Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

september 2017

M A G A Z I N E

In this issue

Manged intensive grazing Sugar beet history Raising hogs and more!

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CORVALLIS DARBY FLORENCE HAMILTON STEVENSVILLE VICTOR SERVING THE BITTERROOT VALLEY SINCE 1889

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Rachell found not guilty of threats to president

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FLOATING ABOVE THE FAIRGROUNDS

STEP 1

KIM BRIGGEMAN RAVALLI REPUBLIC

A Darby man was found not guilty Tuesday in United States District Court in Missoula of threatening to assassinate President Barack Obama and his family.

The jury took just over an hour to find Daniel Roger Rachell, 43, not guilty on charges of threatening to kill the president and threatening to kill one or more members of his family if they were to come to the Bitterroot Valley.

Rachell, a Gulf War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, admitted during testimony Tuesday morning that he made racist remarks

about Obama.B2 He said he repeatComics edly told a co-worker at the Health A6 Valley VeteransA2 Service Center in Obituaries Hamilton that “someone should nukeIndex Washington so we can start all over from scratch.”

But killing the president “is not something I dwell on,” he

insisted. weekend.

“Ithe do know my heart gets over ahead of my brain,” Rachell said. of Stevensville “I sayoutside things as a defense mechFaire Renaissance anism to distance myself from the my frustration.”

Steve enjoyed Federal defense attorney Andy Nelson argued that pre-

Simmons dicting or exhorting others to do Steve something illegal was “legally

insufficient” to find Rachell Good morning to ... guilty of the federal charges. He said the prosecution failed to provide specific evidence that

Rachell was serious about his A8 Weather Page threats or that he had the intention or means to carry them out Sunny himself. High 92º Low 56º Rachell agreed as he walked Wednesday, July 2 out of the courthouse to freedom.

Today’s forecast

See RACHELL, Page A3 See RACHELL, Page A3

Today’s forecast

dom. out of the courthouse to freeWednesday, July 2 Rachell agreed as he walked himself. High 92º Low 56º Sunny tion or means to carry them out threats or that he had the intenWeather Page Rachell was serious about his A8 provide specific evidence that said the prosecution failed to guilty of the federal charges. He Good morning to ... insufficient” to find Rachell something illegal was “legally Steve dicting or exhorting others to do Simmons Andy Nelson argued that preFederal defense attorney Steve enjoyed my frustration.” the anism to distance myself from Renaissance Faire “I sayoutside things as a defense mechof Stevensville ahead of my brain,” Rachell said. over “Ithe do know my heart gets weekend. insisted. not something I dwell on,” he But killing the president “is all over from scratch.” nukeIndex Washington so we can start Hamilton that “someone should Obituaries Valley VeteransA2 Service Center in Health A6 edly told a co-worker at the Comics about Obama.B2 He said he repeatthat he made racist remarks testimony Tuesday morning depression, admitted during matic stress disorder and major who suffers from post-trauRachell, a Gulf War veteran the Bitterroot Valley. family if they were to come to kill one or more members of his president and threatening to charges of threatening to kill the Rachell, 43, not guilty on an hour to find Daniel Roger The jury took just over family.

President Barack Obama and his of threatening to assassinate District Court in Missoula guilty Tuesday in United States A Darby man was found not

146 North Second Street, Hamilton • 363-5659

MOnday, July 7Th Only!

Thursday, July 3rd ThrOuGh

THE FLEXSTEEL DIFFERENCE

Ravalli County Justice of the appeared Tuesday before Logan James Brown hit speeds of 140 mph. run over a peace officer and he allegedly attempted to Monday night during which lowing a high-speed chase erate homicide charge folis facing an attempted delibA 21-year-old Victor man

RAVALLI REPUBLIC

PERRY BACKUS

that a Mercedes and a BMW p.m. Monday on a report swimming area at about 8 to the Lake Como dock and law enforcement was called affidavit filed in the case, According the charging $200,000.

Clute set bail at counts. nies and four misdemeanor charge, five additional feloPeace Robin Clute on that

PERRY BACKUS – Ravalli Republic

Above: Five-year-old Tallulah Pinjuv and her big sister, Matilda, prepare for take-off on their first ever hot air balloon ride. With Carmen Blakely at the helm of the Outer Limits balloon owned

by Dale and Mary Heath of Oregon, the two young and A3 See CHASE, Page A5 girls were a pair of many Seeyoungsters CHECKS, Page oldsters alike who had a chance to float above checked 20 valley businesses to “high speed reverse 180s.” the ground at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds County Prevention Coalition near the boat dock doing Tuesday morning in a tethered flight. hot Enforcement team andThe Ravalli later saw the same vehicle air balloonistsForce, made the stop County in Hamilton on Ravalli Alcohol rate of speed. The citizen rendezvous Driggs, The Ravalli CountyinDUI Task The car passed him at atheir highto a hot air balloon Idaho over thechecks Fourthlast of July in hopes of Saturday. fishtailing all over the road.

