” Bullard said. Making the agreement more vexing for TPP opponents is the fact that members of Congress can not filibuster or add amendments. The deal has to either be passed or rejected. The text of the TPP was just made public in November. Under the trade promotion authority granted to the president by Congress in June, the

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Havre Daily News/File Photo Heifers and steers wait in holding pens at Hill County Scale Association in October to be shipped to market.

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TPP: U.S. Sens. Tester, Daines and Rep. Zinke still reviewing TPP agreement before making full statements n Continued from page 5 president cannot sign the TPP into law until 90 days after the agreement is made public, said the office of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. In the coming months, members of both houses of Congress will scrutinize the agreement to evaluate whether the TPP is a fair deal or a raw deal for the U.S. Montana’s two senators, Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines, along with Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., the state’s only member in the U.S. House of Representatives, all said they are looking over the deal, in statements released from their offices Nov. 5, when the text of the full agreement was made public. All three said they support expanding trade but want to ensure it is fair trade that benefits Montanans. The offices of Daines and Zinke have not released any further statements since the release of the proposed agreements text. "Jon continues to review the final agreement to make sure it works for ordinary working Americans, strengthens family farms and ranchers and protects Montana jobs from being shipped overseas," said Les Braswell, deputy Communications Director for Tester. Braswell said Tester had "major concerns with the lack of transparency when TPP was being drafted." Initially when the deal was reached in October, it was thought it would come up for a vote in Congress early next year. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. R-Ken., in a December interview with the Washington Post, warned that if the TPP is put up for a vote in Congress before November’s elections, the deal would likely be defeated. McConnell said the deal should be brought up no earlier than the lame duck period between the November elections and January when President Obama leaves office. It’s something that doesn't surprise Edwards. “Everything gets tougher in an election year,” Edwards said. Graph by Matthew Strissel

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