Hi-Line Farm & Ranch July 2015

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FARM & RANCH FARM & RANCH Hi-Line Hi-Line 54062 US Highway 2 W Ste 2 Hi-Line FARM & Glasgow, MT 59230-2846 FARM RANCH FARM & & RANCH RANCH

12 12 July July2015 2015 The March public is always invited to the Conservation 12 2015 2015 12 District’sMay monthly board meetings which are held the 12 March 2015 second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the USDA Building.

Call 228-4321 Ext 101 to verify time and date. All VCCD and NRCS programs are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.

Phone: 406-228-4321 Ext. 101 vccdmt20@gmail.com

www.havredailynews.com www.glasgowcourier.com Valley County Conservation District

Board of SuperviSorS www.havredailynews.com www.havredailynews.com Jeff Pattison ......................Supervisor – Chair www.havredailynews.com Ron Stoneberg ..................Supervisor Jody Mason ......................Supervisor Ron Garwood ...................Supervisor Gene Granada ...................Supervisor Nancy Heins ......................Urban Supervisor Vice-Chair/Treas.

VACANT ............................Urban Supervisor Allen Bunk ........................Associate, DPRW Marvin Tarum ...................Associate, DPRW Sierra Stoneberg-Holt .......Associate Penny Shipp .....................Administrator Ext 101 NrCS perSoNNel Tracy Cumber ........................................... Ext 126 District Conservationist Kevin Farr ................................................ Ext. 130 Soil Conservationist Technician Levi Doll .................................................. Ext. 118 Civil Engineeer Douglas Jones ......................................... Ext. 122 Civil Engineer Technician John Fahlgren .......................................... Ext. 132 Range Conservationist

State from Around Around the the State State State FFA FFA Conventions Conventions Draws Draws Students Students from Check us out on Facebook www.facebook.com/valleycd for links to soil webinars and current happenings

Local Common Sense Conservation

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

News From The Valley County Conservation District vCCd Celebrates arbor day with open House and visits to the local Schools

Local Heroes FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH

Lukas LukasJohnson, Johnson,Brett BrettJohnson, Johnson,Dallas DallasCapdeville, Capdeville,Kyle KyleAlbus, Albus,Wyatt WyattPattison Pattisonand andAdvisor Advisor Patti Patti Armbrister Armbrister at at the state convenstion in Billings. the state convenstion in Billings.

WYATT WYATTPATTISON PATTISON HINSDALE HINSDALECHAPTER CHAPTERREPORTER REPORTER

The TheState State(Future (FutureFarmers FarmersofofAmerican) American)FFA FFAConvention Conventionwas washeld held in in Billings Billings on on March March 25 25 -- 28.

28.

Over 1,500 FFA members from around the state gathered to compete in State CDEs, ranging from on april 24, vCCd held an arbor openthe House refreshments andinpassed out freeranging trees and Over 1,500 FFA members fromday around statewith gathered to compete State CDEs, from mechanics speaking. booklets toto the public. mechanics topublic public speaking.

Ten members ofofthe Hinsdale including Cache Younkin, competed in mechanTen members the Hinsdalechapter, chapter, includingSophomore Sophomorewith Cache competed mechanOn April 23 Administrator Penny Shipp students a Younkin, tree to plant andinbookics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking.

When they weren’t ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking.

When they and Supervisor Nancy Heins traveled to let for Arbor Day with information onweren’t the three local schools to present elementary history of Arbor Day.

IfIf save both. both. time is money, money, save If time time is is money, Getting Gettingback backand andforth forthto toBillings Billingsminus minusthe thedrive drivejust justmakes makes Getting back and forth to Billings minus the drive just makes sense.

Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flights sense. Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flightsand and sense. Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flights and arrive arriverefreshed. refreshed.Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride. arrive refreshed. Enjoy the ride.

Havre Havre Havre

Glasgow Glasgow WolfPoint Point Glasgow Wolf Wolf Point Sidney Sidney Sidney

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

Glendive Glendive Glendive

Billings

Billings Billings opheim elementary students with their trees presented by the valley County Conservation district.

VCCD Demonstration Plot Gets Facelift!

The Valley County Conservation the existing tree and shrub varieites District appreciated the advice of District demonstration plot located needed trimming, and others that Jim Jacobs from the Bridger Plant Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride.

Enjoy the ride. on Hwy 24 N by Northern Border were dead were removed.

Materials Center during his visit in Pipeline is receiving a facelift that The committee is currently early May. is targeted to provide public educa- working on a new plan for impleThanks to volunteers Pattison tion opportunities and increase the mentation in 2016. Organizations Farms, Jason and Vanessa Eggability for those involved to provide that may be interested in partici- ebrecht, Penny Shipp, Dave and capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR better maintenance. The grass spe- pating should contact the District Nancy Heins for providing equip*Fares subjecttoto availability conditions. may are not guaranteed ticketed. *Fares aresubject toavailability availabilityand andother otherconditions. conditions.Fares maychange changewithout without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares are may change notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. cies had grown together, someand ofother Office at Fares 228-4321 ext.without 101.notice, Theand ment and labor.until

Your Hardworking Pollinators 2015 NACD Poster Winners!!

Top photo: patti FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH armbrister at Two local students received first FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH Creed third place winner and greenhand second place winner Mickayla Johnson accepting anaward awardpostthe the Hinsdale prizes foraccepting their winning Creed third place winner and greenhand second place winnerplace Mickayla Johnson an atatthe state convention in Billings.

School state convention in Billings. ers in the VCCD poster contest “Locompeting they went went to to various various workshops workshops presentedby bypast past state officers andHardworking evennational nationalofficers. officers. greenhouse. calstate Heroes Your Pollicompeting they presented officers and even Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil nators” hosted

by NACD. 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 seat left: ron The posters then went on to served on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt PattiStoneberg compete at the state level.

VCCD Suniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt Pattison were awarded awarded their their State State Farmer Farmer and Degrees at the thepervisor State Degree Degree dinner on Fridaynight. night. his solar Nancy Heinson presented the son were Degrees at State dinner Friday There were over 500 members, advisors and their families attending that dinner.

Mickayla Johnson panels.

There were over 500 members, advisors and their familiesawards. attending that dinner. Mickayla Johnson 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 the state state and and received received third. third. from around

Sustainable agriculture field Trip

PUTTING IN SOME DAM DAM WORK WORK

SuBmiTTed By aSHley KemmiS On May 15 the Glasgow School Science Club - 7th & 8th grade - took a local field trip to learn about sustainable agriculture. This trip was sponsored by the Valley County Conservation District and funded by the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. The students, along with co-advisors, Lisa Flowers and Ashley Kemmis began the day with Patti Armbrister at the Hinsdale School to tour their passive solar heated greenhouse, gardens and newly constructed root cellar.

Students were able to see how Hinsdale students grow fruits and vegetables for their own school without paying for any electricity.

They were also able to see how the crops were stored in their new pictured is Tanner White of irle School, winroot cellar, which was also a product of the Hinsdale students’ hard ner of the Grades 2-3 category. work. Glasgow students were also able to help plant some flax, before learning about the importance of pollinators to food crops.

The bus then turned west and south to take the group to spend the remainder of the day at the Stoneberg ranch to learn about life off the grid. Ron Stoneberg taught the students about using solar panels and wind turbines to supply all the required electricity to their ranch. Rose Stoneberg introduced the students to their milking cows, which they use to make the majority of their own dairy products. A delicious lunch was provided and very much enjoyed by everyone, it included many of homemade dairy products. The meal ended with a lesson on how to make your own yogurt, butter and cottage cheese led by Sierra Stoneberg-Holt. The day drew to a close with a short hike out on the landscape to look at grassland plants and the role they play in the prairie ecosystem.

A meaningful and engaging experience was had by everyone.

ANDREWMCKEAN MCKEAN/ /FOR FORTHE THEHI-LINE HI-LINEFARM FARM&&RANCH RANCH ANDREW Lih-An Yang, Ellis McKean work work onGlasgow clearingout out beaver damalong along theof Little Brazil Creek, and Ellis McKean on clearing aabeaver the Little Brazil Creek, The support for thisMerlin, type ofIrislearning opportunity for the pictured is dam Colter Cumber eastside School, of Glasgow. southwest students interested in science is very much appreciated. winner of the Grades 4-6 category.

Bulls Stay Stay Steady Steady Bulls

Bullsales salesremain remainstrong strongand andthe themarket market Bull remainsatataasteady steadyhigh high//Page Page2 2 remains

A Multigenerational Family Business Thrives – Page 2

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July2015 2015 July

www.havredailynews.com www.glasgowcourier.com

The world awaits. (You don’t.)

Next time you travel, hop on one of our fast, daily flights to Billings Logan International for easy connections to wherever you’re going. And enjoy the ride.

Havre

Glasgow

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Wolf Point Sidney

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from

each way including all taxes and fees

Glendive

Billings

James Walling / The Courier

Leonard and Blake Swenson survey their alfalfa fields on the family ranch near Glasgow.

Return to the Ranch

Enjoy the ride.

A Multigenerational Family Business Thrives capeair.com

800-CAPE-AIR

*Fares are subject to availability and other conditions. Fares may change without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed.

Glasgow Stockyards, Inc. Linda & Mark Nielsen, Owners Iva Murch, Manager 263-7529 Dean Barnes, Yard Manager 263-1175 Ed Hinton, Auctioneer 783-7285

2015 Summer Schedule July – August – September

July 2015 Thursday

2

NO AUCTION

9

Dry Cow Special & All Class Cattle Auction

Saturday

11 16

Sheridan County and Guests Consignor Auction - See Auction Poster at www.glasgowstockyards.com NO AUCTION

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All Class Cattle Auction

30

NO AUCTION

Serving AreA ✯ LiveStock ProducerS For 69 YeArS!

Thursday

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1946 - 2015

August 2015 All Class Cattle Auction

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NO AUCTION

20

Early Yearling & All Class Cattle Auction

27

NO AUCTION

September 2015 Thursday

3

All Class Cattle Auction

10

All Class Cattle Auction

406-228-9306

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Please call in consignments so buyers can be notified.

The Big Fall Yearling Classic & All Class Cattle Auction

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The One and Only Sheep Auction of 2015 & All Class Cattle Auction

P.O. Box 129 • Glasgow, MT 59230 • gsi@nemont.net www.glasgowstockyards.com

By JAmES WALLiNG / THE COURiER When 70-year-old Glasgow resident Leonard Swenson agreed to speak with this reporter, he was sitting at his window watching his son Blake Swenson cut alfalfa to feed the family’s more than 200 head of cattle during the coming winter.

“If you get over here right away,” Swenson told former county commissioner Dave Pippin (Valley County), “you’ll catch my son cutting hay. But he’s about done for the day.”

The Swenson family has been at it for three generations. With the addition of ten-year-old Mason Swenson, the tradition appears to be in good shape heading into the future.

“My father bought the place from my uncle,” the longtime Nemont and Valley County Rural Telephone employee explains, beginning the story of ranch life that has both sustained and tested his family’s mettle since 1945.

The tale actually begins somewhat earlier.

Swenson’s uncle, Harold Barstad, purchased the farm from Valley County in the mid-1930s.

It had been used as the county poor farm for the better part of the previous two decades. Since that time, the ranch has grown, and remained largely within family control.

Even with 1150 acres of deeded land (and still more in leased acreage), the Swenson holdings are just a portion of the production capacity within the Wittmayer Grazing Association.