Blakely a chance add Montana to nesses failedto alcohol compliance a high rate of speed andproviding was her at list of westernFour states where she’s piloted the Bitterroot Valley busihad driven up behind him big balloons. told dispatchers the BMW RAVALLI REPUBLIC The concerned citizen MICHELLE MClaunch CONNAHA Left: After failing to be able to early in the area. were driving about 60 Tuesday mph morning from the fairgrounds due to wind, the crew of Oregon-based Outer Limits hot air balloon gave a few lucky people tethered rides at the fairgrounds Tuesday afternoon. The balloon was built in 1992. The owners of the PERRY BACKUS – Ravalli Republic craft are headed to Driggs, Idaho for a hot air balloon rendezvous.

felony charges for Victor man High-speed chase leads to Montana Fish, Wildlife and

dam is even more dangerous program manager, said the

compliance checks fail alcohol Valley businesses Four Bitterroot

ers about the dam, including access sites that warn boatsigns at upstream fishing FWP crews will post new debris. It’s a tangled mess.” ball is catching all sorts of now,” Oschell said. “The root “It’s very dangerous right now, because a tree is jammed its ballthe pointing upstream. up root against structure with up against structure with its root ballthe pointing upstream. now, because a tree is jammed “It’s very dangerous right now,” Oschell said. “The root ball is catching all sorts of debris. It’s a tangled mess.”

FWP crews will post new signs at upstream fishing access sites that warn boaters about the dam, including

lurking there.

BITTERROOT RIVERRegion 2 fishing access site warning boaters of the dangers

See RIVER, Page A5

“We are recommending have tried and not made it.” over it and plenty of people … Plenty of people have gone calm from that vantage point.

“The dam itself looks very from upstream, Oschell said. a photograph of”what it looks does look very deceiving like“It from upstream. like“It from upstream. does look very deceiving afrom photograph of”what it looks upstream, Oschell said.

“The dam itself looks very calm from that vantage point. … Plenty of people have gone over it and plenty of people have tried and not made it.”

“We are recommending

Closed section of river to reopen Monday, July 7 7, with a number of new signs dam will reopen Monday, July safety concerns at an irrigation River closed in April due to A section of the Bitterroot

PERRY BACKUS RAVALLI REPUBLIC RAVALLI REPUBLIC

Christine Oschell, FWP’s dam. gerous low-head irrigation boating accidents at the danaccess sites following several Parks officials closed four and Woodside Tucker fishing a half milesand of river between aWoodside half milesand of river between Tucker fishing Parks closed four and accessofficials sites following several boating accidents at the dangerous low-head irrigation dam.

Christine Oschell, FWP’s Region 2 fishing access site program manager, said the dam is even more dangerous

Closed section of river to reopen Monday, July 7 A section of the Bitterroot River closed in April due to safety concerns at an irrigation dam will reopen Monday, July 7, with a number of new signs warning boaters of the dangers lurking there.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and

PERRY BACKUS

BITTERROOT RIVER

High-speed chase leads to felony charges for Victor man A 21-year-old Victor man is facing an attempted deliberate homicide charge following a high-speed chase Monday night during which he allegedly attempted to run over a peace officer and hit speeds of 140 mph.

Logan James Brown appeared Tuesday before Ravalli County Justice of the

Peace Robin Clute on that charge, five additional felonies and four misdemeanor counts.

Clute set bail at $200,000.

According the charging affidavit filed in the case, law enforcement was called to the Lake Como dock and swimming area at about 8 p.m. Monday on a report that a Mercedes and a BMW

See RIVER, Page A5

Four Bitterroot Valley businesses fail alcohol compliance checks

balloon rendezvous. craft are headed to Driggs, Idaho for a hot air balloon was built in 1992. The owners of the rides at the fairgrounds Tuesday afternoon. The hot air balloon gave a few lucky people tethered wind, the crew of Oregon-based Outer Limits were driving about 60 Tuesday mph morning from the fairgrounds due to in the area.

Left: After failing to be able to early MICHELLE MClaunch CONNAHA The concerned citizen RAVALLI REPUBLIC told dispatchers the BMW big balloons. had driven up behind him Bitterroot Valley busiher at list of westernFour states where she’s piloted the a high rate of speed andproviding was nesses failedto alcohol compliance Blakely a chance add Montana to fishtailing all over the road.

Saturday.

