Hi-Line Farm & Ranch November 2016

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12 12 November November2016 2016 12 2015 May 2015 12 12 March March 2015

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State from Around Around the the State State State FFA FFA Conventions Conventions Draws Draws Students Students from

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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 Over 1,500 FFA members from around the state gathered to compete in State CDEs, ranging from from mechanics mechanicstotopublic publicspeaking. speaking.

SEAN R HEAVEY / FOR FARM mechan& RANCH Ten Tenmembers membersofofthe theHinsdale Hinsdalechapter, chapter,including includingSophomore SophomoreCache CacheYounkin, Younkin,competed competed in in mechanWhile less destructive than other historic weather events, theand flooding this October left low-lying areas around ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand state creed speaking.

When they ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking. When they weren’t weren’t Glasgow under water (pictured: the Milk River east of Glasgow, Oct. 2016).

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Creed third place place winner winner and and greenhand greenhandsecond secondplace placewinner winnerMickayla MickaylaJohnson Johnsonaccepting acceptingan anaward awardatatthe the Creed third state convention in Billings. state convention in Billings. competing they went went to to various various workshops workshopspresented presentedby bypast paststate stateofďŹ cers ofďŹ cersand andeven evennational nationalofďŹ cers. ofďŹ cers. competing they Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil served on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed.

Our five seserved on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seniors, Lukas Johnson, Johnson, Brett Brett Johnson, Johnson, Dallas Dallas Capdeville, Capdeville, Kyle Kyle Albus Albus and and Wyatt Wyatt PattiPattiniors, Lukas son were awarded awarded their their State State Farmer Farmer Degrees Degrees at at the the State State Degree Degree dinner dinner on on Friday Fridaynight. night. son were There were over 500 members, advisors and their families attending that dinner.

Mickayla Johnson There were over 500 members, advisors and their families 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. VALLEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY / FOR FARM & RANCH from around This image from The Glasgow Courier's archives shows how hard the 1952 flooding hit Nashua.

Flood Photos: Past and Present -Page 12

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Aerial photo of flooding on Glasgow's south side, 1938.

The photo was taken facing west, with the old hospital pictured in the lower right corner. capeair.com capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR 800-CAPE-AIR *Fares subjecttoto availability and other conditions. notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares aresubject toavailability availabilityand andother otherconditions. conditions.Fares Faresmay maychange changewithout without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares are may change without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed.

ANDREW MCKEAN FORTHE HI-LINE FARM RANCH ANDREW / /FOR HI-LINE FARM &&RANCH CODYMCKEAN PEDERSON /THE FOR FARM & RANCH

Lih-An Ellis McKean work onclearing clearing outaaon beaver dam along theLittle Little9Brazil BrazilCreek, Creek, Yang, Merlin, Iris and Ellis McKean on out beaver dam along the Local residents help clear debris from underwork the Milk River bridge Tampico Road during Oct. flooding. southwest of Glasgow.

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November 2016 November 2016

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

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Therapy

exact details, but all the other extraneous information surrounding the subject of the conversation. Neither is the “rightâ€? way to communicate. Both have strengths that they bring with it. There are also strategies of communication that are speciďŹ c to your personality, for example you might have a strong leading personality and so the way you communicate will reect that. Another example, is someone whose personality is one where they value everyone's opinion and seek to bring understanding to all. This communication strategy is going to look vastly different.

For successful communication you have to consider your own style and that of your partner or communication will deďŹ nitely break down!

If you'd like to read more about communication styles you can read this blog post that I wrote speciďŹ cally on communication styles.

Assumptions: Have you ever heard the quote that says, “Assumptions are the ter- Shipstead cattle near Porcupine Creek north of Nashua. mites of relationships,� by Harry Winkler?

There is no way around it, when you are working animals, assumptions are going point of view from where they physically are to be present. You may assume that your partner is going to make the same choices as standing, or a different perspective on their you, but they will be making choices from a interaction with the same animal at a different different personal point of view, a different time. There's also the assumption that your partner knows what you want them to do; the

FROM PAGE 10

SEAN R HEAVEY / FOR FARM & RANCH

Flood waters around Glasgow have retreated, but this shot, taken Oct. 25 south of the 6th Avenue Bridge, illustrates how much moisture may loom on the horizon with a La NiĂąa watch in effect.

GINEVRA KIRKLAND FOR FARM AND RANCH The NOAA long-range weather forecast is out, the U.S. Winter Outlook, and winter is on the way. Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the forecast, saying that “La NiĂąa is expected to inuence winter conditions this year. The Climate Prediction Center issued a La NiĂąa watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter.â€? La NiĂąa usually creates drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S. If La NiĂąa conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived.

A casual survey of longtime Valley County residents correlates that we’re due for a hard winter, though perhaps not as bad as the Blizzard of ‘48-49. Grass and rangeland conditions maintained 31 percent

rated good to excellent which was better than last year’s 19 percent but still below the ďŹ ve-year average of 33 percent. So if the snow stays away just a bit longer, we’ll have plenty of good grazing.

Three for three in forecasts, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is invoking Old Man Winter’s return as well, saying“exceptionally cold, if not downright frigid weather will predominate over parts of the Northern Plains, Great Lakes, Midwest, Ohio Valley, the Middle Atlantic, Northeast, and New England this winter.�

Around the country, some lingering snow will remain in the Northeast. Efforts in North Carolina have been able to switch focus from rescue to cleanup. Another storm system will settle into the PaciďŹ c Northwest with more heavy wind and rain. It’s ďŹ nally snowing in Fairbanks, Alaska - that’s two weeks late into the season for them, who had to ship in snow earlier this year for the annual Iditarod dog sled race.

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pollinated, each spike can produce up to 600,000 seeds that are very small and encapsulated within a fruit that has a small tuft of hairs on the tip that aids in dispersal.

In Montana, salt cedar grows in both riparian and non-riparian areas and has been found in several urban locations where people have this plant as an ornamental because of its showy, dense pink blooms.

Throughout Montana, salt cedar can be found along stream banks, reservoir shores and other areas where there is water. Young plants need to be exposed to moist soil for long periods of time to ensure survival. Salt cedar is detrimental to areas it inhabits because it has long adventitious roots that consume large amounts of water, where because of the roots, this plant outcompete other native species such as

cottonwood or willow for water because they have shorter roots and make the soil very salty limiting the plants that can actually grow there due to the high salt content within the soil.

Salt cedar has various modes of reproduction and is a very hardy plant that can survive in many types of environments. Reproduction occurs through stems that are located below the soil as well as by seeds.

Salt cedar is also very resistant to ďŹ re, so control measures for this plant include mechanical pulling, biological control and herbicide treatments. Often times the best control measure is both mechanical pulling and application of herbicide to the removal area and chopping the plant down and applying herbicide to the stump.

Salt cedar has been found down below the dam on Fort Peck Reservoir. These plants are starting to spread up the smaller WHITNEY PAJU / FOR FARM & RANCH

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assumption that they understood the directions that you gave them; and the assumption that they agree with the directions and are willing to follow through with them.