The latter group of area ranchers represents a combined $5 million worth of cattle production in Valley County this year alone. The taxes raised by ranchers who work in coordination with Wittmayer promise to be in low-to-mid six figures. Today, the 140 acres of irrigated bottomland along the Milk River east of Glasgow that are at the heart of the Swenson operation are flourishing. The estate has grown since its founding and shows no immediate sign of shrinking. It hasn’t always been that way.

When Swenson’s father Magnus took over the property from his brother around the end of WWII, the family was almost immediately struck with tragedy.

In the winter of 1947, Leonard’s older sister Ruth Myhre (nee Swenson) slipped through the ice on the Milk along with her cousin Kay Jackson. Somehow, Magnus was able to rescue his young daughter, but Jackson did not survive.

A few months later, Magnus too was gone, having died after an accident that occurred while he was clearing a stand of cottonwood trees. Leonard was just shy of three years old.

Amazingly, Leonard’s mother Anne held on to the farm with four small children to care for.

She sold milk and eggs to area residents, along with produce from her abundant garden and ice from the Milk.

At the age of 19, Leonard went to work for Valley County Electric and Valley County Rural Telephone to help support the family. He would work for the electric and phone companies for decades, retiring from Nemont after 44 years in 2008.

As with many ranchers and farmers in the region, the question of keeping the family business in family hands was an open one for some time. The question was answered in 2012 when Blake returned to the area with his own family to help his father manage the ranch after a number of years working elsewhere around the U.S. The younger Swenson graduated from Glasgow High before going on to study diesel mechanics at Montana State UniversityNorthern. He went on to work in places as far flung as Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. When his father began experiencing back trouble, Blake returned home and set about picking up the slack. His efforts have been successful, and include purchasing a 7-acre parcel of land with a house next door to his parents, returning the land to the family holdings.

“Kids grow up here and they see a lot of work and they move elsewhere,” says Leonard, See RETURN TO THE RANCH, Page 10

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Raising Literacy in Opheim

By JANET BAiLEy / FOR FARm & RANCH Terry Ackerman came to Opheim in the fall of 1975 to teach the 5th grade in the Opheim School, after graduating from MSU in Bozeman in June. She taught 5th grade for 6 years during which time she married a local farmer/rancher, Lee Risa, in 1978.

She retired in the spring of 1981 and started raising a family. They had twin girls, Kristy and Keri that fall and followed with a son Bryce in 1983.

Terry went back to work at the school as a part-time Librarian in 1986 and from that time on she has become a “jack of all trades” so to speak. In 1988 she wrote and received a grant for a School/Community Library which soon became a state of the art Library, one of the nicest in the area at that time.

Terry went from half-time to three quarter time and gradually ended up being a fulltime Librarian at the Opheim School in about 1993. She was the Community Librarian for two hours a day when the Community Library started up.

As the town of Opheim got smaller, so did the school and Terry was given more teaching assignments. She teaches Junior High Math, Study Skills, English, Science and High School Accounting, as well as Elementary Computer. In 2007 she took on the job of Opheim Activity Director in addition to all of her other duties.

Terry said that when she first started the Community Library she had about 85 patrons using the library (not including the teachers).

Now she is down to about a dozen or more who regularly use the library. In 2007 she got a computer for the Community Library to use. The school allowed her to use their network and internet. She has had custom combine crews, foreigners and people traveling through that needed to use a computer come in and use the computer.

At one time there was a monthly program every Sunday where people brought in their arts and crafts to put on display in the library.

The display would be changed monthly.

Up until 4 years ago there was a summer reading program that was put on by Terry and Mrs. Sylvia Redfield. They met once a week and had 12-15 young people attend.

Mrs. Redfield is still active in the reading program as she gives an award to the most improved reader each year.

The Community Library has purchased adult books, preschool books, videos, and DVDs, all in conjunction with the Glasgow City-County Library. They have the Backroads of Montana on DVD now that can be checked out.

One year an author who lives just north of us in Canada came to the library to do a reading and talked about the books that she has written. This lady was Thelma (Anderson) Poirier of the Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan area, where she was born

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JaneT baileY / for farm & ranCh

Terry Ackerman serves as librarian for both the community library and the school library in Opheim. and raised.

Terry, Lee and their son Bryce operate the Northern Lites Ranch just east of Opheim.

This is a four generation farm/ranch that Lee’s grandfather, Martin homesteaded, and then his father and step-father, Albin and Theron, and now Lee and Bryce have worked their entire life.

They raise Red Angus Cattle and Wheat, as well as specialty crops such as lentils, canola, flax, peas and mustard. Terry says she has done a lot of the farm/ranch work, but has never used any of the “big equipment”. She says she is mostly the “Gofer”.

Go for this and Go for that! She has raised a big garden, but not for several years. She loves tending her flower beds and has done all of the farm wife duties, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, mowing the lawn and whatever else needs to be done.

Terry wasn’t raised in a farm family. She was raised in Great Falls where she graduated from C M Russell High School. Her dad was Ted Ackerman who was raised in the Glentana and Peerless area. He mother was Arlene Nieskens from Peerless. Her dad taught school in many towns and cities around the state, ending his career in Sidney.

She maybe wasn’t raised a farm girl but she has learned the trade very well and has also been a great addition to the Opheim School and the Community Library.

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10 10 July July2015 2015 Return To The Ranch FROm PAGE 2

who was not referring specifically to his son, but rather the sons and daughters of area ranchers generally. “Sometimes it’s hard to get them back.”

Pippin concurs and considers the Swensons to be a success story in the tale of local efforts to attract younger people who grew up the area back to the region. During his brief tenure as Executive Director of Two Rivers Economic Growth, Pippin helped bring Greg Gianforte and the Bring Our Families Back tour to Glasgow in June.

“Without a doubt, Pippins explains, “bringing our families back will be the answer for this area. We really need people who are already acclimated to the culture and the climate to return here to help keep us vibrant.”

Pippin also points out that when young people return to the community, they often come back with good educations, like Blake, because they went to college when they were away.

The Swensons are a success story in a broader tale that isn’t always so positive.

With any luck, the family will continue to contribute their lives and loved ones to an industry that has served as a key component of our economic well-being in Valley County and beyond.

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FARM & FARM & RANCH RANCH

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Gardening On The Farm By mARy HONRUD / FOR FARm & RANCH When I married into a farming family 44 years ago, I had no idea what I was really getting into. I was an Air Force brat and had no roots. My husband, Dennis, was not planning to be a farmer. We were not planning on being farmers. But, somehow, we are.

My second mom took me under her wing and helped me learn to cook and to garden.

Glenice was a very active farm wife, running tractors and grain trucks, while I was a newbie. I didn’t know how to do any of the things she was doing, nor did I want to.

My father-in-law, Jr, didn’t want to take the time to teach me, either. Dennis and I were just starting our family, and so I became the COO and go-fer while they did all the ‘heavy’ work of farming. I cooked two meals a day and hauled them to wherever they were working at the time, and kept everyone well-fed. And in between feeding them, running to town for parts (I had no idea what I was getting), and caring for my babies, I became The Gardener.

When we left the former Glasgow Air Force Base, now St. Marie, to become farmers, our yard was mostly heavy gumbo soil, carved out of the land that had been used for raising wheat for years. There was a shelter belt of trees to the north of where we put our mobile home (read ‘trailer”). We soon added trees to the west of us, too. There were hours spent weeding around those, to make sure they survived the harsh winters and dry summers. We wanted to make sure the weeds didn’t rob them of precious moisture.

My second parents aided my gardening by purchasing a drip system for my garden.

That was about 35 years ago, and I still use it. I use the grass clippings from my lawn between the rows to conserve moisture, reduce the amount of weeding I have to do and to improve the soil. I’ll also till in the leaves I rake each fall. I pile them on the garden area and let them sit all winter under the snow.

Then in the spring they get tilled in with the garden tractor. I’ve never started a compost heap, not wanting to do the back-breaking labor of turning that stuff.

Years ago, we would work in old cow manure, having a steady supply of that from the Black Angus, then Chianina, then Red Angus we used to raise. Of course, that also brought in lots of weed seeds for me to battle. And boy, did they ever grow like weeds! Over the years I’ve kept adding to my yard, gradually blocking off easy access by the big machinery required to move loads of manure to the garden area. So I haven’t added any for many years.

Battling the local fauna is always necessary, too. I don’t mind sharing a little of my bounty, but I do mind raccoons destroying

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July2015 2015 July

4-H Camp Rich with History

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By Roubie younkin, mSU Extension 4-H Agent Making memories is one of the highlights of childhood. Summer camp easily moves to the top of the memory 440 Highway 2 West • Glasgow • Across from the Fairgrounds list. 4-H camping is 406-228-9325 • 406-228-4381 • 1-800-255-1472 a cooperative group Family owned by the Newton Boys! of youth and adults Rent A Car See Doug, Andy, Terry, Kenny or Ted! existing in a natural environment focusing on the development of life skills – Giving, Working, Being, Living, Thinking, Managing, Relating and CarAerial & Ground Application ing. This is often ac 2 Turbine Air Tractors complished through a combination of social,  2 JD 4830 Self-propelled Sprayers spiritual, mental and  Case 4430 Sprayer physical development peatedly meet their goals, so their self-esteem • Reduced activity and pleasure in usual ingness to initiate contact with the community COntinUeD frOm Page 4 All GPS equipped in our young people.concentration and inability to make deci- stays high. This is important because the activities: “Doing anything is just too much  resource (“How do you feel about seeking help 4-H camp programsions. greater your confidence, the more likely you of an effort.” from this person/agency?”) / for farm & ranCh ming emphasized ex- • Emotional signs: sadness, depression, roubie are to Younkin use available resources effectively.

• People problems: “I don’t want anyone to 6. Where the person or family is unwilling cool off during heat at last year's 4-H summer anger, anxiety, lossthe of summer spirit and periential learning bitterness, or Campers SUCCeSSfUl StreSScamp. managerS see me,” “I feel so lonely.” to take the initiative or where ther is some loss of humor.

Those who are successful stress manag• Physical problems: Sleeping problems, danger if action is not taken, you should take “learning by doing.”

• Self signs: The person might say, Instead, ers: as camp counselors they decreased sexual interest, headaches. the initiative: The five sequential steps ofesteem the experiential counselor. ✔ Competitive prices on Chemicals a failure,” blewhave it,” or “Why Are self-aware.

Know • Guilt and low self esteem: “It’s all my Call the agency and ask to speak to the process helps youth “I’m identify what“Ithey takecan’t on Ia...more •adult role in terms of your theirstrengths, Application (do various things)?” skills, and weaknesses.

Know what is impor- and fault,” “I should be punished.” intake worker (if there is one). learned from their experience and apply that responsibilities and leadership at the camp. managing StreSS tant to you. Know where you are going. Set Signs of suicidal intent include: Identify yourself and your relationship with ✔ Pre-Harvest Desicating to other life experiencesWhile or situations.

Thethebenefits the teen counselors includes farm stressAt is 4-H inevitable, toll it to priorities and plan. Never bite off more than • Anxiety or depression: Severe, intense the person or family. camp, youth have theoften opportunity learn andand the effectsofof “trying on” different Applications exacts ontothe health emotions you can chew.

Cut downadult on theroles demands made feelings of anxiety or depression.

State what you think the person’s or famhave fun in a safe environment, surrounded to determine interests, strengths and talents. farmers and their families is not. on you until you feel in control.

Withdrawal or isolation: Withdrawn, ✔ Or•any other Applications that need ily’s needs are (needs immediate protection by caring adults. At camp, youth have learned to This encourages of a broad Researchers identified hardy indi•the Aredevelopment relaxed. Take walks.

