march 2020
In this issue
SNAP-ed Fall harvest & more!
M A G A Z I N E
POWDER COATING MEDIA BLASTING CERAKOTING 394 Old Corvallis Road • Hamilton
363-9191
in this issue Farmers market expansion......................5 Bitterroot hemp co-op.............................6 Goat lice....................................................8 What makes a good neighbor...............12 Artisanal charcuterie...............................14 Night patrol.............................................15 Flash grazing...........................................16 Ravalli County Fairgrounds....................17 Agriculture Heritage Notebook............18 Late spring/early summer calving.........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. Send comments to: Ravalli Republic, 232 West Main, Hamilton, MT 59840 or editor@ravallirepublic.com Photos on this page provided by Wendy Beye, Michelle Buker, Beth Perkins & Fifth Season Montana.
Agriculture Magazine is published by the Ravalli Republic & Missoulian Newspapers, divisions of Lee Enterprises Jim Strauss, Publisher Perry Backus, Associate Editor Kathy Kelleher & Jodi Wright, Sales Dara Saltzman, Production & Design Agriculture Magazine is copyright 2020, Ravalli Republic.
232 W Main, Hamilton, MT 59840 ravallirepublic.com
Page 4 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
PHOTO courtesy of the ravalli county museum
Sugar beet harvest, 1950.
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 5
Exciting expansion for Farmers Market ERIN BELMONT Hamilton Farmers Market Coop Board Owner of House of Ferments
Hamilton Farmers Market; the promise of fresh vegetables, warmer temps, and reconnecting with seasonal friends. It’s almost here and what a season it is going to be! The Hamilton Farmers Market has been a Saturday staple for a few decades now, growing from a handful of vendors to two blocks worth of the finest vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers as well as baked goods, eggs, honey, ferments, and artwork all finely crafted by our neighbors. This season brings about some big changes for the Market as it expands and shifts location. “The expansion seemed to be an unintended consequence of concerns about parking in the neighborhood. The city council, mayor and city planner, along with locals really came together and worked out a plan with the market board and manager to not only solve the parking issue but to improve the market by expanding it making it safer,” said Hamilton Farmers Market Coop board president Stacy Lewis. The negotiations led to the market shifting from its location on North Third Street to Second Street. Bedford Street remains a thoroughfare and South Third will have its returning vendors but the addition of Second Street has really opened up new opportunities for the market. Market Manager Terri Frost reported that all but three spots have already been filled for the season. The expansion will also allow for additional food trucks and vendors.
Growing our market is great for the community. It’s a place to obtain locally grown produce and hand-crafted goods, and it also fosters community by providing a place for people to gather on a regular basis. Lewis, of Zaxan Coffee: “Farmers markets are great little regular community meet up spots where you can find folks from all walks of life on common ground.” Safety has always been a top concern, not only for the market board, but also for the city and law enforcement. Lewis said “The city is planning on putting up removable barriers in the future. In the meantime, vendors will be able to park their cars along the back of their booths to keep the walkways safe.” The expansion will help make the market safer and more walkable. With Second Street closed off, people will have an easier time accessing the market from the park on Second and Bedford. The Ravalli County Museum lawn will remain a focal point for gathering as well. The Hamilton Farmers Market Board is excited about these changes and invites the community to take full advantage of everything the Market has to offer. The Hamilton Farmers Market takes place every Saturday May through the 3rd Saturday in October, 9am -12:30pm. For more information check out hamiltonfarmersmarket.org, Facebook, or contact Terri Frost, Market Manager, at managerhfm@cybernet1.com. Check back often for updates about vendors, music, and events.
Page 6 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
photo CourtesyAndrew Burgess
Hemp at mid-season, Stevensville, MT.