Third-party: Assumptions aside, you're still

working with an unpredictable animal that may react differently depending upon what you are doing with them, what the rest of the herd is doing, etc. Obviously, herd management strategies are going to play a part in this. But simply culling all the “Wild� cows isn't the only factor in making working cows with your spouse easier.

Between different communication strategies, different assumptions that are made, and working an unpredictable animal this can be a stressful situation to be in.

Like everything in life, each participant has a choice. We have a choice in how we respond whether working cows together is going well or not. We can choose to believe our assumptions are the truth. We can believe the cow is against us. We can choose to believe all sorts of things about our partner.

The biggest choice you have to make is what each of you will bring to the interaction.

Working cattle and marriage does not work if both parties bring only 50%. Each party has to be 100% invested in having a successful marriage, a happy relationship and less stressful times working cows.

You have to choose to bring your best or somebody gets hurt, the cow doesn't load, lots of yelling ensues, or heaven forbid the animal jumps the fence and heads to Timbuktu!

Want to test out the strength of your marriage? Just let me know. I’d be happy to offer you and your spouse an opportunity to chase and work some cows!

tributaries along the Missouri River.

Ranchers, farmers, and landowners need to be aware of these plants. Birds and humans are spreading these plants to our small reservoirs. Therefore, keep an eye on your water sources and look for plants out of the ordinary like the pretty ones.

Please take a few moments to learn about salt cedar and the other state listed noxious weeds. If noxious weeds are not

currently a problem in your area, they may be in the near future. For more information about Montana’s state listed noxious weeds, regulated plants, or weed species listed on your county weed list, please contact your local county weed district Valley County Weed District (VCWD) at 406-228-6237. Or you can contact the Montana Department of Agriculture at (406) 444-3144.

FROM PAGE 10

Salt Cedar

Please call in consignments so buyers can be notiďŹ ed

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ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD / FOR FARM & RANCH

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VV staff member Morgan Paju even tends to livestock in her off time. She is pictured here at her mom's home near Glasgow.

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10 November 2016 10 November 2016

Stomping Out Salt Cedar STONE TIHISTA FOR FARM AND RANCH Currently in Montana, noxious weeds infest about 7.6 million acres (Montana’s Noxious Weed Management Plan, 2008).

Many of these state listed noxious weeds were brought to America as ornamentals for gardens, medicinal purposes, by accident in discarded soil from a ship’s ballast or unintentionally in bags of seed brought from other parts of the world. Whatever the cause of introduction, 32 non-native plant species have found their way onto Montana’s state noxious weed list.

Salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima and T. chinensis) is a Priority 2B listed noxious weed in the state of Montana. Priority 2B species are noxious weeds that are abundant in Montana and widespread in many counties. Management criteria for these species includes eradication or containment where these species are less abundant.

Management for these species shall be prioritized by local weed districts. Species listed as Priority 2B noxious weeds are: Canada thistle, ďŹ eld bindweed, leafy spurge, whitetop, Russian knapweed, spotted knapweed, diffuse knapweed, dalmation toadax, St. Johnswort, sulfur cinquefoil, common tansy, oxeye daisy, houndstongue, yellow toadax, and salt cedar.

Salt Cedar was introduced to North America from Eurasia and Africa as an ornamental shrub and also served as a wind break and a shade tree in the 1800s. In the

1930s, during the Great Depression, millions of salt cedar plants were planted on the Great Plains to help combat soil loss through erosion. There are eight species of salt cedar that can be found in North America, these species can be broken down farther into two categories: evergreen and deciduous. The two species, Tamarix chinensis and Tamaix ramosissima, that occur in Montana fall in the deciduous category because these species are perennial evergreen shrubs or often times considered small trees.

Salt cedar is often referred to as tamarix; this nickname has Latin origins and references the Tamaris River in Spain where the plant was known to grow. There are about 60 species in the family Tamaricaceae; these species are generally recognized by slender branches and their gray-green foliage that resembles juniper.

New growth on branches is smooth, reddishbrown in color, turns a bluishpurple and becomes ridged as the plant ages.

This plant has a deep taproot that is adventitious, can tolerate alkali soils and thrives in soils with a high saline content. The leaves are often encrusted with salt secretions and taste salty if you were to taste them. From March to September is when this plant typically owers; owers are borne on 2’’ long spikes at the tips of the branches.

Each spike contains dense masses of pink to white owers that have ďŹ ve petals. When

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Working Cows and Couples Therapy ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD FOR FARM AND RANCH

Who needs marriage or couples counseling when you can just work cows and ďŹ gure out what the issues are right then and there?

Recently my husband and I have had frequent opportunities to practice communication skills while chasing and working cows. It seems like after the ďŹ rst snow ies, the cows are ready to get out of the pastures and back into the yard.

I'm sure you all have heard the quote that says don't make any marriage decisions after working cows together.

I have decided I can speak from experience and share why working cows with your spouse

can be so stressful.

Working cows highlights your communication strategies or lack thereof.

It also accentuates assumptions that are made about each other and about what you're doing together.

It is also compounded by the third-party being a mostly unpredictable animal.

Communication strategies: We all have different communication strategies and most marriage partners have completely different communication strategies. In general, men tend to be more straightforward and minimalistic in their communication and women when communicating, not only consider the See THERAPY, Page 11

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Agricultural Policy in the 2016 Election

SHILOH PERRY FOR FARM AND RANCH

In the midst of debates and with Election Day quickly approaching, the importance of agricultural policy is even more pressing. In fact, everyone has a stake in American agriculture and protecting our farmers and ranchers’ ability to produce. Agricultural policy issues hit home for all Americans, both on and off the farm.

Agricultural policy matters in the current election for many reasons. Agricultural policy inuences key issues and impacts the overall prosperity of the United States.

Two leading issues on both the debate stage and the farm are international trade and immigration. Each year, approximately 36 percent of agricultural products are produced for international markets, with 95 percent of consumers outside our borders. International trade brings billions of dollars into the economy and helps create jobs. Farm Bureau estimates that the Trans-PaciďŹ c Partnership will increase farm income and agriculture exports, with annual net farm income growing by $4.4 billion and U.S. agriculture exports increasing by $5.3 billion. The partnership will add a projected 40,000 jobs or more here at home.

Farmers and ranchers work hard to get their products from their farms to our grocery stores

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and dinner tables. Seasonal and temporary workers are vital to accomplishing this, especially during busy seasons like harvest. But every year, agriculture faces a serious labor shortage coupled with crippling delays in the H-2A worker visa program. In a 2014 study, Farm Bureau found that America will lose an estimated $60 billion in agriculture production if we increase immigration enforcement without also increasing access to a reliable migrant workforce. A workable solution to immigration reform must ensure both reliable agricultural labor and border security.