Idaho over thechecks Fourthlast of July in hopes of The car passed him at atheir highto a hot air balloon The Ravalli CountyinDUI Task rendezvous Driggs, rate of speed. The citizen Ravalli Alcohol air balloonistsForce, made the stop County in Hamilton on later saw the same vehicle Enforcement team andThe Ravalli Tuesday morning in a tethered flight. hot near the boat dock doing County Prevention Coalition the ground at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds “high speed reverse 180s.” checked 20 valley businesses to oldsters alike who had a chance to float above

PERRY BACKUS – Ravalli Republic

PERRY BACKUS RAVALLI REPUBLIC

See CHASE, Page A5 girls were a pair of many Seeyoungsters CHECKS, Page young and A3

by Dale and Mary Heath of Oregon, the two at the helm of the Outer Limits balloon owned ever hot air balloon ride. With Carmen Blakely sister, Matilda, prepare for take-off on their first Above: Five-year-old Tallulah Pinjuv and her big

THE FLEXSTEEL DIFFERENCE Thursday, July 3rd ThrOuGh MOnday, July 7Th Only!

PERRY BACKUS – Ravalli Republic

146 North Second Street, Hamilton • 363-5659

RAVALLI REPUBLIC

president threats to guilty of found not Rachell KIM BRIGGEMAN

FLOATING ABOVE THE FAIRGROUNDS

When you read and access the Wednesday, July 2, 2014

SERVING THE BITTERROOT VALLEY SINCE 1889

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CORVALLIS DARBY FLORENCE HAMILTON STEVENSVILLE VICTOR

Republic Ravalli www.RavalliRepublic.com

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to wear helmets Encourage kids

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in this issue Managed intensive grazing................................... 5 Growing apples...................................................... 7 Sugar beet history.................................................. 9 Raising swine in Ravalli County........................... 12 Animal feed in the Bitterroot Valley.................... 14 Disaster story........................................................ 16 Agriculture Heritage Notebook.......................... 18 Hoary Alyssum...................................................... 22

MAGAZINE How did you like this issue of Agriculture Magazine?

Do you have any ideas you’d like to share with us for our next issue?

Let us know. Sent comments to: Ravalli Republic, 232 West Main, Hamilton, MT 59840 or editor@ravallirepublic.com Photos on this page provided by Perry Backus, Wendy Beye

Agriculture Magazine is published by the Ravalli Republic & Missoulian Newspapers, divisions of Lee Enterprises Mike Gulledge, Publisher Eve Byron, Associate Editor Kathy Kelleher, Lauren Parsons & Jodi Wright, Sales Dara Saltzman, Production & Design Agriculture Magazine is copyright 2017, Ravalli Republic.

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Page 4 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 5

PHOTO PROVIDED

Managed intensive grazing system increasing in popularity

by Rod Freeman For the Ravalli Republic

Ranchers and farmers are excellent stewards of their land and as a result are constantly seeking new and improved methods of providing quality feed to their livestock without the need for fertilizing or weed control. The method that has grown in application and in success is the managed intensive grazing system, a method that goes by other names, such as the rotational pasture system. The concept is most simply

defined as a system that places a large concentration of animals in a small pasture for a very short period of time.

I was fortunate enough to tour the La Cense Ranch in Dillon to see their system in action. The La Cense team has 3,500 acres under pivot irrigation. They have the capacity with this system to feed 8,000 to 10,000 stocker calves. The land is divided into five-acre parcels and they rotate 500 cattle through each pasture every 24 hours.

The goal is to have the grass reach 13 inches in

Page 6 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

height and that it be grazed down to no shorter than 4 inches. The pastures are defined primarily with hot wire and it takes one hand eight minutes to move the herd to the new pasture with the hot wire installed. I saw it happen!

The ranch keeps accurate records year-round to include tracking the gains of the cattle. The average daily gain is 3.2 pounds.

The pastures benefit in several ways. The concentration of cattle spreads manure fairly evenly, eliminating the need for fertilizer while actually increasing soil fertility. Weeds do not compete well with the healthy grasses, which eliminates the need for weed control. Parasite control is enhanced as the worms are left in each pasture and die before the cattle return.

The La Cense ranch feeds its stocker cattle via this method for the growing season, then off to market they go. The ranch does still run 2,500

cow/calf pairs that they rotate through grazing pastures all year long. The range cattle rotations are not as intensely managed as the stocker cattle, but the results speak for themselves, resulting in healthier grazing pastures with many of the same benefits as they achieve with the intensely managed system.

Another major benefit of the system is the elimination of the need for hay production and the huge expense of the equipment and man hours involved in that effort.

Obviously the La Cense ranch has the advantage of a large acreage ranch with a significant section available for the use of pivot irrigation systems, all connectable with all of the utility resources needed. That does not make a variation of managed intensive grazing a viable system for livestock operations in general and it is certainly not limited to cattle.