Spend time on alone, lack of friends and supports. from suicidal acts, needs an appointment for done.and hopeless: Sense of complete counseling, needs financial or legal advice). viduals--people whobecome can handlearray muchofmore make new friends, develop new skills, skills and interests can beTake applied hobbies.

Talk that to others. naps. Pray or to be • Helpless stress than without the ill effects.

Three of meditate.

Read fun. adult Breathe deeply and powerlessness,work a hopeless feeling.

State what you think the person’s or fammore independent and learn toothers take better care in a variety settings as theyforenter life. ✔ Round-Up characteristics they have in common are count 1,000. the self-esteem of • Alcohol abuse: There is often a link be- ily’s needs are (needs immediate protection of themselves.

There is nothing thattoboosts control, and • Are involved. several sources ofCall tween alcoholism and suicide. from suicidal acts, needs an appointment for Impacts of 4-H commitment, camping programs arechallenge. a teenHighly as much as a group of Draw 9-12 on year-olds Roy Mehling – office 406-747-3301 or cell 406-480-5907 committed to the work they do, they have a personal satisfaction, such as family, hobbies, • Previous suicidal attempts: May have been counseling, needs financial or legal advice). reported as: Becoming more independent, taklooking up at them with total adoration. knack for turning problems into opportunities. and recreation. previous attempts of low to high lethality.

Provide the agency with background ining the initiative, self-responsibility, building While of at camp activities range from the The Serenity Prayer expresses the feeling • Are active and productive. Make things • Suicidal plan: Frequent or constant formation (name, address and phone; age and confidence and improved self-esteem.

Teen usual nature hike, nature craftstress workshops to during thoughts with a specific plan in mind. control they have: “God grant me the strength happen. Practice management gender; nature of current problem or crisis; any counselors also report being the more confident GPS. Workshops in exercise, the to change things I can change,technology the courage such goodasand bad times.

Eat right, and Cries for help: Making a will, giving posses past history you’re aware of; further informain their leadership skills, relating more Ieffecpast have shooting to accept those things cannot change, and theincluded get enough sleep. sports, archery, • sions away, making statements such as “I’m tion as called for). to know the difference.”Dutch oven cooking, tively with adults andwisdom youth and implementing braiding friendship • Use and give support.

Develop friend- calling it quits,” or “Maybe my family would Ask the agency what follow-up action they A tough many farmers is thattie dying ships for help and comfort during will take: problem solving strategies as a lesson result for of their bracelets, shirts, swimming, wild-periods of be better off without me.” to success. stress. hOW tO refer a PerSOn fOr helP • When will they act on the referral? role in 4-H Camp. hard work does not always leadlife, and a wide array of craft projects. Each Thehas worka ethic ingrainedofinto workshop the very lifecan be• Spend time with Talk to each 1. Be aware of the agencies and resources • Who will be the person for you to contact Northeast Montana rich history connected withthea family. life skill of every farmer does not always provide the other and really listen. Express appreciation available in your community - what services later if necessary?

4-H camps dating back to the 1940s with 4-H and results in learning, experiencing and rewards it promises. For every farmer, there for each other often. they offer and what their limitations are.

• What will be the cost of the service (flat Agent Iva Holiday atare theconditions Pines Camp on Fort reflection for each camper. and factors that are out of his • Think positively. Encourage an overriding 2. Listen for signs and symptoms that fee/sliding scale)?

Peck Lake. More recently, five counties in When othersense memories of camp or her control. that things will have work faded, out for the best, the person or family needs help which you • Do you need to do anything else to comNortheast Montana have uphad to suffered offer through the magical together at theKnow end of An teamed old farmer a life- coming no matter what happens. that events can’t provide, i.e., financial, legal or personal plete the referral? the 4-H Camp experience to theirand 4-Hafflictions mem- that the dayhave will stay with a camper forisyears to reactions counseling. time of troubles would rarely destroy people--it people’s 7. Make sure the person or family and referleveledRoosevelt, an ordinary Daniels mortal. But through all, campfire bers. Richland, Sheridan, to events is thata cause the event: problems.an 3. Assess what agency or community re- ral agency connect and get together. Make one come. itThe special nevertogether lost his sense of humor.opportunity “How have to make SignSmusic, Of DePreSSiOn SUiCiDal intent source would be most appropriate to address or more follow-up contacts with the agency and Valley Countieshework to make laughOrtogether, Peerlessif st and you managed keep and serene?”

Theon greater the number of signs or symp- the person’s (or family’s) problems. called for by the situation. camping memories with camperstoof theso21happy quietly reflect the day’s happenings.

893-4398 a friend.

“ItCamp ain’t hard,” said flickering the old toms a ranch or farm is experiencing, 4. Discuss the referral with the person or Roubie Younkin, an MSU Extension century. Currently, asked District IV 4-H is The flames create the family atmosphere fellow with a twinkle in his eye. “ I’ve just the greater your concern should be. In addition, family (“It sounds/looks like you are feeling agent in Valley County, compiledRichland this reheld at the Beacon learned Bible to Camp located in of togetherness while the glow over the  Grain Feed Seed  Buying and 724-3353 cooperate with the inevitable.” if family members are exhibiting the follow- _____. I think _____ could help you deal with port from Extension sources. She can be Valley County. thedepression air of mystery To control those things youcamper’s can control,faces ingadds signs of or suicidaltointent, it is your situation.”) reached at (406)228-6239 or ryounkin@ Opheim  Fertilizer Merchandising Grain Campers arrivingyou at camp are What greeted by goals eachforindividual.

The that campfire warms must plan. are your your important you connect themthe with profes5. Explore the individual’s or family’s will- valleycountymt.net.

762-3231 teen 4-H counselorsfarm whoin are trained inspiressional thought, releases  Ag Chemicals  Agronomist the next year?inInrisk the nextbody, three years? help as soon astension possible.and All cries for Four Buttes management, youth “ages and Keeping in stages”, mind yourleadermajor, long-range goals those keeps away dark noises of help frightening, should be taken seriously.  Petroleum Services 783-5519 will make it easier to setThe daily priorities.

• Signsare of depression ship, cooperation and problem solving. the night. Campfires special. include: They are youofcannot everything want •point Appearance: movements, Scobey teen counselors are theWhen heart 4-H do camp. the you culminating of allSad theface, fun,slow busy, accomplish a day,place tackle those projects activities unkempt of look.

They play out their torole in that in fuzzy 487-2741 energizing the day. They are that adulthood. will bring youThey the biggest People between childhood and are return. special.

Camp is• Unhappy special. feelings: Feeling sad, hopeless, Flaxville with low self-esteem often set unrealistically discouraged, listless. no longer the little ones looking up to their 474-2231 high goals, but achievers set moderate goals• Negative thoughts: “I’m a failure,” “I’m

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mary Honrud's vegetable garden flourishes at the Honrud family farm south of Opheim. the entire crop of sweet corn in one night.

I have both fruits and vegetables in my garden. There is a lot of canning and blanching and freezing of produce done here in mid-to-late summer.

This spring I added an herb garden to our yard. I’ve had chives for years, and make a mean pesto with it which is delicious on pasta. A few years ago I put in some dill and cilantro, as well as cat mint. Anyone who gardens will tell you, those all like to go to seed quickly, and then you will have them for years. (I tend to practice benign neglect, and so have volunteer plants all the time. I reap the rewards of ‘free’ plants.) I’ve learned to recognize most of them. Sometimes I’ll transplant them into rows, and sometimes I’ll just let them grow where they want and weed around them. With the new herb garden, I’ll now also have oregano, tarragon, basil, parsley, sage, thyme (it almost sounds like a song, but I don’t have rosemary), marjoram, stevia, and another two types of mint. I’m always trying new things. Some work, some don’t. One that didn’t was blueberries, which was a shame.

Our soil just isn’t conducive to those, though I tried very hard.

However, raspberries thrive for me.

They are a true biennial. This year’s canes will produce berries next year, and then those canes will die. The books say to thin the dead canes in the fall, but I never have time then as I’m now actively engaged in harvesting our wheat. So I thin the canes in the spring, when it’s easier to tell which ones are dead as the leaves are coming in on those that aren’t. I also try to cut each plant back to 4-6 canes for better berry production. I’ll hand-cast fertilizer in the spring, and every few years I try to give them a dose of bone

meal to make the canes stronger. After that, it’s lots and lots of water.

I’m not having as much luck with strawberries, but I keep trying. There’s bindweed in that area, and if anybody knows an easy cure for that, please let me know. Sometimes, in a wet year, there are also slugs. And box elder bugs seem to like breeding near them.

The little baby bugs feed on the leaves. I’m loathe to spray harsh chemicals on my food, but once in a while I’ll try to zap those buggers with a dose of Tempo.

I love my little oasis on the prairie. And the birds love it, too. Every year we have a huge flock of gold finches that return and brighten our days. There are also robins, thrushes, and grackles that claim this yard as their summer home. In the fall, there are hummingbirds that come through and hang about for a couple of weeks on their way back south. A few years ago I added a few bluebird nesting boxes, hoping to entice some to stay here. I’ve seen them pass through. Tree swallows have claimed those nesting boxes, and have raised a couple of broods each summer.

I do enjoy watching them, and hope they’ll help lessen the mosquito population.

Gardening in northeastern Montana can be a challenge. There are the long, harsh, super-cold winters. There are late frosts.

There are windstorms, there are hailstorms.

There are even the occasional tornadoes.

But the rewards are so vast, at least to me.

I have fresh, healthy food. I have beauty. I have peace and serenity. I have the pleasant ache from doing something I love. In the summer, you’ll most likely find me tinkering in my yard, bringing beauty to my small area of earth.

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Increase farm income by creating habitat for native pollinators

By Latham Farley FSA News Reporter Did you know that production agriculture is dependent upon pollinators such as bees, i n s e c t s, b i r d s, a n d o t h e r a n i m a l s ?

Approximately 30 percent of the food and fiber crops grown throughout the world depend upon insect pollination. Recent significant declines in pollinator populations pose a potentially serious economic threat to production agriculture.

To help enhance and restore habitat for ecologically and economically significant pollinator species, the Farm Service Agency

has collaborated with pollinator experts and other conservation partners to develop a new CRP practice, CP42-Pollinator Habitat.

CP42 allows landowners and farm operators to establish plots of wildflowers and legumes vital for the longevity of pollinator species.

The pollinator habitat practice may be established on the acreage of an entire field, or planted in blocks or strips within a field.

The strips or blocks may allow for the practice to be incorporated into organic or nonorganic farming operations if the land meets certain eligibility criteria. CP42 may also be incorporated into the landscape of

Location: Some crops early due to stress n Continued from page 5 That holds true in large part in the southern half of Hill County, said Rispen, but some crops will come early because drought and heat stress will cause plants to mature early.

As of print deadline, Accuweather’s longrange forecast into early July looks like unseasonably hot temperatures into the 90s daily,

even 100s, with chances of thunderstorms.

This will help keep winter wheat maturing early, with a better chance of good yield in quantity and quality than in fall of 2014 when continual days of rain across the region failed many crops in the field, but later crops will feel the stress.

Wisconsin: Laubscher also remains optimistic about the future of the small dairy farm in Wisconsin n Continued from page 8

If you don’t like the weather in north-central Montana, drive 5 miles Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com The 2015 crop season in Hill County and surrounding areas is seeing a wide range of results this year, with some farmers facing possible crop failure to the other end of the spectrum with some farmers expecting average to higher-than-average yield.