Everyone beneďŹ ts from agriculture, and we protect our nation’s food supply by protecting our farmers’ ability to keep doing what they do best. Farmers and ranchers produce food, ďŹ ber and energy sources that are important for domestic prosperity. All Americans should take an interest in policies that help farmers and ranchers provide safe and affordable products while boosting their local economies.

Urban and rural voters can learn more about the importance of agricultural policy and where the candidates stand on these issues at Farm Bureau’s special election blog, election16.fb.org/. They can also follow and use the hashtag, #vote4ag as they gear up for Election Day. Shiloh Perry is a communications assistant at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

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USDA Livestock Forage Program

See SALT CEDAR , Page 11

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ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD / FOR FARM & RANCH

The author's daughtes keep an eye on the family business near Nashua.

USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announces that livestock producers in 14 Montana counties have until Jan. 30, 2017 to enroll in the 2016 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP).

LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers in qualifying counties for drought on dryland pasture. Eligible livestock producers must own or lease dryland pasture physically located in a qualifying county and eligible livestock must use this ground during the normal grazing period for the county. The following 14 counties have met the qualifying drought criteria for 2016 in Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Livestock producers in the 14 Montana counties are eligible to apply for 2016 LFP beneďŹ ts on small grain, native pasture, improved pasture, annual ryegrass or forage sorghum, produced on dryland acres and used for grazing. Irrigated acres used for

grazing or aftermath grazing are not eligible under this program. Livestock producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA ofďŹ ce with any questions regarding speciďŹ c crops and production methods that are eligible.

Livestock producers in Carter County are eligible for four monthly payments.

Livestock producers in the following 13 counties are eligible for one monthly payment: Big Horn, Carbon, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Eligible livestock includes alpacas, beef cattle over 500 lbs, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the county’s grazing period.

Producers must complete an application and provide supporting documentation for 2016 losses by Jan. 30, 2017. Please contact the local FSA ofďŹ ce ASAP to schedule an appointment to begin the application process and for questions on FSA programs.

For more information, visit Montana FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/mt and www. usda.gov/disaster.

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Weather, prices upside down in north-central Montana Tim Leeds tleeds@havredailynews.com A topsy-turvy weather year that looked bleak early on received enough moisture in the north-central Montana region including Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties to produce some good harvests, although a decline in prices at the same time has kept farmers and ranchers from gaining much through that harvest.

The forecast for the next few months calls for more precipitation — along with some colder weather — but what will happen with prices is unknown.

November 2016

wheat.

Prices started dropping regularly after that and have declined severely in the last couple of years.

In late October, Montana farmers were looking at prices generally in the upper $2 to $3 a bushel range, with some of the top prices for 15 percent protein red spring wheat at a little more than $5 a bushel.

Cattle prices also went up, peaked early last year and again are on the downside.

After spending decades where ranchers could rarely receive more than $1 a pound for feeder cattle — usually much less than that — prices started going up about the start of this decade. Producers recently were making $2.50 a pound or more for

FARM & RANCH their cattle, but now the prices again have dropped.

Recent Montana prices for cattle ranged, in a late October market report from the Montana Livestock Auction website, from $1.06 to $1.14 a pound for yearling steers and $.85 to $1.12 a pound for yearling heifers. The report lists steer calves selling for $1.06 to $1.47 a pound and heifer calves for $.99 to $1.23 a pound. At the same time, some live cattle futures have dropped below $1 pound.

A variety of causes are listed as to the price declines, including oversupply of product and the strong U.S. dollar cutting into imports, as well as competition from other countries.

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Horses stand in melting snow near Havre in April. Snow and rainfall has brought the region well above the norm for the amount of precipitation that has fallen to date, with Havre receiving by the end of October considerably more than it normally receives by the end of the year. And more is predicted, with a La Niña weather pattern in which cooler temperatures are over the equatorial Pacific Ocean expected to bring more-thannormal amounts of precipitation, along with lower-than-normal temperatures, to Montana from November through February.

Early dry weather reverses The moisture over the last half-year is a reversal of the conditions early on, which looked like north-central Montana could be slipping back into drought conditions like it experienced early last decade. What had started as a very bleak-looking year for moisture turned into a deluge of precipitation, at least in this part of north-central Montana.

That helped with yields for many farmers and better-than-expected hay crops, although the late heavy rains also kept some farmers out of fields after harvest, delaying or preventing planting fall crops.

Now the soil moisture content is much better than conditions in March would have led people to expect.

While the northern part of the Rocky Mountain Front into Teton County did not receive as much of the later moisture, the water level rose significantly to the east — to the point of flooding in early October on the Milk River and its tributaries from Malta down the river.

After the region started falling into a moisture deficit early in the year by the end of January, National Weather Service reported that its station at the Havre CityCounty Airport received .31 inches of precipitation, just shy of the norm of .34 inches.

The deficit continued to grow in the region. By the end of February, the Havre station reported receiving .41 inches of pre-

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Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten An ADMX engine powers a BNSF Railway train being loaded with wheat at an ADM-CHS elevator in Havre in August. While precipitation helped farmers get yields this year, that outcome looked bleak in the first few months of the year during a moisture deficit, but low prices have offset the crop yields. cipitation compared to a norm of .61 inches, and by the end of March, the deficit had grown to nearly a third of an inch, with .85 inches received compared to a norm of 1.13 inches.

But precipitation started falling in April with a vengeance. More than 3.5 inches fell that month, and by the end of the month the Havre station reported 4.41 inches of precipitation having fallen compared to a

norm of 1.91 inches for that date.

Moisture continues to fall, more expected And the precipitation has continued to fall. National Weather Service reported that through Oct. 24, its station at the Havre City-County Airport received 18.11

inches of precipitation, compared to a norm of 10.26 inches by that day.

That compares to a norm of about 12.2 inches for the entire year.

And more precipitation is expected before the year’s end.

T h e N a t i o n a l O c e a n o g ra p h i c a n d Atmospheric Administration, of which

■ See Moisture Page 6

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FARM & RANCH Moisture: Wheat prices, cattle prices in sharp decline 8

November 2016

tions improving after that. The monitor’s latest map shows the worst spot for dry conditions in the very southeast corner of the state, with a dry patch in the central s o u t h e r n e d g e o f t h e s t a t e, f r o m Beaverhead to Carbon counties and a dry patch centered on Powell county.

Prices on the downside

While the weather helped some producers get good crops, the markets have not been cooperating.

Wheat prices skyrocketed late last decade, going from about $2 to $3 a bushel to record prices, with some farmers receiving more than $15 a bushel for hard red spring wheat in 2008 and some buyers paying nearly $12 a bushel for hard red winter wheat.