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Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 7

Photo Courtesy of Western Cider Co.

Golden apples growing Stevensville.

Thisapples heirloomgrowing cultivar used as both a dessert apple and cidercultivar apple is being oto Courtesy ofRussett Western Cider Co. inGolden Russett in Stevensville.

This heirloom usedgrown as both a along with Binet Rouge, Marie Menard, Major, Dabinett, Chisel Jersey and Harrison as part of ongoing research at WARC to ssert apple and cider ciderapple apple is being grown along with Binet Rouge, Marie Menard, Major, Dabinett, Chisel Jersey and Harrison evaluate cultivars for Montana apple production. part of ongoing research at WARC to evaluate cider apple cultivars for Montana apple production.

Bitterroot valley growers looking to expand apple diversity

By Katrina mendrey For the Ravalli Republic

Living in the Bitterroot Valley, you don’t go far this time of year without spotting a roadside apple tree or two. These relics of our apple heri-

tage are a reminder that these trees, native to central Asia, are survivors, thriving with little in our arid, cold mountain valley.

While most of us know the valley was once home to acres upon acres of apples, several

Page 8 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

growers with help from the Western Agriculture Research Center in Corvallis are hoping the valley will once again be known for our high-quality apples. These growers are looking to increase the diversity of apples we grow here and expand into new markets such as hard cider, in search of both the hardy and the bitter qualities that make a Montana cider apple a survivor.

Visit any local orchard and you’ll find that Bitterroot apples mean more than just MacIntosh. Growers are currently harvesting summer apples like Goodland, Earligold, Zestar!

And Duchess. Many of the cultivars grown by dessert apple growers were researched by WARC scientists in the early days of the station. Current research is focusing on cider apple production to meet the demand of the growing cider industry for fermentable juice with complex flavors.

Cider apples are like wine grapes in that they must have a balance between acid, tannins and sugars to produce a unique and desirable hard cider. These qualities are part of the apple cultivar, but also depend on where and how they were grown. Several growers here in the valley and elsewhere in the state have been experimenting with various cultivars of heirloom cider apples from England, France and the Eastern United States. Many of these trees have proven difficult to grow here due to lack of cold hardiness or susceptibility to diseases like fireblight.

Recently, more than 600 trees were grafted

with eight cultivars of bitter apples used mostly in cider production. The trees will be used in two research trials to evaluate tree growth, yield, fruit quality and various training systems. The apples currently being evaluated were selected based on the interest of local cider makers, who currently buy juice from out of state to supplement local sources from their own orchard or one nearby. The goal is to identify bitter apple varieties, which like their roadside cousins, can stand up to Montana’s extreme climate and local disease pressure.

This research is part of a larger effort to address the needs of the apple industry through research and education. To assist apple growers, WARC is also hosting a workshop series addressing topics such as: the economics of growing apples, finding the right ground, orchard design, tree care, irrigation management and much more.

The first workshop in this series will be held Dec. 14, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Missoula County Extension Office. The workshop will cover the economics of operating an apple orchard, negotiating long-term lease agreements as an alternative to purchasing land and marketing your apples to produce buyers and ciderists. More information can be found at mtapples.org or by emailing Katrina.mendrey@ montana.edu.

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Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 9

A history of sugar beets in the Bitterroot Valley ravalli republic

Raising sugar beets in Montana began in the Helena area in the early 1890s. While the limited experiment proved that beets with sufficient sugar content could be raised in Montana, without nearby processing plants, the enterprise could not be an economically viable one.

In 1898, sugar beets were planted and harvested at Marcus Daly’s Stock Farm. In early 1902, it was announced that the entire acreage of the Stock Farm was to be converted to raising sugar beets and plans had been made to construct one of the world’s largest sugar beet processing plants on site. However, in October, the whole sugar beet enterprise had been abandoned.

Three years later, an effort was once again made to construct a beet processing plant in the valley. Mrs. Marcus Daly conditionally subscribed $100,000 in stock in the new venture. Local interests stated that there should be little difficulty in securing the remainder of the capital needed. A 600-ton factory costing $775,000 was to be built and around 5,000 acres of beets were to be planted in 1906.

By the fall of 1905, newspaper stories were stating that a sugar factory for the Hamilton area was a virtual certainty.

For whatever reasons - most likely lack of capital - no sugar beet processing plant was constructed in the Bitter Root Valley until a renewed effort was begun in 1916. The Montana-Utah Sugar Company signed an agreement with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce to build a factory within two miles of the city no later than 1917. By July, the company had set up offices in the Coulter building and company representatives were on site to

provide literature and advice for local farmers interested in planting and harvesting sugar beets.

Later in July, land for the proposed factory was donated by the Anaconda Company.