Bitterroot Hemp Co-op plants seeds for new Ag industry PAUL WALCZAK Bitterroot Hemp Cooperative
The passage of the 2018 US Farm Bill resulted in industrial hemp being identified as a legal agricultural crop in Montana. Legal hemp must be a variety of the plant Cannabis sativa L. containing no greater than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Hemp provides a variety of environmental, agricultural and industrial uses, and American hemp proved a vital resource contributing to the Allies’ victory in World War II. An abundance of media attention concerning the potential for high profits from hemp and derivative products has piqued Bitterroot Valley interests. On the heels of the Farm Bill’s passage, sev-
eral Ravalli County residents got together in late 2018 to form the Bitterroot Hemp Co-op (BHC), becoming the first hemp co-operative in Montana. Nearly 100 people showed up for organizational meetings in early 2019, with current membership at 60 shareholders and growing. The co-op serves members with a range hemp industry interests, from farming and agricultural support, through end-product development. Pioneer hemp growers in Ravalli County faced a mixed experience in 2019. There wasn’t an extensive hemp-related agricultural knowledge base to draw from, farm equipment tailored to other crops was not well-suited for hemp, and other typical farming risks materialized. Spring and early summer weather conditions
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 7
proved to be uncooperative and growers had to experiment with planting and irrigation techniques that were not always successful. Compliance with state administrative regulations, which required considerable licensing and testing fees, raised the cost of entry to small farmers, while still-evolving rules inhibited business planning. On top of this, the cooperative business form was new to many BHC members, and any experience from similar endeavors in the Bitterroot was not directly transferrable to the emerging hemp market. As in any start-up activity, there were growing pains. With the lessons learned from the 2019 experience, 2020 foresees positive outcomes ahead. The BHC’s leadership is committed to achieving a cooperative business-to-business enterprise with a mission to help increase profitability in members’ hemp-related businesses. BHC members are business owners, whether they operate as sole-proprietors or other entity forms, who also own a share in the co-op business.
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A special publication by the Ravalli Republic. Look for the next issue March 2020 and the spring issue in March,2020
They have a role in co-op governance, following the democratic principles at the heart of the cooperative business model. They also benefit from shared resources and services that can be applied to reduce barriers to entry, help mitigate risks, and provide advantages of scale in the industrial hemp market that might not be availed to individuals. The co-op is establishing a range of services and educational opportunities that are of interest to hemp industry participants and continues to engage with relevant public and private organizations to promote mutually beneficial outcomes. Future planning now underway explores establishing hemp processing capability in Ravalli County, and cooperative farming arrangements that serve as incubators for farmers that may lack prior agricultural or hemp-related experience. For readers interested in learning more about the co-op, visit our web site at bitterroothemp. coop, contact us by phone at 406.209.8984, or send email to president@bitterroothemp.coop. BHC ownership opportunity through co-op membership is still available.
Page 8 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
photo Courtesy Jeff Johnson, Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic Client
With spring comes lice in the goat barn Christin Rzasa, Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic
If you’re lucky enough to own a goat or two, you may have recently noticed them rubbing—on everything! They lean into fences with their shoulders and backs as they walk along. They scratch their heads and necks on barn walls or feeders. You might see this behavior in one or two animals and then suddenly, nearly everyone is joining in. This isn’t some behavioral anomaly or a sign your goats are going stir-crazy. Late winter in the Montana goat barn is when the lice you didn’t know your goats were carrying become most active.
While a new goat owner may be shocked and disgusted by this turn of events, most seasoned producers have experienced an infestation and know what to do about it. Novice producers need to educate themselves about external parasites— like lice—because they are just another aspect of goat husbandry. The first thing that a new goat owner should know about goat lice is that they don’t like humans, and although on a rare occasion, you might find a louse crawling on you, they don’t want to be there and definitely won’t stay. Lice are “species-specific,” meaning they can only complete their life cycle if they’re on the right
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 9
host, so your dog isn’t going to get lice from your goats and neither are you. Conversely, goats can’t get lice from your horse or your cat but generally acquire the parasite from another goat. Adult lice— if disengaged from their host—won’t survive longer than a day or two in the environment; however, the eggs can exist in bedding and continue to hatch over two to three weeks, so controlling an infestation means not only treating your animals but keeping a clean barn. Since lice are opportunists who thrive on the easiest targets and usually show up on animals that are the most stressed—those “least thrifty” (underweight), internally parasitized, or subject to overcrowded conditions — keeping your goat herd healthy is the first step in controlling this external parasite. There are two types of lice that infest goats: biting and sucking. Although accurate identification is only possible using a microscope to visualize the head (sucking lice have a head wider than the thorax; biting lice have a head much narrower than the thorax), goat owners can make an educated guess with careful examination of their animals. Biting lice are light grey or tan