The higher prices leveled off but some producers still were earning about $7.50 to $10 a bushel for winter wheat through 2013 and up to $13 a bushel for hard red spring

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten A farmer walks away from his truck in August while at the Havre ADM-CHS grain elevator. Some farmers saw decent yields this year after the weather provided large amounts of moisture in the spring and summer, following a dry early winter that saw the region slipping into a moisture deficit.

www.havredailynews.com

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November 2016

FARM & RANCH

www.havredailynews.com

Dairy farmers hold out hope for Trans Pacific trade deal GRETCHEN EHLKE Associated Press MILWAUKEE — As the trade deal known as the Trans Pacific Partnership has taken a pounding on the presidential campaign trail, at least one group is holding out hope for the stalled pact: Wisconsin dairy producers.

They see nothing but advantages from the deal negotiated by the Obama administration that could increase exports at a time when their cows are producing more milk than ever in a domestic market that doesn’t have room for all of it.

“When I look at it through the lens of the dairy industry, I don’t think there’s a negative to it,” said Mitch Breunig, who owns a herd of 400 cows near Sauk City.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have opposed the Asian-Pacific trade pact.

As secretary of state, Clinton once called the TPP the “gold standard” of trade deals, but she announced her opposition to it last year, saying it did not meet her standard for creating jobs, raising wages and protecting national security. Trump describes TPP as a catastrophe only he can stop.

But Breunig is among those who say the opponents of TPP, an agreement with 11 Pacific Rim countries, aren’t considering the agricultural benefits.

Per capita consumption of dairy products

by Americans isn’t expected to grow much in the near future, making overseas markets increasingly important. Milk consumption has been declining since 1980 and dropped 3.7 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October report.

The USDA report estimated TPP, which would lower or eliminate thousands of tariffs, could create an additional $150 million to $300 million in annual dairy exports.

Supporters say it would also promote overall economic growth and provide protections for workers on both sides of the Pacific.

But critics say the deal places American workers in competition with low-wage employees in countries such as Vietnam.

The TPP agreement expands dairy market access in several key Asian countries, including Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia, and provides new but limited access into Canada,

said Mark Stephenson, director of the Center for Dairy Profitability at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“In some countries where we’d have opportunity to sell, we would also have to open our borders,” Stephenson said. “Dairy is a major focus for all the players.”

Kenneth Wunderlin, treasurer of the FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative board in Madison, said TPP would continue the trend of past trade agreements that have been key factors in rising dairy exports.

Wunderlin, who owns a dairy farm in Livingston, said both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Korea Free Trade Agreement have benefited Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. At the end of 2015, dairy exports to Mexico and Korea had grown 409 percent and 39 percent since the agreements were implemented, said Wunderlin.

With the U.S. facing import pressure from N ew Ze a l a n d o n b u t t e r a n d c h e e s e, Wunderlin said the pact would uphold tariffs to prevent New Zealand from sending an influx of its products to the U.S. Wunderlin said he has mixed feelings

about the Obama administration’s hopes to win approval of the deal from Congress after the election.

“I would give it a 50-50 chance in the lame-duck session,” he said.

Wunderlin said he pins his hopes for passage on departing members of Congress who will be “free to vote their conscience.”

The Midwest Dairy Coalition, the National Milk Producers Federation and other farm commodity organizations have been lobbying intensely for TPP passage, Wunderlin said.

If TPP fails, Stephenson, said he expects less ambitious agreements will take its place — deals between two or more countries, such as the NAFTA deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“More of the smaller agreements are ones that are easier to negotiate. When you get a lot of players, it’s hard to make progress,” he said. ____ Follow Gretchen Ehlke on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gehlke

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November 2016

FARM & RANCH

Moisture: La Niña expected to bring more moisture, cold to Montana National Weather Service is a branch, predicts a cooler- and wetter-than-average winter for Montana in its forecast for December through February.

NOAA in mid-October issued a La Niña watch, predicting cooler temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean bringing wetter, cooler conditions in the northern United States and warmer, drier conditions in the southern part of the country.

While that pattern, if it materializes, could prolong droughts in parts of the country including much of the Southwest and California, it could lead to improvements in drought conditions in northern California and the Northern Rockies and extending east to parts of the Ohio Valley.

The upshot of the forecast is that Montana is expected to have up to a 40 percent chance from December through February of cooler temperatures and a 40

www.havredailynews.com

7

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November 2016

percent chance of wetter weather.

The actual day-to-day weather will vary with what storm systems hit the state — some days still could see warmer temperatures and periods of low precipitation still could occur, but above-average precip and colder-than-average temperatures are likely.

The latest Montana water supply and moisture status map, created Oct. 17 for the month of September, shows dry conditions including some counties being in drought alert in the western part of the state, extending to Glacier and Toole counties on the north, and along the southern part of the state.

FARM & RANCH Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties are listed as near average for moisture, while parts of central and northeastern Montana, from Judith Basin through Fergus and Blaine counties east to the North Dakota border, are listed as slightly moist.

Drought monitoring conditions in Montana have continued to improve, with U.S. Drought Monitor maps showing increasingly dry and drought conditions spreading through the western and southern parts of the state through mid-September, with condi-

■ See Moisture Page 8

www.havredailynews.com

CALVING

MADE EASY

with WiFi connected Barn Cameras

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Cattle rest in a field after an April snowstorm. The late April rain and snow turned around the weather year, with Havre going from being short of the norm for moisture received April 1 to being more than 2 inches above the norm by the end of the month. The region now is several inches above the norm for precipitation, with more in the forecast. But while the precipitation helped ag producers, dropping prices for cattle and wheat have cut into their earnings.

“ Thanks to

Triang le, the new ca ed & a meras re alre are ady ma easier.T king ca hey ar lv e awes ing have h ome! W ad the ish we m 20 y would ears ag o! install

- Justin

Call & ask

r about oru as!

Barn Came

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten An ADM-CHS facility loads grain into a BNSF Railway train in August. While precipitation helped farmers get yields this year, that outcome looked bleak in the first few months of the year during a moisture deficit, but low prices have offset the crop yields.

1.800.332.1201 | itstriangle.com

Miller,

”

Gildfor

d, MT

6

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November 2016

FARM & RANCH

Moisture: La Niña expected to bring more moisture, cold to Montana National Weather Service is a branch, predicts a cooler- and wetter-than-average winter for Montana in its forecast for December through February.

NOAA in mid-October issued a La Niña watch, predicting cooler temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean bringing wetter, cooler conditions in the northern United States and warmer, drier conditions in the southern part of the country.

While that pattern, if it materializes, could prolong droughts in parts of the country including much of the Southwest and California, it could lead to improvements in drought conditions in northern California and the Northern Rockies and extending east to parts of the Ohio Valley.

The upshot of the forecast is that Montana is expected to have up to a 40 percent chance from December through February of cooler temperatures and a 40

www.havredailynews.com

7

Hi-Line

November 2016

percent chance of wetter weather.

The actual day-to-day weather will vary with what storm systems hit the state — some days still could see warmer temperatures and periods of low precipitation still could occur, but above-average precip and colder-than-average temperatures are likely.

The latest Montana water supply and moisture status map, created Oct. 17 for the month of September, shows dry conditions including some counties being in drought alert in the western part of the state, extending to Glacier and Toole counties on the north, and along the southern part of the state.