“The northeast part of the county is in a pretty substantial drought,” said Les Rispen, director of the Hill County Farm Service Agency office. “We had good moisture last fall and that’s carrying the winter wheat. We believe that it looks like the winter wheat will make it to harvest, but it’s not going to be the best crop ever, right?

“The spring crops in the northeast part of the county are iffy, if we don’t get precip in the next few days,” he said. “Or, in some cases, it might already be too late for some of those crops. They’re not going to make it.

“It’s normal for it to be dry up there, but the difference is it’s extremely dry as you get northeast,” he added.

But things aren’t all bad in the county.

“On the other hand, in the southern part of the county, along the Chouteau County line, we have winter wheat that’s a full 10 days to two weeks ahead of its normal schedule. They

are just some beautiful-looking crops down there,” he said. “We have this really mixed situation going on in the county.

The rains this spring and summer hit areas more sporadically than normal, said Arlene Rice, manager of Taylor Aviation in Havre.

“It’s interesting because there’s pockets of areas that were blessed with a little bit of rain — generally, we get a general rain in some areas,” Rice said, “but you can drive two miles in one direction and there’s some pretty good fields and you drive another mile and it’s bad. ... It kind of varies from farm to farm who was blessed enough to get a little bit of extra moisture.”

Farmers in Chouteau County will, overall, see an average to above-average year, said the county’s FSA director Bill Evans.

“Crop conditions in some areas are excellent and, overall in the county, we are seeing an average crop, and average is pretty darn good,” he said, adding that the whole county got rain just in time to produce good crops.

“How good a field (in Chouteau County) is doing is dependent on the plant date. Some farmers planted early — the first week of September,” he said, and that sometimes pays off. “This was one of those years.”

Some farmers waited until spring rains to plant spring wheat and other early-season crops to get a good weed kill in the fields but,

this year, they had to wait until the end of May and early June for moisture and that put those crops behind, he added.

Peggy Lamb, agronomist at Montana State University’s Northern Agricultural Research Center, said the area has “a huge gamut of planting dates this spring.”

“There’s a lot of people gambling on ‘yes, we got the rainstorm, so we’re going to go ahead and seed,’ or ‘we didn’t get it so we’re going to hold off,’” she said, adding that the weather has definitely affected the Research Center crops. “We have our off-station trials basically from Chester to Loring. We have five locations and, depending on which rainstorm hit which trial at which time, it’s pretty much a crapshoot. We’re dealing with no water to doing OK, getting the right rainstorms. We have winter wheat that’s burning up here on station right now just because we haven’t gotten the rain.”

As always, though, growing healthy crops isn’t just about the rain.

The mild winter helped keep stress on winter wheat low in Chouteau County, Evans said, but the flip side this year was that two weeks of frost in the late spring stressed the plants.

For the most part, this hasn’t been an unusually bad problem in Chouteau County, except for some Carter-area farmers.

“Some people around Carter hayed their

crops after two weeks of frost hit it hard,” he said. “And some people had to spray crops for various plant diseases, some multiple times.

Some of those people are dumping quite a bit of money into their crops when price is less than stellar right now.”

Prices that were in the $6 to $8 per bushel range for wheat for the past handful of years are down in the $4 to $5 range right now, he said.

“Generally, seeding early and getting a good stand is a good idea, but this year some of the frost — we had a really bad frost the 22nd of May — it really took some stuff down, way up north especially.” Rice said. “There’s a lot of blank heads and white heads from the frost damage. It looks like some good stands of wheat out there and, when you get out there, there’s really nothing in the heads. It’s really tough.”

Some areas have been hit hard with disease, too.

“Early on, there was a lot of powdery mildew — very, very severe powdery mildew, enough to cause pretty severe yield losses and then there was quite a bit of tan spot early on.

Of course, we’re not seeing the tan spot now because it takes rain to spread it off … we can’t seem to buy rain around here.”

n Continued on page 5

www.havredailynews.com

($1.1 billion) of all milk sales in 2012 — even though they represented just 1.2 percent of the state's dairy farms, the data shows.

Just north of Reedsburg, Sharon Laubscher, 60, and her husband, David, operate a small dairy farm. The couple is determined to hold onto the farm that has been in David's family for 135 years.

"I don't think I could ever get myself to let it go that way," Sharon Laubscher said. "I certainly hope that doesn't happen."

Sharon Laubscher was just re-elected to a fourth term as director on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and is a former two-term member of the National Dairy Board. She has studied the immense farms that dwarf her 20-cow, 300-acre operation.

"I don't judge," said Laubscher, who does have her qualms about the conservation and other practices of some of the mega-operations with 1,000-plus cows. But she says she understands how they have played a huge, and positive, role in helping Wisconsin's dairy industry generate $43 billion for the state's economy in 2014.

Laubscher also remains optimistic about the future of the small dairy farm in Wisconsin.

"I do believe there's still a place for the small dairy farm here," she said. "We can't forget where it all started."

vineyards and orchards.

To be eligible for CP42, the offered land must be owned or leased for at least one year prior to enrollment to be eligible, and must be physically and legally capable of being cropped in a normal manner. Land must also meet cropping history and other eligibility requirements. Land currently enrolled in CRP may be re-offered for enrollment into CP42 if the land enrolled in CRP is in the last year of the CRP-1 contract.

Offers for enrollment may be made at the local county FSA office. Offers are auto-

matically accepted provided the land and applicant meet certain eligibility requirements. CP42 offers are not subject to competitive bidding.

Producers will receive annual rental payments for the length of the contract, and cost-share assistance of up to 50 percent of the eligible practice cost to establish CP42 pollinator habitats. Additionally, FSA provides producers with a signing incentive payment of up to $150 per acre — not applicable to re-enrolled acreage. Contracts for CP42 practices must be 10 years in duration.

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Small dairy farms struggle to survive in Wisconsin WONEWOC, Wis. (AP) — Small dairy farms are struggling in Wisconsin, but supporters are hoping for a comeback.

In April, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that Wisconsin dropped below 10,000 dairy farms for the first time since such records have been kept — nearly 100 years. The state's smallest dairy farms with less than 49 cows are spiraling down toward the 3,000 mark.

But supporters hope small dairy farms in Wisconsin will continue to survive and create a niche just like many of the state's cheese producers have done.

June was dairy month, and there is reason to celebrate in Wisconsin. Since records have been kept starting in 1924, the industry's 10 straight years of production growth that started at the end of 2004 has been matched just once — from 1973 to 1983. Milk production has increased 25.9 percent — to a record 27.8 billion pounds in 2014 — during the most recent streak, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

"We're seeing a renaissance in the dairy industry in Wisconsin," said Patrick Geoghegan, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Wisconsin's cheese industry enjoyed a similar renaissance after it reinvented itself

in the midst of an economic crisis in the mid-1990s. Back then, many producers decided to stop making bulk cheeses so they could create more profitable specialty cheeses that had been the domain of European artisans. Today, some can't make enough cheese to meet demands, so an improved dairy industry that sells 90 percent of its milk for Wisconsin-made cheese has been a boost for them.

Much of milk producers' success is attributed to the growing number of mega-farms with 1,000 or more cows that took advantage of Wisconsin's new livestock facility siting laws in 2006, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

There were 44 farms with 1,000-plus cows in Wisconsin in 2002, 78 in 2007 and 129 in 2012, according to NASS data. Those farms generated 13.8 percent ($627 million) of the state's milk sales in 2007 and 22.9 percent

n Continued on page 9 Rob Schultz/Wisconsin State Journal via AP Sharon Laubscher tends to her heifers at her small dairy farm outside of Wonewoc in Sauk County, Wisc. Laubscher is one of the leading advocates for Wisconsin dairy and is a director on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Small dairy farms are struggling in Wisconsin, but supporters like Laubscher are hoping for a comeback.

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Location: Harvest season for some looking to come10-14 days ahead of average n Continued from page 4 Hoagland and Turner farmers were hit with tan spot, she said, and some areas have seen insects early on, treating for pea weevil, cut worm and severe wire worm.

Every farmer has to decide if treating for disease or insects is worth the price.

“The huge thing every farmer does is weigh that cost-benefit ratio,” Lamb said. “‘Yes I have disease, what’s the price of spray and application in comparison to what wheat is per bushel right now?’ That’s pretty much the tipping factor for a lot of guys.”

She said she has spoken with some producers who decided not to treat because of low prices right now. This is added to the fact that, with drought, they were looking at only getting 10 to 20 bushels per acre anyway, and they haven’t even started dealing with insect problems yet, she said, especially a problem in sawfly areas.

Diagnosing the disease problems has been an issue this year, Lamb added, because the frost stress caused white spots on the grains, but so have some of the diseases, like root rot and powdery mildew, so many producers are sending samples in for testing.

In the mixed bag of weather effects, though, some farmers who planted spring wheat early — without waiting for the rains — had crops coming up when the period of nighttime cold temps hit late in the season, but this wasn’t always a bad thing.

“In a way, that may have helped our spring crops because it sort of slowed their develop-

ment during that period, so they didn’t require as much moisture. Those cold nights just kind of helped that crop get as far as it did,” she said.

The mild winter that helped some winter wheat crops take full advantage of the 70 degree temperatures in March hurt some of the winter wheat in northern Blaine County, said Tracy Harshman, director of that county’s FSA office. Without snow cover on the crops, some farmers had enough winter kill to require replanting with spring wheat.

For those farmers who planted last fall or early this year, harvest season is looking to come 10 days to two weeks early, no matter the growing conditions.

In Chouteau County the early season is due, for the most part, to favorable conditions, Evans said.

n Continued on page 9 Havre Daily News/file photo Ripening winter wheat in northern Chouteau County shows a touch of gold June 16. Winter wheat is 10 to 14 days ahead of average harvest time and looks to be producing average to above average yield in Chouteau County if conditions hold. This image stands in contrast to the photo taken one week later, see page 4, of spring wheat 3 miles east of Havre. The crop, still deep green, was planted May 17, just before a week of rains hit the field.

Pastures hit by drought Farm Services Agency directors in Blaine and Hill counties said that pasture grasses in their respective areas have been hit hard by drought, especially in the northern portions.

Tracy Harshman in Blaine County said the cool spring also pushed back grass production in pastures, and now the hot and dry conditions are hurting it, too. Pasture, overall, in the county is below normal and if conditions continue they will affect livestock operations.

The large areas of irrigated hay fields were affected by the cold, also, but water levels remain good for irrigating, she said. First cutting had not occurred by print deadline, and that crop on the ground will be the only tell if the early cold knocked back the tons per acre output.

The weather affect on livestock production in Hill County is more pronounced, said Les Rispen, director in Hill County.

“This drought situation in combination with the weather this spring has had a real impact on pasture production, so we have a lot of guys really struggling to find feed for their livestock,” he said.

“In Montana ... typically you can classify pasture as either a cool-season grass or a warm-season grass. Those cool-season grasses typically develop real early in the year and, because we were dry and because we were pretty cool in that period, that native range — those cool-season grasses — just didn’t grow very much,” he added.

“We have a lot of people in the county in the livestock industry who count on that and now they don’t have it — it just didn’t produce — and so we’ve got some pressure on our livestock producers as they try to find feed for their cattle to take them through the summer,” he said.

“That’s going to drive up costs for them, they’re going to have to haul cattle elsewhere or rent additional pasture, if it’s available,” he said.