In the meantime, plans were progressing in Missoula with the Great Western Sugar Co. purchasing 150 acres of land on the western edge of Missoula (what would be Reserve Street today) with the intention of building its own beet factory. The company expected the factory to be completed in time for the 1917 harvest.

Back in the Bitterroot Valley, Montana-Utah had secured the necessary financing and had secured a bond in the amount of $100,000.

The Cannon-Swensen Company was contracted to construct the huge sugar factory The fireproof factory would be 62 feet side and 340 feet long. The accompanying smokestack will rise to a height of 150 feet and be 10 feet wide at the top.

Construction began in February of 1917 with the building of the spoke-like foundation for the smokestack. In March, some 40 tons of beet seed arrived from Russia along with German-Russian farmers, who were to do the back-breaking work of seeding, tilling, and harvesting the beets.

The first beet seeds were planted in May and the foundation for the factory had been completed. Up to 75 men were toiling away at the factory site. By June, the workforce had doubled to 150 men and excellent progress was being made.

In June, companies and individuals in the valley were asked by the sugar company to subscribe to an additional $500,000 in new bonds. Surprisingly, $400,000 of that amount was rather quickly secured.

Page 10 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

According to The entry of the company the United States “big progress is in World War I being made at would prove to the factory site,” be the company’s with nearly 240 Achilles Heel. full and part-time The U.S. declared workers. The war in April 1917 smokestack was and from that rising one and a point forward, virhalf feet per day tually all available and now stood at materials, such as 85 feet. The 970steel and cement, foot long sewer as well as machinsystem had been ery, either greatly nearly completed, increased in price as was the 600or became nearly foot long water impossible to intake line. procure by priBy mid-July, vate companies. rumors began to By the end circulate about of August, the the MontanaHamilton ChamUtah Sugar Co.’s ber of Commerce inability to comannounced that plete the project beet farmers due to the high could take their cost of mateharvest to the rial (cement and Missoula beet steel) and a growprocessing plant. ing demand for In October, the labor elsewhere. sugar company In August, the said all bills would Photo provided company anbe paid; but two nounced it would This Bitterroot valley landmark is all that is left of a 600-ton factory days later, all efcosting $775,000 which was to be built in 1906. no longer be able fort to complete to pay for materithe factory came al that had been purchased. Investors refused to a halt. Soon, all of the company assets in to contribute any further financial aid. Bankthe valley were turned over to a court-apruptcy proceedings were initiated against the pointed receiver. company, yet a determined Montana-Utah Many prominent locals blamed the failure Sugar Company stressed that even if an “adof the Montana-Utah Sugar Co. on opposijustment” is necessary, that will only delay but tion by the sugar trust, in particular the Great not stop the construction of the factory.

Western Sugar Company.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 11

In December 1917, the assets of the failed sugar company were bought by a group headed by E. R. Woolley. The new Ravalli County Sugar Company stated that the factory would be completed in time for the 1918 crop. But less than two months later, the company announced that it was impossible to secure material and local workers could not be hired due to skyrocketing labor costs because of the war effort.

After the failure of the Montana-Utah Sugar Company, several lawsuits were filed, alleging fraud, misrepresentation, and mismanagement. By 1919, all harvested sugar beets were being sent to the sugar factory in Missoula until 1921, when the plant was disassembled and closed. Seven years would elapse before a new factory in Missoula was constructed.

Valley beet growers sent their harvest to this plant until it was closed in 1965. The sugar beet industry died in the valley as land be-

came more valuable as home sites, horse pastures or hay fields, coupled with the labor shortage and expensive shipping rates.

The smokestack at Riverside is the reminder of planned sugar beet factory, an industry that could have been a significant economic driver of the Bitterroot Valley.

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Page 12 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

Raising swine in Ravalli County

By Dr. Linda Kauffman burntforkvet@gmail.com

Growing up in the Midwest - more specifically on a hog farm - I’ve known pigs literally all my life.

During my first few years in the Bitterroot Valley in the 1980s, I only knew of two farmers with hogs. When I returned to the valley in 1993, I saw hogs at the county fair and worked with one hog farmer.

As time passed I encountered more and more pigs including Vietnamese Pot Bellied

Pigs. The potbellies were primarily obese and had eye and feet problems from being obese.

(This is still a problem!)

Once artificial insemination became more common in addition to the internet and YouTube, people quickly learned how to inseminate female pigs on their own and the local swine population increased.

Unfortunately, general knowledge of swine husbandry has not increased as quickly as the population. The move toward sustainability and locally grown food has also increased the number of people raising hogs.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 13

The gap between knowledge of general health, how to handle hogs and the needed facilities has produced its own set of problems. As a local veterinarian, I’ve noticed a lack of facilities to handle the animals for hogs of all sizes. Some owners have allowed their animals to become too large and often obese, weighing upward of 600 pounds. The females, if allowed to reproduce, often crush and kill a fair number of their piglets while the males can “break down” the young females (gilts) they may be trying to breed.