FARM & RANCH Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties are listed as near average for moisture, while parts of central and northeastern Montana, from Judith Basin through Fergus and Blaine counties east to the North Dakota border, are listed as slightly moist.

Drought monitoring conditions in Montana have continued to improve, with U.S. Drought Monitor maps showing increasingly dry and drought conditions spreading through the western and southern parts of the state through mid-September, with condi-

■ See Moisture Page 8

www.havredailynews.com

CALVING

MADE EASY

with WiFi connected Barn Cameras

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Cattle rest in a field after an April snowstorm. The late April rain and snow turned around the weather year, with Havre going from being short of the norm for moisture received April 1 to being more than 2 inches above the norm by the end of the month. The region now is several inches above the norm for precipitation, with more in the forecast. But while the precipitation helped ag producers, dropping prices for cattle and wheat have cut into their earnings.

“ Thanks to

Triang le, the new ca ed & a meras re alre are ady ma easier.T king ca hey ar lv e awes ing have h ome! W ad the ish we m 20 y would ears ag o! install

- Justin

Call & ask

r about oru as!

Barn Came

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten An ADM-CHS facility loads grain into a BNSF Railway train in August. While precipitation helped farmers get yields this year, that outcome looked bleak in the first few months of the year during a moisture deficit, but low prices have offset the crop yields.

1.800.332.1201 | itstriangle.com

Miller,

”

Gildfor

d, MT

Hi-Line

FARM & RANCH Moisture: Wheat prices, cattle prices in sharp decline 8

November 2016

tions improving after that. The monitor’s latest map shows the worst spot for dry conditions in the very southeast corner of the state, with a dry patch in the central s o u t h e r n e d g e o f t h e s t a t e, f r o m Beaverhead to Carbon counties and a dry patch centered on Powell county.

Prices on the downside

While the weather helped some producers get good crops, the markets have not been cooperating.

Wheat prices skyrocketed late last decade, going from about $2 to $3 a bushel to record prices, with some farmers receiving more than $15 a bushel for hard red spring wheat in 2008 and some buyers paying nearly $12 a bushel for hard red winter wheat.

The higher prices leveled off but some producers still were earning about $7.50 to $10 a bushel for winter wheat through 2013 and up to $13 a bushel for hard red spring

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten A farmer walks away from his truck in August while at the Havre ADM-CHS grain elevator. Some farmers saw decent yields this year after the weather provided large amounts of moisture in the spring and summer, following a dry early winter that saw the region slipping into a moisture deficit.

www.havredailynews.com

5

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November 2016

FARM & RANCH

www.havredailynews.com

Dairy farmers hold out hope for Trans Pacific trade deal GRETCHEN EHLKE Associated Press MILWAUKEE — As the trade deal known as the Trans Pacific Partnership has taken a pounding on the presidential campaign trail, at least one group is holding out hope for the stalled pact: Wisconsin dairy producers.

They see nothing but advantages from the deal negotiated by the Obama administration that could increase exports at a time when their cows are producing more milk than ever in a domestic market that doesn’t have room for all of it.

“When I look at it through the lens of the dairy industry, I don’t think there’s a negative to it,” said Mitch Breunig, who owns a herd of 400 cows near Sauk City.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have opposed the Asian-Pacific trade pact.

As secretary of state, Clinton once called the TPP the “gold standard” of trade deals, but she announced her opposition to it last year, saying it did not meet her standard for creating jobs, raising wages and protecting national security. Trump describes TPP as a catastrophe only he can stop.

But Breunig is among those who say the opponents of TPP, an agreement with 11 Pacific Rim countries, aren’t considering the agricultural benefits.

Per capita consumption of dairy products

by Americans isn’t expected to grow much in the near future, making overseas markets increasingly important. Milk consumption has been declining since 1980 and dropped 3.7 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October report.

The USDA report estimated TPP, which would lower or eliminate thousands of tariffs, could create an additional $150 million to $300 million in annual dairy exports.

Supporters say it would also promote overall economic growth and provide protections for workers on both sides of the Pacific.

But critics say the deal places American workers in competition with low-wage employees in countries such as Vietnam.

The TPP agreement expands dairy market access in several key Asian countries, including Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia, and provides new but limited access into Canada,

said Mark Stephenson, director of the Center for Dairy Profitability at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“In some countries where we’d have opportunity to sell, we would also have to open our borders,” Stephenson said. “Dairy is a major focus for all the players.”

Kenneth Wunderlin, treasurer of the FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative board in Madison, said TPP would continue the trend of past trade agreements that have been key factors in rising dairy exports.

Wunderlin, who owns a dairy farm in Livingston, said both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Korea Free Trade Agreement have benefited Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. At the end of 2015, dairy exports to Mexico and Korea had grown 409 percent and 39 percent since the agreements were implemented, said Wunderlin.

With the U.S. facing import pressure from N ew Ze a l a n d o n b u t t e r a n d c h e e s e, Wunderlin said the pact would uphold tariffs to prevent New Zealand from sending an influx of its products to the U.S. Wunderlin said he has mixed feelings

about the Obama administration’s hopes to win approval of the deal from Congress after the election.

“I would give it a 50-50 chance in the lame-duck session,” he said.

Wunderlin said he pins his hopes for passage on departing members of Congress who will be “free to vote their conscience.”

The Midwest Dairy Coalition, the National Milk Producers Federation and other farm commodity organizations have been lobbying intensely for TPP passage, Wunderlin said.

If TPP fails, Stephenson, said he expects less ambitious agreements will take its place — deals between two or more countries, such as the NAFTA deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“More of the smaller agreements are ones that are easier to negotiate. When you get a lot of players, it’s hard to make progress,” he said. ____ Follow Gretchen Ehlke on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gehlke

4

Hi-Line

November 2016

FARM & RANCH

www.havredailynews.com

Weather, prices upside down in north-central Montana Tim Leeds tleeds@havredailynews.com A topsy-turvy weather year that looked bleak early on received enough moisture in the north-central Montana region including Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties to produce some good harvests, although a decline in prices at the same time has kept farmers and ranchers from gaining much through that harvest.

The forecast for the next few months calls for more precipitation — along with some colder weather — but what will happen with prices is unknown.

November 2016

wheat.

Prices started dropping regularly after that and have declined severely in the last couple of years.

In late October, Montana farmers were looking at prices generally in the upper $2 to $3 a bushel range, with some of the top prices for 15 percent protein red spring wheat at a little more than $5 a bushel.

Cattle prices also went up, peaked early last year and again are on the downside.

After spending decades where ranchers could rarely receive more than $1 a pound for feeder cattle — usually much less than that — prices started going up about the start of this decade. Producers recently were making $2.50 a pound or more for

FARM & RANCH their cattle, but now the prices again have dropped.