Already Rispen has seen producers shipping cattle out of the county for pasture and some selling cow-calf pairs — not in great numbers, he said, but still, this is atypical to usual practices.

“At least now there’s a good market for the livestock,” he added.

Livestock production in Hill County is substantial enough that this pasture and feed issue is a problem worth noting, he added.

Harshman said that producers, of livestock and crops, who think they might be affected by adverse weather conditions, should contact their FSA office now. If programs become available later, these people will be on the contact list for assessment of losses, she said.

Hill County FSA, Les Rispen, director, 265-6792, ext. 2 Blaine County FSA, Tracy Harshman, director, 357-2320, ext. 2 Chouteau County FSA, Bill Evans, director, 622-5401, ext. 2 Liberty County FSA, Rusty Cowan, director, 759-5128, ext. 2

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Small dairy farms struggle to survive in Wisconsin WONEWOC, Wis. (AP) — Small dairy farms are struggling in Wisconsin, but supporters are hoping for a comeback.

In April, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that Wisconsin dropped below 10,000 dairy farms for the first time since such records have been kept — nearly 100 years. The state's smallest dairy farms with less than 49 cows are spiraling down toward the 3,000 mark.

But supporters hope small dairy farms in Wisconsin will continue to survive and create a niche just like many of the state's cheese producers have done.

June was dairy month, and there is reason to celebrate in Wisconsin. Since records have been kept starting in 1924, the industry's 10 straight years of production growth that started at the end of 2004 has been matched just once — from 1973 to 1983. Milk production has increased 25.9 percent — to a record 27.8 billion pounds in 2014 — during the most recent streak, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

"We're seeing a renaissance in the dairy industry in Wisconsin," said Patrick Geoghegan, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Wisconsin's cheese industry enjoyed a similar renaissance after it reinvented itself

in the midst of an economic crisis in the mid-1990s. Back then, many producers decided to stop making bulk cheeses so they could create more profitable specialty cheeses that had been the domain of European artisans. Today, some can't make enough cheese to meet demands, so an improved dairy industry that sells 90 percent of its milk for Wisconsin-made cheese has been a boost for them.

Much of milk producers' success is attributed to the growing number of mega-farms with 1,000 or more cows that took advantage of Wisconsin's new livestock facility siting laws in 2006, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

There were 44 farms with 1,000-plus cows in Wisconsin in 2002, 78 in 2007 and 129 in 2012, according to NASS data. Those farms generated 13.8 percent ($627 million) of the state's milk sales in 2007 and 22.9 percent

n Continued on page 9 Rob Schultz/Wisconsin State Journal via AP Sharon Laubscher tends to her heifers at her small dairy farm outside of Wonewoc in Sauk County, Wisc. Laubscher is one of the leading advocates for Wisconsin dairy and is a director on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Small dairy farms are struggling in Wisconsin, but supporters like Laubscher are hoping for a comeback.

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Location: Harvest season for some looking to come10-14 days ahead of average n Continued from page 4 Hoagland and Turner farmers were hit with tan spot, she said, and some areas have seen insects early on, treating for pea weevil, cut worm and severe wire worm.

Every farmer has to decide if treating for disease or insects is worth the price.

“The huge thing every farmer does is weigh that cost-benefit ratio,” Lamb said. “‘Yes I have disease, what’s the price of spray and application in comparison to what wheat is per bushel right now?’ That’s pretty much the tipping factor for a lot of guys.”

She said she has spoken with some producers who decided not to treat because of low prices right now. This is added to the fact that, with drought, they were looking at only getting 10 to 20 bushels per acre anyway, and they haven’t even started dealing with insect problems yet, she said, especially a problem in sawfly areas.

Diagnosing the disease problems has been an issue this year, Lamb added, because the frost stress caused white spots on the grains, but so have some of the diseases, like root rot and powdery mildew, so many producers are sending samples in for testing.

In the mixed bag of weather effects, though, some farmers who planted spring wheat early — without waiting for the rains — had crops coming up when the period of nighttime cold temps hit late in the season, but this wasn’t always a bad thing.

“In a way, that may have helped our spring crops because it sort of slowed their develop-

ment during that period, so they didn’t require as much moisture. Those cold nights just kind of helped that crop get as far as it did,” she said.

The mild winter that helped some winter wheat crops take full advantage of the 70 degree temperatures in March hurt some of the winter wheat in northern Blaine County, said Tracy Harshman, director of that county’s FSA office. Without snow cover on the crops, some farmers had enough winter kill to require replanting with spring wheat.

For those farmers who planted last fall or early this year, harvest season is looking to come 10 days to two weeks early, no matter the growing conditions.

In Chouteau County the early season is due, for the most part, to favorable conditions, Evans said.

n Continued on page 9 Havre Daily News/file photo Ripening winter wheat in northern Chouteau County shows a touch of gold June 16. Winter wheat is 10 to 14 days ahead of average harvest time and looks to be producing average to above average yield in Chouteau County if conditions hold. This image stands in contrast to the photo taken one week later, see page 4, of spring wheat 3 miles east of Havre. The crop, still deep green, was planted May 17, just before a week of rains hit the field.

Pastures hit by drought Farm Services Agency directors in Blaine and Hill counties said that pasture grasses in their respective areas have been hit hard by drought, especially in the northern portions.

Tracy Harshman in Blaine County said the cool spring also pushed back grass production in pastures, and now the hot and dry conditions are hurting it, too. Pasture, overall, in the county is below normal and if conditions continue they will affect livestock operations.

The large areas of irrigated hay fields were affected by the cold, also, but water levels remain good for irrigating, she said. First cutting had not occurred by print deadline, and that crop on the ground will be the only tell if the early cold knocked back the tons per acre output.

The weather affect on livestock production in Hill County is more pronounced, said Les Rispen, director in Hill County.

“This drought situation in combination with the weather this spring has had a real impact on pasture production, so we have a lot of guys really struggling to find feed for their livestock,” he said.

“In Montana ... typically you can classify pasture as either a cool-season grass or a warm-season grass. Those cool-season grasses typically develop real early in the year and, because we were dry and because we were pretty cool in that period, that native range — those cool-season grasses — just didn’t grow very much,” he added.

“We have a lot of people in the county in the livestock industry who count on that and now they don’t have it — it just didn’t produce — and so we’ve got some pressure on our livestock producers as they try to find feed for their cattle to take them through the summer,” he said.

“That’s going to drive up costs for them, they’re going to have to haul cattle elsewhere or rent additional pasture, if it’s available,” he said.

Already Rispen has seen producers shipping cattle out of the county for pasture and some selling cow-calf pairs — not in great numbers, he said, but still, this is atypical to usual practices.

“At least now there’s a good market for the livestock,” he added.

Livestock production in Hill County is substantial enough that this pasture and feed issue is a problem worth noting, he added.

Harshman said that producers, of livestock and crops, who think they might be affected by adverse weather conditions, should contact their FSA office now. If programs become available later, these people will be on the contact list for assessment of losses, she said.

Hill County FSA, Les Rispen, director, 265-6792, ext. 2 Blaine County FSA, Tracy Harshman, director, 357-2320, ext. 2 Chouteau County FSA, Bill Evans, director, 622-5401, ext. 2 Liberty County FSA, Rusty Cowan, director, 759-5128, ext. 2

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Location, location, location

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FARM & RANCH

Increase farm income by creating habitat for native pollinators

By Latham Farley FSA News Reporter Did you know that production agriculture is dependent upon pollinators such as bees, i n s e c t s, b i r d s, a n d o t h e r a n i m a l s ?

Approximately 30 percent of the food and fiber crops grown throughout the world depend upon insect pollination. Recent significant declines in pollinator populations pose a potentially serious economic threat to production agriculture.

To help enhance and restore habitat for ecologically and economically significant pollinator species, the Farm Service Agency

has collaborated with pollinator experts and other conservation partners to develop a new CRP practice, CP42-Pollinator Habitat.

CP42 allows landowners and farm operators to establish plots of wildflowers and legumes vital for the longevity of pollinator species.

The pollinator habitat practice may be established on the acreage of an entire field, or planted in blocks or strips within a field.

The strips or blocks may allow for the practice to be incorporated into organic or nonorganic farming operations if the land meets certain eligibility criteria. CP42 may also be incorporated into the landscape of

Location: Some crops early due to stress n Continued from page 5 That holds true in large part in the southern half of Hill County, said Rispen, but some crops will come early because drought and heat stress will cause plants to mature early.

As of print deadline, Accuweather’s longrange forecast into early July looks like unseasonably hot temperatures into the 90s daily,

even 100s, with chances of thunderstorms.

This will help keep winter wheat maturing early, with a better chance of good yield in quantity and quality than in fall of 2014 when continual days of rain across the region failed many crops in the field, but later crops will feel the stress.

Wisconsin: Laubscher also remains optimistic about the future of the small dairy farm in Wisconsin n Continued from page 8

If you don’t like the weather in north-central Montana, drive 5 miles Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com The 2015 crop season in Hill County and surrounding areas is seeing a wide range of results this year, with some farmers facing possible crop failure to the other end of the spectrum with some farmers expecting average to higher-than-average yield.

“The northeast part of the county is in a pretty substantial drought,” said Les Rispen, director of the Hill County Farm Service Agency office. “We had good moisture last fall and that’s carrying the winter wheat. We believe that it looks like the winter wheat will make it to harvest, but it’s not going to be the best crop ever, right?

“The spring crops in the northeast part of the county are iffy, if we don’t get precip in the next few days,” he said. “Or, in some cases, it might already be too late for some of those crops. They’re not going to make it.

“It’s normal for it to be dry up there, but the difference is it’s extremely dry as you get northeast,” he added.

But things aren’t all bad in the county.

“On the other hand, in the southern part of the county, along the Chouteau County line, we have winter wheat that’s a full 10 days to two weeks ahead of its normal schedule. They

are just some beautiful-looking crops down there,” he said. “We have this really mixed situation going on in the county.

The rains this spring and summer hit areas more sporadically than normal, said Arlene Rice, manager of Taylor Aviation in Havre.

“It’s interesting because there’s pockets of areas that were blessed with a little bit of rain — generally, we get a general rain in some areas,” Rice said, “but you can drive two miles in one direction and there’s some pretty good fields and you drive another mile and it’s bad. ... It kind of varies from farm to farm who was blessed enough to get a little bit of extra moisture.”

Farmers in Chouteau County will, overall, see an average to above-average year, said the county’s FSA director Bill Evans.

“Crop conditions in some areas are excellent and, overall in the county, we are seeing an average crop, and average is pretty darn good,” he said, adding that the whole county got rain just in time to produce good crops.

“How good a field (in Chouteau County) is doing is dependent on the plant date. Some farmers planted early — the first week of September,” he said, and that sometimes pays off. “This was one of those years.”

Some farmers waited until spring rains to plant spring wheat and other early-season crops to get a good weed kill in the fields but,

this year, they had to wait until the end of May and early June for moisture and that put those crops behind, he added.

Peggy Lamb, agronomist at Montana State University’s Northern Agricultural Research Center, said the area has “a huge gamut of planting dates this spring.”

“There’s a lot of people gambling on ‘yes, we got the rainstorm, so we’re going to go ahead and seed,’ or ‘we didn’t get it so we’re going to hold off,’” she said, adding that the weather has definitely affected the Research Center crops. “We have our off-station trials basically from Chester to Loring. We have five locations and, depending on which rainstorm hit which trial at which time, it’s pretty much a crapshoot. We’re dealing with no water to doing OK, getting the right rainstorms. We have winter wheat that’s burning up here on station right now just because we haven’t gotten the rain.”