These animals also can be difficult to treat without any restraint. I have learned that generally with a “tame” hog I can get one injection into them before they run away. On a smaller scale, taking piglets away from a protective sow to vaccinate or castrate is another adventure. This spring I was in a situation where a “piglet toss” over the fence while on the run from the sow was required. This wasn’t safe for any of the humans involved.

These are interesting stories of James Herriot style, but they’re not safe or efficient.

Learning how to handle hogs of all ages and sizes would be helpful prior to purchase.

New owners that breed pigs also need to learn about dystocia or problems females may have giving birth. Many females deliver with no problems – but if there are difficulties then once again the problem of facilities or lack thereof arises. Piglets have to be manually pulled from the uterus and vagina and often times multiple piglets may need to be delivered.

Vaccinations for various diseases is important for owners who plan on having a successful breeding operation. In my experience, hogs are much more like humans as related to respiratory or gastrointestinal diseases. These illnesses spread quickly among the animals, just as a child with whooping cough or strep throat might spread disease to classmates.

Hogs that are purchased from other states

and shipped to Montana and mixed with local hogs are themselves much more stressed and prone to disease as a child new to a school.

While careful biosecurity measures need to be taken with all types of livestock being shipped around the country, it seems hogs can be especially susceptible to illness and spreading disease.

Intestinal and external parasites can be a problem also. An effective deworming program or fecal exams done by a veterinarian will aid in management of parasites. Lice are not common in hogs in my experience, but I have seen them in 4-H hogs.

Most of the Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs I work with are house pets. Many people wisely have them spayed or castrated at a young age as well as begin vaccinations. Keeping them at a proper weight can be difficult yet important. Obese Vietnamese Potbellied Pigs frequently have eye problems and feet problems, with foot trimming needed for most of these house pigs.

Pigs that are trained to accept these procedures tolerate trimming or other handling very well. Those that are not used to restraint or handling (the same is true with most all animals) have a much more difficult experience than the animals that are used to being handled.

If your interest is in hogs or becoming a hog owner, please take the time to become an informed consumer before becoming an owner.

Page 14 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAKELAND FEED

Lakeland Feed and Supply has been providing animal feed, seed, fertilizers, farm and ranch supplies to the Bitterroot Valley for nearly 20 years.

Past, present and future: Animal feed in the Bitterroot Valley Lakeland Feed

Lakeland Feed and Supply has been providing animal feed, seed, fertilizers and farm and ranch supplies to the Bitterroot Valley for nearly two decades.

Mike Pflieger purchased the Lake Milling busi-

ness in 2000 and has spent the past 17 years growing the business, establishing relationships with local suppliers and diversifying our offerings. The Lakeland stores in Alberton, Dillon and Hamilton anchor 40-plus Lakeland dealers across Montana and Idaho.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 15

Logistics in the Bitterroot is a challenge – sourcing ingredients and figuring out how to get them here at a reasonable cost is always top-of-mind. This complexity is just one of the reasons Lakeland loves to do business with local suppliers. Regionally grown grain, hay and straw, along with locally made products and our own fresh feed, make for a one-of-a-kind combination.

Purchasing our Dillon store in 2010 increased our feed and fertilizer reach substantially.

Customers were eager for a source of locally made feeds and the large scale ranch operations in the Beaverhead Valley provided Lakeland an opportunity to feed more cattle than ever before. It wouldn’t be easy, since Lakeland needed to earn that business with quality products and outstanding customer service, but that’s what the company has done.

Our milling facility in Hamilton has manufactured and sold more than 50,000 tons of animal feed during those 17 years. That’s a lot of well-fed horses, chickens, 4-H steers, hogs and rabbits. In 2006, the company replaced the old 1890s warehouse and store, allowing for more feed storage, a drive-through warehouse and a large retail/office area. These improvements increased warehouse efficiencies and allowed room for more people-power to keep up with the growing sales.

The harsh winter of 2016 convinced Lakeland the time had come to upgrade the mill facility. The company’s crew spent too many hours working on fixes and apologizing for feed issues, rather than producing consistent, highquality feed products.

So in March 2017, Lakeland started its next undertaking. During the past 6 months, the company replaced its main elevator legs allowing for faster grain movement, a large distributor was placed ensuring efficient movement of grain from bins to sackers, and an automated scale and bagging station was installed reliev-

ing hours of twisting, turning and bending for the mill crew while ensuring accurate, consistent bag weights.