Recent Montana prices for cattle ranged, in a late October market report from the Montana Livestock Auction website, from $1.06 to $1.14 a pound for yearling steers and $.85 to $1.12 a pound for yearling heifers. The report lists steer calves selling for $1.06 to $1.47 a pound and heifer calves for $.99 to $1.23 a pound. At the same time, some live cattle futures have dropped below $1 pound.

A variety of causes are listed as to the price declines, including oversupply of product and the strong U.S. dollar cutting into imports, as well as competition from other countries.

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten Horses stand in melting snow near Havre in April. Snow and rainfall has brought the region well above the norm for the amount of precipitation that has fallen to date, with Havre receiving by the end of October considerably more than it normally receives by the end of the year. And more is predicted, with a La Niña weather pattern in which cooler temperatures are over the equatorial Pacific Ocean expected to bring more-thannormal amounts of precipitation, along with lower-than-normal temperatures, to Montana from November through February.

Early dry weather reverses The moisture over the last half-year is a reversal of the conditions early on, which looked like north-central Montana could be slipping back into drought conditions like it experienced early last decade. What had started as a very bleak-looking year for moisture turned into a deluge of precipitation, at least in this part of north-central Montana.

That helped with yields for many farmers and better-than-expected hay crops, although the late heavy rains also kept some farmers out of fields after harvest, delaying or preventing planting fall crops.

Now the soil moisture content is much better than conditions in March would have led people to expect.

While the northern part of the Rocky Mountain Front into Teton County did not receive as much of the later moisture, the water level rose significantly to the east — to the point of flooding in early October on the Milk River and its tributaries from Malta down the river.

After the region started falling into a moisture deficit early in the year by the end of January, National Weather Service reported that its station at the Havre CityCounty Airport received .31 inches of precipitation, just shy of the norm of .34 inches.

The deficit continued to grow in the region. By the end of February, the Havre station reported receiving .41 inches of pre-

9

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Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten An ADMX engine powers a BNSF Railway train being loaded with wheat at an ADM-CHS elevator in Havre in August. While precipitation helped farmers get yields this year, that outcome looked bleak in the first few months of the year during a moisture deficit, but low prices have offset the crop yields. cipitation compared to a norm of .61 inches, and by the end of March, the deficit had grown to nearly a third of an inch, with .85 inches received compared to a norm of 1.13 inches.

But precipitation started falling in April with a vengeance. More than 3.5 inches fell that month, and by the end of the month the Havre station reported 4.41 inches of precipitation having fallen compared to a

norm of 1.91 inches for that date.

Moisture continues to fall, more expected And the precipitation has continued to fall. National Weather Service reported that through Oct. 24, its station at the Havre City-County Airport received 18.11

inches of precipitation, compared to a norm of 10.26 inches by that day.

That compares to a norm of about 12.2 inches for the entire year.

And more precipitation is expected before the year’s end.

T h e N a t i o n a l O c e a n o g ra p h i c a n d Atmospheric Administration, of which

■ See Moisture Page 6

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10 November 2016 10 November 2016

Stomping Out Salt Cedar STONE TIHISTA FOR FARM AND RANCH Currently in Montana, noxious weeds infest about 7.6 million acres (Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Noxious Weed Management Plan, 2008).

Many of these state listed noxious weeds were brought to America as ornamentals for gardens, medicinal purposes, by accident in discarded soil from a shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ballast or unintentionally in bags of seed brought from other parts of the world. Whatever the cause of introduction, 32 non-native plant species have found their way onto Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state noxious weed list.

Salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima and T. chinensis) is a Priority 2B listed noxious weed in the state of Montana. Priority 2B species are noxious weeds that are abundant in Montana and widespread in many counties. Management criteria for these species includes eradication or containment where these species are less abundant.

Management for these species shall be prioritized by local weed districts. Species listed as Priority 2B noxious weeds are: Canada thistle, ďŹ eld bindweed, leafy spurge, whitetop, Russian knapweed, spotted knapweed, diffuse knapweed, dalmation toadďŹ&#x201A;ax, St. Johnswort, sulfur cinquefoil, common tansy, oxeye daisy, houndstongue, yellow toadďŹ&#x201A;ax, and salt cedar.

Salt Cedar was introduced to North America from Eurasia and Africa as an ornamental shrub and also served as a wind break and a shade tree in the 1800s. In the

1930s, during the Great Depression, millions of salt cedar plants were planted on the Great Plains to help combat soil loss through erosion. There are eight species of salt cedar that can be found in North America, these species can be broken down farther into two categories: evergreen and deciduous. The two species, Tamarix chinensis and Tamaix ramosissima, that occur in Montana fall in the deciduous category because these species are perennial evergreen shrubs or often times considered small trees.

Salt cedar is often referred to as tamarix; this nickname has Latin origins and references the Tamaris River in Spain where the plant was known to grow. There are about 60 species in the family Tamaricaceae; these species are generally recognized by slender branches and their gray-green foliage that resembles juniper.

New growth on branches is smooth, reddishbrown in color, turns a bluishpurple and becomes ridged as the plant ages.

This plant has a deep taproot that is adventitious, can tolerate alkali soils and thrives in soils with a high saline content. The leaves are often encrusted with salt secretions and taste salty if you were to taste them. From March to September is when this plant typically ďŹ&#x201A;owers; ďŹ&#x201A;owers are borne on 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; long spikes at the tips of the branches.

Each spike contains dense masses of pink to white ďŹ&#x201A;owers that have ďŹ ve petals. When

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Working Cows and Couples Therapy ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD FOR FARM AND RANCH

Who needs marriage or couples counseling when you can just work cows and ďŹ gure out what the issues are right then and there?

Recently my husband and I have had frequent opportunities to practice communication skills while chasing and working cows. It seems like after the ďŹ rst snow ďŹ&#x201A;ies, the cows are ready to get out of the pastures and back into the yard.

I'm sure you all have heard the quote that says don't make any marriage decisions after working cows together.

I have decided I can speak from experience and share why working cows with your spouse

can be so stressful.

Working cows highlights your communication strategies or lack thereof.

It also accentuates assumptions that are made about each other and about what you're doing together.

It is also compounded by the third-party being a mostly unpredictable animal.

Communication strategies: We all have different communication strategies and most marriage partners have completely different communication strategies. In general, men tend to be more straightforward and minimalistic in their communication and women when communicating, not only consider the See THERAPY, Page 11

MSU/NDSU Release

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Plant variety protection granted or applied for Syngenta varieties. applied for Syngenta varieties.

Agricultural Policy in the 2016 Election

SHILOH PERRY FOR FARM AND RANCH

In the midst of debates and with Election Day quickly approaching, the importance of agricultural policy is even more pressing. In fact, everyone has a stake in American agriculture and protecting our farmers and ranchersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to produce. Agricultural policy issues hit home for all Americans, both on and off the farm.

Agricultural policy matters in the current election for many reasons. Agricultural policy inďŹ&#x201A;uences key issues and impacts the overall prosperity of the United States.