As always, though, growing healthy crops isn’t just about the rain.

The mild winter helped keep stress on winter wheat low in Chouteau County, Evans said, but the flip side this year was that two weeks of frost in the late spring stressed the plants.

For the most part, this hasn’t been an unusually bad problem in Chouteau County, except for some Carter-area farmers.

“Some people around Carter hayed their

crops after two weeks of frost hit it hard,” he said. “And some people had to spray crops for various plant diseases, some multiple times.

Some of those people are dumping quite a bit of money into their crops when price is less than stellar right now.”

Prices that were in the $6 to $8 per bushel range for wheat for the past handful of years are down in the $4 to $5 range right now, he said.

“Generally, seeding early and getting a good stand is a good idea, but this year some of the frost — we had a really bad frost the 22nd of May — it really took some stuff down, way up north especially.” Rice said. “There’s a lot of blank heads and white heads from the frost damage. It looks like some good stands of wheat out there and, when you get out there, there’s really nothing in the heads. It’s really tough.”

Some areas have been hit hard with disease, too.

“Early on, there was a lot of powdery mildew — very, very severe powdery mildew, enough to cause pretty severe yield losses and then there was quite a bit of tan spot early on.

Of course, we’re not seeing the tan spot now because it takes rain to spread it off … we can’t seem to buy rain around here.”

n Continued on page 5

www.havredailynews.com

($1.1 billion) of all milk sales in 2012 — even though they represented just 1.2 percent of the state's dairy farms, the data shows.

Just north of Reedsburg, Sharon Laubscher, 60, and her husband, David, operate a small dairy farm. The couple is determined to hold onto the farm that has been in David's family for 135 years.

"I don't think I could ever get myself to let it go that way," Sharon Laubscher said. "I certainly hope that doesn't happen."

Sharon Laubscher was just re-elected to a fourth term as director on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and is a former two-term member of the National Dairy Board. She has studied the immense farms that dwarf her 20-cow, 300-acre operation.

"I don't judge," said Laubscher, who does have her qualms about the conservation and other practices of some of the mega-operations with 1,000-plus cows. But she says she understands how they have played a huge, and positive, role in helping Wisconsin's dairy industry generate $43 billion for the state's economy in 2014.

Laubscher also remains optimistic about the future of the small dairy farm in Wisconsin.

"I do believe there's still a place for the small dairy farm here," she said. "We can't forget where it all started."

vineyards and orchards.

To be eligible for CP42, the offered land must be owned or leased for at least one year prior to enrollment to be eligible, and must be physically and legally capable of being cropped in a normal manner. Land must also meet cropping history and other eligibility requirements. Land currently enrolled in CRP may be re-offered for enrollment into CP42 if the land enrolled in CRP is in the last year of the CRP-1 contract.

Offers for enrollment may be made at the local county FSA office. Offers are auto-

matically accepted provided the land and applicant meet certain eligibility requirements. CP42 offers are not subject to competitive bidding.

Producers will receive annual rental payments for the length of the contract, and cost-share assistance of up to 50 percent of the eligible practice cost to establish CP42 pollinator habitats. Additionally, FSA provides producers with a signing incentive payment of up to $150 per acre — not applicable to re-enrolled acreage. Contracts for CP42 practices must be 10 years in duration.

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10 10 July July2015 2015 Return To The Ranch FROm PAGE 2

who was not referring specifically to his son, but rather the sons and daughters of area ranchers generally. “Sometimes it’s hard to get them back.”

Pippin concurs and considers the Swensons to be a success story in the tale of local efforts to attract younger people who grew up the area back to the region. During his brief tenure as Executive Director of Two Rivers Economic Growth, Pippin helped bring Greg Gianforte and the Bring Our Families Back tour to Glasgow in June.

“Without a doubt, Pippins explains, “bringing our families back will be the answer for this area. We really need people who are already acclimated to the culture and the climate to return here to help keep us vibrant.”

Pippin also points out that when young people return to the community, they often come back with good educations, like Blake, because they went to college when they were away.

The Swensons are a success story in a broader tale that isn’t always so positive.

With any luck, the family will continue to contribute their lives and loved ones to an industry that has served as a key component of our economic well-being in Valley County and beyond.

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FARM & FARM & RANCH RANCH

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Gardening On The Farm By mARy HONRUD / FOR FARm & RANCH When I married into a farming family 44 years ago, I had no idea what I was really getting into. I was an Air Force brat and had no roots. My husband, Dennis, was not planning to be a farmer. We were not planning on being farmers. But, somehow, we are.

My second mom took me under her wing and helped me learn to cook and to garden.

Glenice was a very active farm wife, running tractors and grain trucks, while I was a newbie. I didn’t know how to do any of the things she was doing, nor did I want to.

My father-in-law, Jr, didn’t want to take the time to teach me, either. Dennis and I were just starting our family, and so I became the COO and go-fer while they did all the ‘heavy’ work of farming. I cooked two meals a day and hauled them to wherever they were working at the time, and kept everyone well-fed. And in between feeding them, running to town for parts (I had no idea what I was getting), and caring for my babies, I became The Gardener.

When we left the former Glasgow Air Force Base, now St. Marie, to become farmers, our yard was mostly heavy gumbo soil, carved out of the land that had been used for raising wheat for years. There was a shelter belt of trees to the north of where we put our mobile home (read ‘trailer”). We soon added trees to the west of us, too. There were hours spent weeding around those, to make sure they survived the harsh winters and dry summers. We wanted to make sure the weeds didn’t rob them of precious moisture.

My second parents aided my gardening by purchasing a drip system for my garden.

That was about 35 years ago, and I still use it. I use the grass clippings from my lawn between the rows to conserve moisture, reduce the amount of weeding I have to do and to improve the soil. I’ll also till in the leaves I rake each fall. I pile them on the garden area and let them sit all winter under the snow.

Then in the spring they get tilled in with the garden tractor. I’ve never started a compost heap, not wanting to do the back-breaking labor of turning that stuff.

Years ago, we would work in old cow manure, having a steady supply of that from the Black Angus, then Chianina, then Red Angus we used to raise. Of course, that also brought in lots of weed seeds for me to battle. And boy, did they ever grow like weeds! Over the years I’ve kept adding to my yard, gradually blocking off easy access by the big machinery required to move loads of manure to the garden area. So I haven’t added any for many years.

Battling the local fauna is always necessary, too. I don’t mind sharing a little of my bounty, but I do mind raccoons destroying

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July2015 2015 July

4-H Camp Rich with History

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By Roubie younkin, mSU Extension 4-H Agent Making memories is one of the highlights of childhood. Summer camp easily moves to the top of the memory 440 Highway 2 West • Glasgow • Across from the Fairgrounds list. 4-H camping is 406-228-9325 • 406-228-4381 • 1-800-255-1472 a cooperative group Family owned by the Newton Boys! of youth and adults Rent A Car See Doug, Andy, Terry, Kenny or Ted! existing in a natural environment focusing on the development of life skills – Giving, Working, Being, Living, Thinking, Managing, Relating and CarAerial & Ground Application ing. This is often ac 2 Turbine Air Tractors complished through a combination of social,  2 JD 4830 Self-propelled Sprayers spiritual, mental and  Case 4430 Sprayer physical development peatedly meet their goals, so their self-esteem • Reduced activity and pleasure in usual ingness to initiate contact with the community COntinUeD frOm Page 4 All GPS equipped in our young people.concentration and inability to make deci- stays high. This is important because the activities: “Doing anything is just too much  resource (“How do you feel about seeking help 4-H camp programsions. greater your confidence, the more likely you of an effort.” from this person/agency?”) / for farm & ranCh ming emphasized ex- • Emotional signs: sadness, depression, roubie are to Younkin use available resources effectively.

• People problems: “I don’t want anyone to 6. Where the person or family is unwilling cool off during heat at last year's 4-H summer anger, anxiety, lossthe of summer spirit and periential learning bitterness, or Campers SUCCeSSfUl StreSScamp. managerS see me,” “I feel so lonely.” to take the initiative or where ther is some loss of humor.

Those who are successful stress manag• Physical problems: Sleeping problems, danger if action is not taken, you should take “learning by doing.”

• Self signs: The person might say, Instead, ers: as camp counselors they decreased sexual interest, headaches. the initiative: The five sequential steps ofesteem the experiential counselor. ✔ Competitive prices on Chemicals a failure,” blewhave it,” or “Why Are self-aware.

Know • Guilt and low self esteem: “It’s all my Call the agency and ask to speak to the process helps youth “I’m identify what“Ithey takecan’t on Ia...more •adult role in terms of your theirstrengths, Application (do various things)?” skills, and weaknesses.

Know what is impor- and fault,” “I should be punished.” intake worker (if there is one). learned from their experience and apply that responsibilities and leadership at the camp. managing StreSS tant to you. Know where you are going. Set Signs of suicidal intent include: Identify yourself and your relationship with ✔ Pre-Harvest Desicating to other life experiencesWhile or situations.

Thethebenefits the teen counselors includes farm stressAt is 4-H inevitable, toll it to priorities and plan. Never bite off more than • Anxiety or depression: Severe, intense the person or family. camp, youth have theoften opportunity learn andand the effectsofof “trying on” different Applications exacts ontothe health emotions you can chew.

Cut downadult on theroles demands made feelings of anxiety or depression.

State what you think the person’s or famhave fun in a safe environment, surrounded to determine interests, strengths and talents. farmers and their families is not. on you until you feel in control.

Withdrawal or isolation: Withdrawn, ✔ Or•any other Applications that need ily’s needs are (needs immediate protection by caring adults. At camp, youth have learned to This encourages of a broad Researchers identified hardy indi•the Aredevelopment relaxed. Take walks.

Spend time on alone, lack of friends and supports. from suicidal acts, needs an appointment for done.and hopeless: Sense of complete counseling, needs financial or legal advice). viduals--people whobecome can handlearray muchofmore make new friends, develop new skills, skills and interests can beTake applied hobbies.

Talk that to others. naps. Pray or to be • Helpless stress than without the ill effects.

Three of meditate.

Read fun. adult Breathe deeply and powerlessness,work a hopeless feeling.

State what you think the person’s or fammore independent and learn toothers take better care in a variety settings as theyforenter life. ✔ Round-Up characteristics they have in common are count 1,000. the self-esteem of • Alcohol abuse: There is often a link be- ily’s needs are (needs immediate protection of themselves.

There is nothing thattoboosts control, and • Are involved. several sources ofCall tween alcoholism and suicide. from suicidal acts, needs an appointment for Impacts of 4-H commitment, camping programs arechallenge. a teenHighly as much as a group of Draw 9-12 on year-olds Roy Mehling – office 406-747-3301 or cell 406-480-5907 committed to the work they do, they have a personal satisfaction, such as family, hobbies, • Previous suicidal attempts: May have been counseling, needs financial or legal advice). reported as: Becoming more independent, taklooking up at them with total adoration. knack for turning problems into opportunities. and recreation. previous attempts of low to high lethality.

Provide the agency with background ining the initiative, self-responsibility, building While of at camp activities range from the The Serenity Prayer expresses the feeling • Are active and productive. Make things • Suicidal plan: Frequent or constant formation (name, address and phone; age and confidence and improved self-esteem.

Teen usual nature hike, nature craftstress workshops to during thoughts with a specific plan in mind. control they have: “God grant me the strength happen. Practice management gender; nature of current problem or crisis; any counselors also report being the more confident GPS. Workshops in exercise, the to change things I can change,technology the courage such goodasand bad times.