in color and tend to be more mobile, while sucking lice bury their heads in the skin and so are more stable, their bodies darker brown from the blood they consume. In Montana, biting lice are more common than the variety that feeds on blood. They’re also more easily treated topically. Sucking lice can be treated with external applications, but a systemic parasiticide (like Ivermectin) may ultimately be needed to clear up the infestation. Since this type of treatment entails using products that are not labeled for use in goats, you must contact a veterinarian for appropriate dosage. It’s a good idea to contact your veterinarian anyway to positively identify the louse and save you from the frustration of expending energy and expense on a treatment that doesn’t work. Goat lice seem to be ubiquitous, but if you are lucky enough to have a herd that is free of these pests, prevention is the key to saving time and money. Newly acquired animals should be inspected for lice on arrival to the farm, treated if necessary and isolated from physical contact with other goats until a second application is effected,
usually two to three weeks later, to catch any young that may have hatched. A single treatment—of any product—is rarely effective for stopping an infestation because no product currently available will kill louse eggs. When weather permits, shaving heavy-coated animals will minimize available habitat, since lice prefer the darkness and protection of that wooly undercoat. Shaving can also make it possible to spot an infestation at an early stage, when it’s easier to treat. Some studies indicate that feeding a high-energy diet to your goats (without overfeeding them) can be an effective way of preventing an infestation. Lice populations are most active in winter, when daylight hours are shorter and goats tend to bed down together for warmth at night, so practicing good husbandry — keeping your barn clean, dry and warm and ensuring adequate space for the size of your herd — is another tool for controlling this pest. Goat lice are persistent enough in the environment, however, that it is almost impossible to avoid the occasional infestation, no matter how careful the farmer. Fortunately, there are several options— both chemical and natural—for dealing with biting lice, in particular. Two commercial chemical products, Cylence and Ultra Boss, are topical applications labeled for use against lice and other external parasites in goats. Both are approved for use on lactating and nonlactating goats; however, as with any chemical, they must be employed with care and awareness of their potential drawbacks. The active ingredient in Ultra Boss, for example, can be extremely hazardous to the environment. According to the manufacturer’s own label, this product is a deadly toxin “…to aquatic organisms, including fish and invertebrates” and should only be applied “….in calm weather when rain is not predicted for the next 24 hours [to] help…ensure that wind or rain does not blow or wash pesticide off the treatment area…” or allow it to “…run off into storm drains, drainage ditches, gutters, or surface waters.” Ultra Boss is also “highly toxic” to bees, and the manufacturer cautions against applying in windy conditions under which it might “… drift to blooming crops or weeds while bees are
Page 10 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
placenta in subactively visiting stantial amounts” the treatment or affect pregarea.” Further, nancy rates. the U.S. EPA has The use of decided that perchemicals for the methrin, one of treatment of lice the active ingrein goats should dients in Ultra be used not only Boss, is “…likely with an awareness to cause cancer in of environmenhumans if eaten.” tal effects, their Although anecoveruse should dotal, a few goat be avoided to dairy farmers have prevent parasite reported traces of acclimation to the the active ingrediphoto Courtesy Jeff Johnson, Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic Client active ingredients. ents in Ultra Boss Since pharmaceushowing up in laboratory tests of their milk. Even if the contamina- tical companies are currently devoting little or no research to the development of new parasitacides, tion was the result of environmental contamination we are limited to these two products now on the from careless handling, rather than from the animal itself, users should definitely educate themselves on market, and acclimation to either is a possibility that should be concertedly avoided. the potential hazards associated with this product That means selectively treating animals only before applying it. Also, please note that a similar when necessary, rather than routinely treating aniproduct, called simply “Boss,” is NOT labeled for mals as a “preventive” measure. The “80-20 Rule” use in goats. On the other hand, Cylence—the other chemical states that “80% of the parasites in a herd are carried by 20% of the animals,” and this rule applies to product labeled for external parasite treatment in external—as well as internal—parasites. Goat owngoats—has an active ingredient (cyfluthrin) that is associated with far fewer cautions, according to the ers who wish to use one of these chemicals should positively identify those animals infected with adult National Pesticide Information Center (http://www. lice and positively identify the species of lice before npic.orst.edu). applying the treatment, and then treat only those More than half of the cyfluthrin in the applicaanimals who are actually infested. Some animals tion leaves the body within 24 hours and “…(a) may be naturally more resistant while others carry a round 98% is eliminated from the body within 1-2 heavy infestation. days…” primarily through urine and feces. Unlike Dr. Richard Wall, a professor of Biological the chemicals in Ultra Boss, it is listed by the EPA as Sciences at the University of Bristol in the UK, points “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” and any out that “…[t]he presence of at least some level of residual amount of this product in the environment infestation may stimulate acquired immunity makreadily deteriorates in sunlight. It is “…immobile in ing the host less susceptible to future infection.” soil and unlikely to leach,” nor does it dissolve easTherefore, attempting to create an environment ily in water, and it “…has a very low vapor pressure completely devoid of lice may actually exacerbate and is not expected to create fumes once dried.” the herd’s susceptibility to infestation. Dr. Wall Whereas neither the manufacturer’s label for Ultra Boss nor the NPIC fact sheets for the active ingredi- urges an integrated approach to parasite management that employs both prevention and a variety of ents in Ultra Boss expressly acknowledge its safety for use in pregnant goats, studies cited by the NPIC treatments, using available chemical parasitacides only when necessary. show cyfluthrin “…has not been found to cross the