Two leading issues on both the debate stage and the farm are international trade and immigration. Each year, approximately 36 percent of agricultural products are produced for international markets, with 95 percent of consumers outside our borders. International trade brings billions of dollars into the economy and helps create jobs. Farm Bureau estimates that the Trans-PaciďŹ c Partnership will increase farm income and agriculture exports, with annual net farm income growing by $4.4 billion and U.S. agriculture exports increasing by $5.3 billion. The partnership will add a projected 40,000 jobs or more here at home.

Farmers and ranchers work hard to get their products from their farms to our grocery stores

JENNIFER COLE FOR FARM AND RANCH

Winter Wheat for Montana

The New Top Performer

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and dinner tables. Seasonal and temporary workers are vital to accomplishing this, especially during busy seasons like harvest. But every year, agriculture faces a serious labor shortage coupled with crippling delays in the H-2A worker visa program. In a 2014 study, Farm Bureau found that America will lose an estimated $60 billion in agriculture production if we increase immigration enforcement without also increasing access to a reliable migrant workforce. A workable solution to immigration reform must ensure both reliable agricultural labor and border security.

Everyone beneďŹ ts from agriculture, and we protect our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food supply by protecting our farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ability to keep doing what they do best. Farmers and ranchers produce food, ďŹ ber and energy sources that are important for domestic prosperity. All Americans should take an interest in policies that help farmers and ranchers provide safe and affordable products while boosting their local economies.

Urban and rural voters can learn more about the importance of agricultural policy and where the candidates stand on these issues at Farm Bureauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special election blog, election16.fb.org/. They can also follow and use the hashtag, #vote4ag as they gear up for Election Day. Shiloh Perry is a communications assistant at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Application Deadline Approaching

SY Clearstone CL2

Decade

November 2016 November 2016

3

USDA Livestock Forage Program

See SALT CEDAR , Page 11

SY Wolf

3

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ELIZABETH SHIPSTEAD / FOR FARM & RANCH

The author's daughtes keep an eye on the family business near Nashua.

USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Bruce Nelson announces that livestock producers in 14 Montana counties have until Jan. 30, 2017 to enroll in the 2016 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP).

LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers in qualifying counties for drought on dryland pasture. Eligible livestock producers must own or lease dryland pasture physically located in a qualifying county and eligible livestock must use this ground during the normal grazing period for the county. The following 14 counties have met the qualifying drought criteria for 2016 in Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Livestock producers in the 14 Montana counties are eligible to apply for 2016 LFP beneďŹ ts on small grain, native pasture, improved pasture, annual ryegrass or forage sorghum, produced on dryland acres and used for grazing. Irrigated acres used for

grazing or aftermath grazing are not eligible under this program. Livestock producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA ofďŹ ce with any questions regarding speciďŹ c crops and production methods that are eligible.

Livestock producers in Carter County are eligible for four monthly payments.

Livestock producers in the following 13 counties are eligible for one monthly payment: Big Horn, Carbon, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Eligible livestock includes alpacas, beef cattle over 500 lbs, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grazing period.

Producers must complete an application and provide supporting documentation for 2016 losses by Jan. 30, 2017. Please contact the local FSA ofďŹ ce ASAP to schedule an appointment to begin the application process and for questions on FSA programs.

For more information, visit Montana FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/mt and www. usda.gov/disaster.

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November 2016 November 2016

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

SERVING AREA November â&#x153;Ż LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS December FOR 71 YEARS! January 1946 - 2017 2016-2017 Schedule

November 2016 Thursday

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Winter Weather Outlook: La NiĂąa Watch Issued

December 2016 (cont.)

Thursday

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Angus Feeder Special & All Class Cattle Auction

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Happy Thanksgiving - No Auction

December 2016 Thursday

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Last All Class Cattle Auction of 2016

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NEW & USED TRUCKS AND CARS All In One Convenient Location

440 Highway 2 West â&#x20AC;˘ Glasgow â&#x20AC;˘ Across from the Fairgrounds 406-228-9325 â&#x20AC;˘ 406-228-4381 â&#x20AC;˘ 1-800-255-1472 Family owned by the Newton Boys!

Rent A Car See Doug, Andy, Terry, Kenny or Ted!

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Therapy

exact details, but all the other extraneous information surrounding the subject of the conversation. Neither is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;rightâ&#x20AC;? way to communicate. Both have strengths that they bring with it. There are also strategies of communication that are speciďŹ c to your personality, for example you might have a strong leading personality and so the way you communicate will reďŹ&#x201A;ect that. Another example, is someone whose personality is one where they value everyone's opinion and seek to bring understanding to all. This communication strategy is going to look vastly different.

For successful communication you have to consider your own style and that of your partner or communication will deďŹ nitely break down!

If you'd like to read more about communication styles you can read this blog post that I wrote speciďŹ cally on communication styles.

Assumptions: Have you ever heard the quote that says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Assumptions are the ter- Shipstead cattle near Porcupine Creek north of Nashua. mites of relationships,â&#x20AC;? by Harry Winkler?

There is no way around it, when you are working animals, assumptions are going point of view from where they physically are to be present. You may assume that your partner is going to make the same choices as standing, or a different perspective on their you, but they will be making choices from a interaction with the same animal at a different different personal point of view, a different time. There's also the assumption that your partner knows what you want them to do; the

FROM PAGE 10

SEAN R HEAVEY / FOR FARM & RANCH

Flood waters around Glasgow have retreated, but this shot, taken Oct. 25 south of the 6th Avenue Bridge, illustrates how much moisture may loom on the horizon with a La NiĂąa watch in effect.

GINEVRA KIRKLAND FOR FARM AND RANCH The NOAA long-range weather forecast is out, the U.S. Winter Outlook, and winter is on the way. Forecasters at NOAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Climate Prediction Center issued the forecast, saying that â&#x20AC;&#x153;La NiĂąa is expected to inďŹ&#x201A;uence winter conditions this year. The Climate Prediction Center issued a La NiĂąa watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter.â&#x20AC;? La NiĂąa usually creates drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S. If La NiĂąa conditions materialize, forecasters say it should be weak and potentially short-lived.

A casual survey of longtime Valley County residents correlates that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re due for a hard winter, though perhaps not as bad as the Blizzard of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;48-49. Grass and rangeland conditions maintained 31 percent

rated good to excellent which was better than last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 19 percent but still below the ďŹ ve-year average of 33 percent. So if the snow stays away just a bit longer, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have plenty of good grazing.

Three for three in forecasts, the Old Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Almanac is invoking Old Man Winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return as well, sayingâ&#x20AC;&#x153;exceptionally cold, if not downright frigid weather will predominate over parts of the Northern Plains, Great Lakes, Midwest, Ohio Valley, the Middle Atlantic, Northeast, and New England this winter.â&#x20AC;?

Around the country, some lingering snow will remain in the Northeast. Efforts in North Carolina have been able to switch focus from rescue to cleanup. Another storm system will settle into the PaciďŹ c Northwest with more heavy wind and rain. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ nally snowing in Fairbanks, Alaska - thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two weeks late into the season for them, who had to ship in snow earlier this year for the annual Iditarod dog sled race.