The upgrade also included many new augers, motors, bins and a hammer mill. What a difference - grain that used to take a full day to unload is now done in under three hours. Now, the company is focusing on improving its feed formulas with cutting edge ingredients and continued manufacturing efficiencies.

Lakeland is committed to producing highquality feed, using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, and plans to provide the animal feed products its customers need far into the future. They encourage people to stop by and see what they’re making.

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ong enough, you likely have been impacted by a weatherds, raging wildfires and crippling droughts can make or break well as Page put16 -your livestock and facilities in harm’s way.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

ble hen n offer o best disasm. critical s and

© ADOBE STOCK

Rebuilding After a Disaster address any risks you might be to a similar disaster down the simple process for overcoming Greenshoot Media just financial, butcommon emotionalincidents. and psychological overlooking. road.

Make a list as well.tasks Overcoming a crisis requires partOutline clear, concise of your most criticalstrong contacts, If you have been farming long enough, you nerships with your staff, vendors and lending A PLAN for yourrelated staff members when including your lender and likely BUILD have been impacted by a weather officers, to nameinsurance a few. disaster. floods, wildfires and crip- strikes.

Once theRising heavy liftingraging of an emergency Post representative. pling droughts canor make or breakyour yourplan farmboth in-house and repairing fence line replacTimely outreach is critical in LOANS production —over, as well putto youronline livestock ing livestock is it’sas time so and personnelEMERGENCY can access the face of a disaster and can The United States Department of Agriculture’s facilities in harm’s way. build a disaster plan that can it at all times. make a major difference in Farm Service Agency provides assistance for The effects of these types of disasters are not help streamline your response Your plan should include a response.

natural disaster losses resulting from drought, flood, fire, freeze, tornadoes, pest infestation and other calamities.

Some of these loan programs include the Livestock Forage Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish, and the Tree Assistance Program. Check out www.fsa.usda. gov for more information on these opportunities.

TAP INTO LOCAL EXPERTISE Your best partners in overcoming disaster can be local extension agriculture agents and educators. These professionals bring a breadth of experience and knowledge, and are privy to resources you may not know about. They can put you on the path to shortand long-term profitability while you take the steps to restore your operation.

Local officials are flexible and can work with you when you need them. They can offer an outside view of how to best prepare for and react to disaster situations on your farm. This perspective can be critical in making sure you assess and address any risks you might be overlooking.

BUILD A PLAN Once the heavy lifting of repairing fence line or replacing livestock is over, it’s time to build a disaster plan that can help streamline your response to a similar disaster down the road.

Outline clear, concise tasks for your staff members when an emergency strikes. Post your plan both in-house and online so personnel can access it at all times.

Your plan should include a simple process for overcoming common incidents. Make a list of your most critical contacts, including your lender and insurance representative. Timely outreach is critical in the face of a disaster and can make a major difference in response.

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Page 18 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

Agriculture Heritage Notebook The Bitter Root Cultural Heritage Trust

interpretation and affirm cultural values.

works in partnership with families,

The Heritage Trust provides an article for

neighborhoods and communities to restore

each edition of Agricultural Magazine,

historic structures, bring back traditional

highlighting the Bitterroot Valley’s

events and celebrations, encourage

agricultural history and heritage.

Story and photos by WENDY BEYE

My friend Zonna has been after me for several years to do a Bitter Root Barn Story on a barn her husband’s cousin helped build.

After calling her again to confirm Uncle

Leonard Morrison’s phone number in Gillette, Wyoming, I put the story in the hopper. In the meantime, Zonna cheerfully went to talk to the present owner to ask if I could come pho-

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 19

Looking at the west side of the Clements barn.

tograph the barn south of Corvallis.

It’s a very smoky day in the Bitter Root when I arrive in the barnyard, but the freshly painted white barn stands out nicely against a murky sky. The barn’s owner very graciously takes time to show me around and through the barn, pointing out repairs and modifications she has made since she purchased the property.

The entire south wall had to be replaced due to deterioration, but the siding matches the rest of the barn, and the original sliding door hardware has been reinstalled to mirror the door on the north side. A green metal roof protects the barn’s loft structure and cupolas from Montana winter snow and summer sun.

As we step into the cool lower level interior, we are followed by several barn cats. The friendliest of these beasts is the tallest cat I’ve ever seen, likely tipping the scales at over twenty pounds. He also seems to enjoy being photographed, appearing in many of the frames I snap. His mistress points out the location of a dairy parlor trough that is now filled in with concrete. Horse stalls have replaced milking stanchions. There is evidence that some of the old upright timbers supporting

The counterweight of the Clements barn loft door.

Page 20 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

Looking at the south side of the Clements barn.

The loft of the Clements barn.

The north door of the Clements barn.

The pulley on the hayloft door in the Clements barn.

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 21

the loft floor have been replaced with sandwiches of planed lumber.