Eat right, and Cries for help: Making a will, giving posses past history you’re aware of; further informain their leadership skills, relating more Ieffecpast have shooting to accept those things cannot change, and theincluded get enough sleep. sports, archery, • sions away, making statements such as “I’m tion as called for). to know the difference.”Dutch oven cooking, tively with adults andwisdom youth and implementing braiding friendship • Use and give support.

Develop friend- calling it quits,” or “Maybe my family would Ask the agency what follow-up action they A tough many farmers is thattie dying ships for help and comfort during will take: problem solving strategies as a lesson result for of their bracelets, shirts, swimming, wild-periods of be better off without me.” to success. stress. hOW tO refer a PerSOn fOr helP • When will they act on the referral? role in 4-H Camp. hard work does not always leadlife, and a wide array of craft projects. Each Thehas worka ethic ingrainedofinto workshop the very lifecan be• Spend time with Talk to each 1. Be aware of the agencies and resources • Who will be the person for you to contact Northeast Montana rich history connected withthea family. life skill of every farmer does not always provide the other and really listen. Express appreciation available in your community - what services later if necessary?

4-H camps dating back to the 1940s with 4-H and results in learning, experiencing and rewards it promises. For every farmer, there for each other often. they offer and what their limitations are.

• What will be the cost of the service (flat Agent Iva Holiday atare theconditions Pines Camp on Fort reflection for each camper. and factors that are out of his • Think positively. Encourage an overriding 2. Listen for signs and symptoms that fee/sliding scale)?

Peck Lake. More recently, five counties in When othersense memories of camp or her control. that things will have work faded, out for the best, the person or family needs help which you • Do you need to do anything else to comNortheast Montana have uphad to suffered offer through the magical together at theKnow end of An teamed old farmer a life- coming no matter what happens. that events can’t provide, i.e., financial, legal or personal plete the referral? the 4-H Camp experience to theirand 4-Hafflictions mem- that the dayhave will stay with a camper forisyears to reactions counseling. time of troubles would rarely destroy people--it people’s 7. Make sure the person or family and referleveledRoosevelt, an ordinary Daniels mortal. But through all, campfire bers. Richland, Sheridan, to events is thata cause the event: problems.an 3. Assess what agency or community re- ral agency connect and get together. Make one come. itThe special nevertogether lost his sense of humor.opportunity “How have to make SignSmusic, Of DePreSSiOn SUiCiDal intent source would be most appropriate to address or more follow-up contacts with the agency and Valley Countieshework to make laughOrtogether, Peerlessif st and you managed keep and serene?”

Theon greater the number of signs or symp- the person’s (or family’s) problems. called for by the situation. camping memories with camperstoof theso21happy quietly reflect the day’s happenings.

893-4398 a friend.

“ItCamp ain’t hard,” said flickering the old toms a ranch or farm is experiencing, 4. Discuss the referral with the person or Roubie Younkin, an MSU Extension century. Currently, asked District IV 4-H is The flames create the family atmosphere fellow with a twinkle in his eye. “ I’ve just the greater your concern should be. In addition, family (“It sounds/looks like you are feeling agent in Valley County, compiledRichland this reheld at the Beacon learned Bible to Camp located in of togetherness while the glow over the  Grain Feed Seed  Buying and 724-3353 cooperate with the inevitable.” if family members are exhibiting the follow- _____. I think _____ could help you deal with port from Extension sources. She can be Valley County. thedepression air of mystery To control those things youcamper’s can control,faces ingadds signs of or suicidaltointent, it is your situation.”) reached at (406)228-6239 or ryounkin@ Opheim  Fertilizer Merchandising Grain Campers arrivingyou at camp are What greeted by goals eachforindividual.

The that campfire warms must plan. are your your important you connect themthe with profes5. Explore the individual’s or family’s will- valleycountymt.net.

762-3231 teen 4-H counselorsfarm whoin are trained inspiressional thought, releases  Ag Chemicals  Agronomist the next year?inInrisk the nextbody, three years? help as soon astension possible.and All cries for Four Buttes management, youth “ages and Keeping in stages”, mind yourleadermajor, long-range goals those keeps away dark noises of help frightening, should be taken seriously.  Petroleum Services 783-5519 will make it easier to setThe daily priorities.

• Signsare of depression ship, cooperation and problem solving. the night. Campfires special. include: They are youofcannot everything want •point Appearance: movements, Scobey teen counselors are theWhen heart 4-H do camp. the you culminating of allSad theface, fun,slow busy, accomplish a day,place tackle those projects activities unkempt of look.

They play out their torole in that in fuzzy 487-2741 energizing the day. They are that adulthood. will bring youThey the biggest People between childhood and are return. special.

Camp is• Unhappy special. feelings: Feeling sad, hopeless, Flaxville with low self-esteem often set unrealistically discouraged, listless. no longer the little ones looking up to their 474-2231 high goals, but achievers set moderate goals• Negative thoughts: “I’m a failure,” “I’m

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marY honrud / for farm & ranCh

mary Honrud's vegetable garden flourishes at the Honrud family farm south of Opheim. the entire crop of sweet corn in one night.

I have both fruits and vegetables in my garden. There is a lot of canning and blanching and freezing of produce done here in mid-to-late summer.

This spring I added an herb garden to our yard. I’ve had chives for years, and make a mean pesto with it which is delicious on pasta. A few years ago I put in some dill and cilantro, as well as cat mint. Anyone who gardens will tell you, those all like to go to seed quickly, and then you will have them for years. (I tend to practice benign neglect, and so have volunteer plants all the time. I reap the rewards of ‘free’ plants.) I’ve learned to recognize most of them. Sometimes I’ll transplant them into rows, and sometimes I’ll just let them grow where they want and weed around them. With the new herb garden, I’ll now also have oregano, tarragon, basil, parsley, sage, thyme (it almost sounds like a song, but I don’t have rosemary), marjoram, stevia, and another two types of mint. I’m always trying new things. Some work, some don’t. One that didn’t was blueberries, which was a shame.

Our soil just isn’t conducive to those, though I tried very hard.

However, raspberries thrive for me.

They are a true biennial. This year’s canes will produce berries next year, and then those canes will die. The books say to thin the dead canes in the fall, but I never have time then as I’m now actively engaged in harvesting our wheat. So I thin the canes in the spring, when it’s easier to tell which ones are dead as the leaves are coming in on those that aren’t. I also try to cut each plant back to 4-6 canes for better berry production. I’ll hand-cast fertilizer in the spring, and every few years I try to give them a dose of bone

meal to make the canes stronger. After that, it’s lots and lots of water.

I’m not having as much luck with strawberries, but I keep trying. There’s bindweed in that area, and if anybody knows an easy cure for that, please let me know. Sometimes, in a wet year, there are also slugs. And box elder bugs seem to like breeding near them.

The little baby bugs feed on the leaves. I’m loathe to spray harsh chemicals on my food, but once in a while I’ll try to zap those buggers with a dose of Tempo.

I love my little oasis on the prairie. And the birds love it, too. Every year we have a huge flock of gold finches that return and brighten our days. There are also robins, thrushes, and grackles that claim this yard as their summer home. In the fall, there are hummingbirds that come through and hang about for a couple of weeks on their way back south. A few years ago I added a few bluebird nesting boxes, hoping to entice some to stay here. I’ve seen them pass through. Tree swallows have claimed those nesting boxes, and have raised a couple of broods each summer.

I do enjoy watching them, and hope they’ll help lessen the mosquito population.

Gardening in northeastern Montana can be a challenge. There are the long, harsh, super-cold winters. There are late frosts.

There are windstorms, there are hailstorms.

There are even the occasional tornadoes.

But the rewards are so vast, at least to me.

I have fresh, healthy food. I have beauty. I have peace and serenity. I have the pleasant ache from doing something I love. In the summer, you’ll most likely find me tinkering in my yard, bringing beauty to my small area of earth.

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James Walling / The Courier

Leonard and Blake Swenson survey their alfalfa fields on the family ranch near Glasgow.

Return to the Ranch

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By JAmES WALLiNG / THE COURiER When 70-year-old Glasgow resident Leonard Swenson agreed to speak with this reporter, he was sitting at his window watching his son Blake Swenson cut alfalfa to feed the family’s more than 200 head of cattle during the coming winter.

“If you get over here right away,” Swenson told former county commissioner Dave Pippin (Valley County), “you’ll catch my son cutting hay. But he’s about done for the day.”

The Swenson family has been at it for three generations. With the addition of ten-year-old Mason Swenson, the tradition appears to be in good shape heading into the future.

“My father bought the place from my uncle,” the longtime Nemont and Valley County Rural Telephone employee explains, beginning the story of ranch life that has both sustained and tested his family’s mettle since 1945.

The tale actually begins somewhat earlier.

Swenson’s uncle, Harold Barstad, purchased the farm from Valley County in the mid-1930s.

It had been used as the county poor farm for the better part of the previous two decades. Since that time, the ranch has grown, and remained largely within family control.

Even with 1150 acres of deeded land (and still more in leased acreage), the Swenson holdings are just a portion of the production capacity within the Wittmayer Grazing Association.

The latter group of area ranchers represents a combined $5 million worth of cattle production in Valley County this year alone. The taxes raised by ranchers who work in coordination with Wittmayer promise to be in low-to-mid six figures. Today, the 140 acres of irrigated bottomland along the Milk River east of Glasgow that are at the heart of the Swenson operation are flourishing. The estate has grown since its founding and shows no immediate sign of shrinking. It hasn’t always been that way.

When Swenson’s father Magnus took over the property from his brother around the end of WWII, the family was almost immediately struck with tragedy.

In the winter of 1947, Leonard’s older sister Ruth Myhre (nee Swenson) slipped through the ice on the Milk along with her cousin Kay Jackson. Somehow, Magnus was able to rescue his young daughter, but Jackson did not survive.

A few months later, Magnus too was gone, having died after an accident that occurred while he was clearing a stand of cottonwood trees. Leonard was just shy of three years old.

Amazingly, Leonard’s mother Anne held on to the farm with four small children to care for.

She sold milk and eggs to area residents, along with produce from her abundant garden and ice from the Milk.

At the age of 19, Leonard went to work for Valley County Electric and Valley County Rural Telephone to help support the family. He would work for the electric and phone companies for decades, retiring from Nemont after 44 years in 2008.

As with many ranchers and farmers in the region, the question of keeping the family business in family hands was an open one for some time. The question was answered in 2012 when Blake returned to the area with his own family to help his father manage the ranch after a number of years working elsewhere around the U.S. The younger Swenson graduated from Glasgow High before going on to study diesel mechanics at Montana State UniversityNorthern. He went on to work in places as far flung as Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. When his father began experiencing back trouble, Blake returned home and set about picking up the slack. His efforts have been successful, and include purchasing a 7-acre parcel of land with a house next door to his parents, returning the land to the family holdings.

“Kids grow up here and they see a lot of work and they move elsewhere,” says Leonard, See RETURN TO THE RANCH, Page 10

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July July2015 2015

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FARM & FARM & RANCH RANCH

Raising Literacy in Opheim

By JANET BAiLEy / FOR FARm & RANCH Terry Ackerman came to Opheim in the fall of 1975 to teach the 5th grade in the Opheim School, after graduating from MSU in Bozeman in June. She taught 5th grade for 6 years during which time she married a local farmer/rancher, Lee Risa, in 1978.

She retired in the spring of 1981 and started raising a family. They had twin girls, Kristy and Keri that fall and followed with a son Bryce in 1983.