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pollinated, each spike can produce up to 600,000 seeds that are very small and encapsulated within a fruit that has a small tuft of hairs on the tip that aids in dispersal.

In Montana, salt cedar grows in both riparian and non-riparian areas and has been found in several urban locations where people have this plant as an ornamental because of its showy, dense pink blooms.

Throughout Montana, salt cedar can be found along stream banks, reservoir shores and other areas where there is water. Young plants need to be exposed to moist soil for long periods of time to ensure survival. Salt cedar is detrimental to areas it inhabits because it has long adventitious roots that consume large amounts of water, where because of the roots, this plant outcompete other native species such as

cottonwood or willow for water because they have shorter roots and make the soil very salty limiting the plants that can actually grow there due to the high salt content within the soil.

Salt cedar has various modes of reproduction and is a very hardy plant that can survive in many types of environments. Reproduction occurs through stems that are located below the soil as well as by seeds.

Salt cedar is also very resistant to ďŹ re, so control measures for this plant include mechanical pulling, biological control and herbicide treatments. Often times the best control measure is both mechanical pulling and application of herbicide to the removal area and chopping the plant down and applying herbicide to the stump.

Salt cedar has been found down below the dam on Fort Peck Reservoir. These plants are starting to spread up the smaller WHITNEY PAJU / FOR FARM & RANCH

www.glasgowcourier.com www.glasgowcourier.com

assumption that they understood the directions that you gave them; and the assumption that they agree with the directions and are willing to follow through with them.

Third-party: Assumptions aside, you're still

working with an unpredictable animal that may react differently depending upon what you are doing with them, what the rest of the herd is doing, etc. Obviously, herd management strategies are going to play a part in this. But simply culling all the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wildâ&#x20AC;? cows isn't the only factor in making working cows with your spouse easier.

Between different communication strategies, different assumptions that are made, and working an unpredictable animal this can be a stressful situation to be in.

Like everything in life, each participant has a choice. We have a choice in how we respond whether working cows together is going well or not. We can choose to believe our assumptions are the truth. We can believe the cow is against us. We can choose to believe all sorts of things about our partner.

The biggest choice you have to make is what each of you will bring to the interaction.

Working cattle and marriage does not work if both parties bring only 50%. Each party has to be 100% invested in having a successful marriage, a happy relationship and less stressful times working cows.

You have to choose to bring your best or somebody gets hurt, the cow doesn't load, lots of yelling ensues, or heaven forbid the animal jumps the fence and heads to Timbuktu!

Want to test out the strength of your marriage? Just let me know. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be happy to offer you and your spouse an opportunity to chase and work some cows!

tributaries along the Missouri River.

Ranchers, farmers, and landowners need to be aware of these plants. Birds and humans are spreading these plants to our small reservoirs. Therefore, keep an eye on your water sources and look for plants out of the ordinary like the pretty ones.

Please take a few moments to learn about salt cedar and the other state listed noxious weeds. If noxious weeds are not

currently a problem in your area, they may be in the near future. For more information about Montanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state listed noxious weeds, regulated plants, or weed species listed on your county weed list, please contact your local county weed district Valley County Weed District (VCWD) at 406-228-6237. Or you can contact the Montana Department of Agriculture at (406) 444-3144.

FROM PAGE 10

Salt Cedar

Please call in consignments so buyers can be notiďŹ ed

NEWTON MOTORS, INC.

11 November 2016 11 November 2016

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VV staff member Morgan Paju even tends to livestock in her off time. She is pictured here at her mom's home near Glasgow.

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12 12 November November2016 2016 12 2015 May 2015 12 12 March March 2015

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www.havredailynews.com www.havredailynews.com www.havredailynews.com

State from Around Around the the State State State FFA FFA Conventions Conventions Draws Draws Students Students from

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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 Over 1,500 FFA members from around the state gathered to compete in State CDEs, ranging from from mechanics mechanicstotopublic publicspeaking. speaking.

SEAN R HEAVEY / FOR FARM mechan& RANCH Ten Tenmembers membersofofthe theHinsdale Hinsdalechapter, chapter,including includingSophomore SophomoreCache CacheYounkin, Younkin,competed competed in in mechanWhile less destructive than other historic weather events, theand flooding this October left low-lying areas around ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand state creed speaking.

When they ics, agronomy, farm business management, star greenhand and state creed speaking. When they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Glasgow under water (pictured: the Milk River east of Glasgow, Oct. 2016).

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Creed third place place winner winner and and greenhand greenhandsecond secondplace placewinner winnerMickayla MickaylaJohnson Johnsonaccepting acceptingan anaward awardatatthe the Creed third state convention in Billings. state convention in Billings. competing they went went to to various various workshops workshopspresented presentedby bypast paststate stateofďŹ cers ofďŹ cersand andeven evennational nationalofďŹ cers. ofďŹ cers. competing they Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil Three of our younger members, Elise Strommen, Chaykota Christensen and Halle Beil served on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed.

Our five seserved on the courtesy corp and helped out with contests whenever needed. Our five seniors, Lukas Johnson, Johnson, Brett Brett Johnson, Johnson, Dallas Dallas Capdeville, Capdeville, Kyle Kyle Albus Albus and and Wyatt Wyatt PattiPattiniors, Lukas son were awarded awarded their their State State Farmer Farmer Degrees Degrees at at the the State State Degree Degree dinner dinner on on Friday Fridaynight. night. son were There were over 500 members, advisors and their families attending that dinner.

Mickayla Johnson There were over 500 members, advisors and their families 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. VALLEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY / FOR FARM & RANCH from around This image from The Glasgow Courier's archives shows how hard the 1952 flooding hit Nashua.

Flood Photos: Past and Present -Page 12

Bulls Stay Stay Steady Steady Bulls

PUTTING IN SOME DAM DAM WORK WORK

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

Enjoy Enjoythe theride. ride.

Enjoy the ride.

Aerial photo of flooding on Glasgow's south side, 1938.

The photo was taken facing west, with the old hospital pictured in the lower right corner. capeair.com capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR capeair.com 800-CAPE-AIR 800-CAPE-AIR *Fares subjecttoto availability and other conditions. notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares aresubject toavailability availabilityand andother otherconditions. conditions.Fares Faresmay maychange changewithout without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed. *Fares are may change without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed.

ANDREW MCKEAN FORTHE HI-LINE FARM RANCH ANDREW / /FOR HI-LINE FARM &&RANCH CODYMCKEAN PEDERSON /THE FOR FARM & RANCH

Lih-An Ellis McKean work onclearing clearing outaaon beaver dam along theLittle Little9Brazil BrazilCreek, Creek, Yang, Merlin, Iris and Ellis McKean on out beaver dam along the Local residents help clear debris from underwork the Milk River bridge Tampico Road during Oct. flooding. southwest of Glasgow.

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