We climb the steep stairs into the loft with more ease than clambering up a wooden ladder, which is the usual way one reaches a barn’s hayloft. The loft is clean, dry, and empty with the exception of a huge oil-burning heater that must have been levitated up from below by superhuman effort. There is a pulley and weight system still in place for opening the high vertical door that allowed hay to be unloaded into the loft. There is no sign of a hay trolley, but most likely the barn had one when it was erected. The hay chute openings that led from the edges of the loft floor to the lower level have been covered over for safety.

Several days before my barn visit, I called Leonard to talk with him about how he helped build the barn with his grandfather Charlie Clements in 1945. He was 14 years old at the time, so the construction crew mostly limited his efforts to painting. The barn was already completed to the level of the loft when he was conscripted for the work. He remembered a lot of painting, and could still envision a big paint brush dripping red as he worked on the exterior. The carpenter in charge was Joe Gaffney, Charlie’s brother-in-law. The design called for a row of milking stanchions down each side of the lower level, with a concrete floor and trough in between. Leonard commented that Joe was a small man, with dainty feet, so the stair treads to the loft were also diminutive, requiring to this day some care to negotiate.

Leonard told me that Charlie and his wife Maude came to Montana from Missouri to establish a dairy. Milk and cream were sold to the Cheese Factory in Corvallis. Charlie was very good with horses and could “knock a fly off a milk can” with his bullwhip. If a milk cow

was obstreperous, he would pinch her teat and the battle was on. Charlie usually won in the end. Maude was the more nurturing half of the couple, cooking enormous meals on a wood range every Sunday for a large extended family.

Charlie had ditch water on the property, and raised sugar beets for the Missoula refinery, as well as hay for his dairy herd. He worked on the ranch almost until the year he died (1963), though he and Maude had a house in town toward the end of his life. He quit the dairy and beet businesses and instead raised beef cattle and hay. Son Chester, who Leonard told me was the smallest of Maude’s babies at 6 pounds, spent his early days staying warm in the woodstove oven in the kitchen, but grew up to be the largest son, over six feet tall.

He helped his father run the ranch after he mustered out of the service at the close of World War II. Leonard told me to be sure to look for the oldest living thing remaining on the ranch - a giant cottonwood tree that still stands healthy and happy in its spot next to the house.

Page 22 - Agriculture Magazine, September 2017

KELLIEANN MORRIS/RAVALLI COUNTY WEED DISTRICT

Hoary Alyssum flower

KELLIEANN MORRIS/RAVALLI COUNTY WEED DISTRICT

Hoary Alyssum flower and seed

KELLIEANN MORRIS/RAVALLI COUNTY WEED DISTRICT

Hoary Alyssum mature plant

Hoary Alyssum berteroa incana

By CHRISTY SCHRAM For the Ravalli Republic

Hoary alyssum, considered to be a part of the mustard family, is also known as “hoary false madwort” and “hoary false alyssum.”

It thrives in dry conditions in alkali soils.

In Ravalli County, the hoary alyssum prefers disturbed sites but can be found in meadows and pastures. It is adapted to dry conditions on sandy or gravely soils and prefers directly

Agriculture Magazine, September 2017 - Page 23

sunlight but will tolerate shade.

The rigid stems are hairy and about 1 to 3 feet tall. The stems consist of a grayish-green in color. These stems branch many times near the top. The alternate leaves are oblong, also grayish-green, and covered in rough hairs.

The flowers are clustered at the tips of the branches.

The plant has four white petals that are about a half a centimeter long and tipped with two lobes. Along the stem there is a small, oblong, and flattened seed pod. In each pod contains two to six brown seeds.

Seeds can germinate from early spring to late fall, limited mainly by open space and water.

Seedlings established in early July or sooner can flower and produce seeds by early fall.

Seedlings establishing in late July or later will remain rosettes, produce flowers and seeds the following year.

Hoary alyssum is an annual to short-lived

perennial forb native to east-central Europe and western Asia. It is believed that the weed has been in the United States since the early 1800s. Now it’s widespread throughout the northeastern and north central United States and Canada. Hoary alyssum was placed on the state of Montana noxious weed list in 2008 as a category 2. As of 2013, the hoary alyssum is on the state as a Priority 2A. Hoary alyssum is the fastest spreading noxious weed in Ravalli County. The slightest storm can cause entire new rosettes to grow.

At one time it was believed that hoary alyssum cured rabies, but ingestion of the plant can be fatal to horses if its effects are not caught early. Hoary alyssum is of great concern to horse owners due to its unknown toxicity. If this plant consists of 30 percent or more of a horse’s diet, they can show signs of poisoning and could lead to death. The plant can also remain toxic in cured hay. Symptoms

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