Terry went back to work at the school as a part-time Librarian in 1986 and from that time on she has become a “jack of all trades” so to speak. In 1988 she wrote and received a grant for a School/Community Library which soon became a state of the art Library, one of the nicest in the area at that time.

Terry went from half-time to three quarter time and gradually ended up being a fulltime Librarian at the Opheim School in about 1993. She was the Community Librarian for two hours a day when the Community Library started up.

As the town of Opheim got smaller, so did the school and Terry was given more teaching assignments. She teaches Junior High Math, Study Skills, English, Science and High School Accounting, as well as Elementary Computer. In 2007 she took on the job of Opheim Activity Director in addition to all of her other duties.

Terry said that when she first started the Community Library she had about 85 patrons using the library (not including the teachers).

Now she is down to about a dozen or more who regularly use the library. In 2007 she got a computer for the Community Library to use. The school allowed her to use their network and internet. She has had custom combine crews, foreigners and people traveling through that needed to use a computer come in and use the computer.

At one time there was a monthly program every Sunday where people brought in their arts and crafts to put on display in the library.

The display would be changed monthly.

Up until 4 years ago there was a summer reading program that was put on by Terry and Mrs. Sylvia Redfield. They met once a week and had 12-15 young people attend.

Mrs. Redfield is still active in the reading program as she gives an award to the most improved reader each year.

The Community Library has purchased adult books, preschool books, videos, and DVDs, all in conjunction with the Glasgow City-County Library. They have the Backroads of Montana on DVD now that can be checked out.

One year an author who lives just north of us in Canada came to the library to do a reading and talked about the books that she has written. This lady was Thelma (Anderson) Poirier of the Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan area, where she was born

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Terry Ackerman serves as librarian for both the community library and the school library in Opheim. and raised.

Terry, Lee and their son Bryce operate the Northern Lites Ranch just east of Opheim.

This is a four generation farm/ranch that Lee’s grandfather, Martin homesteaded, and then his father and step-father, Albin and Theron, and now Lee and Bryce have worked their entire life.

They raise Red Angus Cattle and Wheat, as well as specialty crops such as lentils, canola, flax, peas and mustard. Terry says she has done a lot of the farm/ranch work, but has never used any of the “big equipment”. She says she is mostly the “Gofer”.

Go for this and Go for that! She has raised a big garden, but not for several years. She loves tending her flower beds and has done all of the farm wife duties, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, mowing the lawn and whatever else needs to be done.

Terry wasn’t raised in a farm family. She was raised in Great Falls where she graduated from C M Russell High School. Her dad was Ted Ackerman who was raised in the Glentana and Peerless area. He mother was Arlene Nieskens from Peerless. Her dad taught school in many towns and cities around the state, ending his career in Sidney.

She maybe wasn’t raised a farm girl but she has learned the trade very well and has also been a great addition to the Opheim School and the Community Library.

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FARM & RANCH FARM & RANCH Hi-Line Hi-Line 54062 US Highway 2 W Ste 2 Hi-Line FARM & Glasgow, MT 59230-2846 FARM RANCH FARM & & RANCH RANCH

12 12 July July2015 2015 The March public is always invited to the Conservation 12 2015 2015 12 District’sMay monthly board meetings which are held the 12 March 2015 second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. in the Conference Room of the USDA Building.

Call 228-4321 Ext 101 to verify time and date. All VCCD and NRCS programs are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status or handicap.

Phone: 406-228-4321 Ext. 101 vccdmt20@gmail.com

www.havredailynews.com www.glasgowcourier.com Valley County Conservation District

Board of SuperviSorS www.havredailynews.com www.havredailynews.com Jeff Pattison ......................Supervisor – Chair www.havredailynews.com Ron Stoneberg ..................Supervisor Jody Mason ......................Supervisor Ron Garwood ...................Supervisor Gene Granada ...................Supervisor Nancy Heins ......................Urban Supervisor Vice-Chair/Treas.

VACANT ............................Urban Supervisor Allen Bunk ........................Associate, DPRW Marvin Tarum ...................Associate, DPRW Sierra Stoneberg-Holt .......Associate Penny Shipp .....................Administrator Ext 101 NrCS perSoNNel Tracy Cumber ........................................... Ext 126 District Conservationist Kevin Farr ................................................ Ext. 130 Soil Conservationist Technician Levi Doll .................................................. Ext. 118 Civil Engineeer Douglas Jones ......................................... Ext. 122 Civil Engineer Technician John Fahlgren .......................................... Ext. 132 Range Conservationist

State from Around Around the the State State State FFA FFA Conventions Conventions Draws Draws Students Students from Check us out on Facebook www.facebook.com/valleycd for links to soil webinars and current happenings

Local Common Sense Conservation

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

News From The Valley County Conservation District vCCd Celebrates arbor day with open House and visits to the local Schools

Local Heroes FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH

Lukas LukasJohnson, Johnson,Brett BrettJohnson, Johnson,Dallas DallasCapdeville, Capdeville,Kyle KyleAlbus, Albus,Wyatt WyattPattison Pattisonand andAdvisor Advisor Patti Patti Armbrister Armbrister at at the state convenstion in Billings. the state convenstion in Billings.

WYATT WYATTPATTISON PATTISON HINSDALE HINSDALECHAPTER CHAPTERREPORTER REPORTER

The TheState State(Future (FutureFarmers FarmersofofAmerican) American)FFA FFAConvention Conventionwas washeld held in in Billings Billings on on March March 25 25 -- 28.

28.

Over 1,500 FFA members from around the state gathered to compete in State CDEs, ranging from on april 24, vCCd held an arbor openthe House refreshments andinpassed out freeranging trees and Over 1,500 FFA members fromday around statewith gathered to compete State CDEs, from mechanics speaking. booklets toto the public. mechanics topublic public speaking.

Ten members ofofthe Hinsdale including Cache Younkin, competed in mechanTen members the Hinsdalechapter, chapter, includingSophomore Sophomorewith Cache competed mechanOn April 23 Administrator Penny Shipp students a Younkin, tree to plant andinbookics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking.

When they weren’t ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking.

When they and Supervisor Nancy Heins traveled to let for Arbor Day with information onweren’t the three local schools to present elementary history of Arbor Day.

IfIf save both. both. time is money, money, save If time time is is money, Getting Gettingback backand andforth forthto toBillings Billingsminus minusthe thedrive drivejust justmakes makes Getting back and forth to Billings minus the drive just makes sense.

Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flights sense. Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flightsand and sense. Next time, hop on one of our fast, daily flights and arrive arriverefreshed. refreshed.Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride. arrive refreshed. Enjoy the ride.

Havre Havre Havre

Glasgow Glasgow WolfPoint Point Glasgow Wolf Wolf Point Sidney Sidney Sidney

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

Glendive Glendive Glendive

Billings

Billings Billings opheim elementary students with their trees presented by the valley County Conservation district.

VCCD Demonstration Plot Gets Facelift!

The Valley County Conservation the existing tree and shrub varieites District appreciated the advice of District demonstration plot located needed trimming, and others that Jim Jacobs from the Bridger Plant Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride.

Enjoy the ride. on Hwy 24 N by Northern Border were dead were removed.

Materials Center during his visit in Pipeline is receiving a facelift that The committee is currently early May. is targeted to provide public educa- working on a new plan for impleThanks to volunteers Pattison tion opportunities and increase the mentation in 2016. Organizations Farms, Jason and Vanessa Eggability for those involved to provide that may be interested in partici- ebrecht, Penny Shipp, Dave and capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR better maintenance. The grass spe- pating should contact the District Nancy Heins for providing equip*Fares subjecttoto availability conditions. may are not guaranteed ticketed. *Fares aresubject toavailability availabilityand andother otherconditions. conditions.Fares maychange changewithout without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares are may change notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. cies had grown together, someand ofother Office at Fares 228-4321 ext.without 101.notice, Theand ment and labor.until

Your Hardworking Pollinators 2015 NACD Poster Winners!!

Top photo: patti FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH armbrister at Two local students received first FOR THE HI-LINE FARM & RANCH Creed third place winner and greenhand second place winner Mickayla Johnson accepting anaward awardpostthe the Hinsdale prizes foraccepting their winning Creed third place winner and greenhand second place winnerplace Mickayla Johnson an atatthe state convention in Billings.

School state convention in Billings. ers in the VCCD poster contest “Locompeting they went went to to various various workshops workshops presentedby bypast past state officers andHardworking evennational nationalofficers. officers. greenhouse. calstate Heroes Your Pollicompeting they presented officers and even Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil nators” hosted

by NACD. 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 seat left: ron The posters then went on to served on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt PattiStoneberg compete at the state level.

VCCD Suniors, Lukas Johnson, Brett Johnson, Dallas Capdeville, Kyle Albus and Wyatt Pattison were awarded awarded their their State State Farmer Farmer and Degrees at the thepervisor State Degree Degree dinner on Fridaynight. night. his solar Nancy Heinson presented the son were Degrees at State dinner Friday There were over 500 members, advisors and their families attending that dinner.

Mickayla Johnson panels.

There were over 500 members, advisors and their familiesawards. attending that dinner. Mickayla Johnson 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 the state state and and received received third. third. from around

Sustainable agriculture field Trip

PUTTING IN SOME DAM DAM WORK WORK

SuBmiTTed By aSHley KemmiS On May 15 the Glasgow School Science Club - 7th & 8th grade - took a local field trip to learn about sustainable agriculture. This trip was sponsored by the Valley County Conservation District and funded by the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. The students, along with co-advisors, Lisa Flowers and Ashley Kemmis began the day with Patti Armbrister at the Hinsdale School to tour their passive solar heated greenhouse, gardens and newly constructed root cellar.

Students were able to see how Hinsdale students grow fruits and vegetables for their own school without paying for any electricity.

They were also able to see how the crops were stored in their new pictured is Tanner White of irle School, winroot cellar, which was also a product of the Hinsdale students’ hard ner of the Grades 2-3 category. work. Glasgow students were also able to help plant some flax, before learning about the importance of pollinators to food crops.

The bus then turned west and south to take the group to spend the remainder of the day at the Stoneberg ranch to learn about life off the grid. Ron Stoneberg taught the students about using solar panels and wind turbines to supply all the required electricity to their ranch. Rose Stoneberg introduced the students to their milking cows, which they use to make the majority of their own dairy products. A delicious lunch was provided and very much enjoyed by everyone, it included many of homemade dairy products. The meal ended with a lesson on how to make your own yogurt, butter and cottage cheese led by Sierra Stoneberg-Holt. The day drew to a close with a short hike out on the landscape to look at grassland plants and the role they play in the prairie ecosystem.

A meaningful and engaging experience was had by everyone.

ANDREWMCKEAN MCKEAN/ /FOR FORTHE THEHI-LINE HI-LINEFARM FARM&&RANCH RANCH ANDREW Lih-An Yang, Ellis McKean work work onGlasgow clearingout out beaver damalong along theof Little Brazil Creek, and Ellis McKean on clearing aabeaver the Little Brazil Creek, The support for thisMerlin, type ofIrislearning opportunity for the pictured is dam Colter Cumber eastside School, of Glasgow. southwest students interested in science is very much appreciated. winner of the Grades 4-6 category.

Bulls Stay Stay Steady Steady Bulls

Bullsales salesremain remainstrong strongand andthe themarket market Bull remainsatataasteady steadyhigh high//Page Page2 2 remains

A Multigenerational Family Business Thrives – Page 2