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 11
There are “natural” treatments currently in use by commercial organic producers as well as those who just wish to avoid using chemicals, although success with these methods has not been documented by scientific studies. Historic documents from the library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended the use of sulfur as a topical treatment for louse infestation in goats, and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) notes that “…(h)ydrated lime or sulfur dust bags are effective in killing lice.” Current USDA organic regulations “…permit the use of elemental sulfur in organic crop production as an insecticide (including acaricide or mite control)…” and suggest mixing elemental sulfur with diatomaceous earth for use as a dusting powder on louse-infested goats. Variations on the latter concoction claim the necessary additions of essential oils (e.g. tea tree, peppermint, lavender), but again, successful use
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is anecdotal and without scientific evidence. The important point in using these treatments is that they can’t hurt the animal or damage the environment—they either work or they don’t. Careful monitoring of your herd is still necessary to ensure control of an infestation. If you are new to goat-ownership and your goats are doing the “infestation dance,” don’t despair, but be assertive. The longer you wait to tackle the louse-problem, the worse the infestation will become, and the more your goats will suffer. Ask your veterinarian for advice and help in identifying the parasite, educate yourself on treatment options, and talk with other goat owners to see what works for them. Keep a clean, uncrowded barn, feed your goats appropriately, and be judicious in your use of chemical parasitacides. Goat lice aren’t necessarily a problem; they are just another part of the experience of goat farming.
Page 12 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
photo Courtesy Michelle Buker
What makes a good neighbor MICHELLE BUKER Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board
Welcome to the Bitterroot Valley of Montana: Life in the country is rich and rewarding, treasured by both Bitterroot Valley residents who have been here for generations, and those who have recently moved here. We are pretty sure that there are as many different definitions of what being a good neighbor
means, as there are people in Ravalli County! And while it would be wonderful to receive baked goods from your neighbor on a regular basis, let’s face it, not everyone is a good cook! In Ravalli County we have wildly different personalities and things that we care about. We are retirees and young people just starting out, families and singles, those who work from home and
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 13
those who commute to work daily. Some of us work to preserve our valleys agricultural history while working & conserving the land and others work to develop commerce with more building and development. All of us are necessary to have a vibrant and financially diverse, healthy community. The bottom line is that we all need to work together to sustain this beautiful community that we know and love. With that being said, there are many opportunities for misunderstandings and with our new publication we would like to help educate new and old alike, on some common issues that create heartburn in this beautiful place that we live. Have you wondered about roads, access and available services, utilities- what will be available where you live, water rights- who owns the water in the ditches and streams on your property and who has the right to access them, electricity, sewer, internet etc? Is there an easement through, or to, your property and how do you find out? Who is responsible for maintaining roads and
fences? What about dogs, noxious weeds and burn permits? Do you know what rights you have in regards to livestock & wildlife and how to manage them on your property? We would like to help you learn about these things and help you find more detailed answers to your questions easily. The Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board and Allen Bjergo have created a publication that includes a checklist of the things you need to know in order to make educated and informed decisions prior to purchasing or developing property in the Bitterroot Valley. While this publication was specifically adapted for the unincorporated areas of the valley (only Stevensville, Pinesdale, Hamilton and Darby are incorporated), much of the information will be useful no matter where you find yourself in Ravalli County. The updated publication and checklist will be sent to area real estate agents to share with their clients and posted in digital format on The Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board Facebook Page.
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Page 14 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
Fifth Season of Montana specializes in handmade artisanal charcuterie only licensed operation in the state of Montana that is producing Choosing food based on seacured meats with the ability sonality is a long-practiced and to sell wholesale around the sustainable way to eat. state. Our ancestors also underFifth Season Montana stood that the foods we Commitment loved fresh in one seaFifth Season Montana son, could be processed was founded in 2019 on natural to extend their the Double K Ranch. longevity into the other Based on the ideas that seasons as well. photo Courtesy fifth season montana food can be preserved The act of salt curing to increase its longevity and should be sustainable, meat has been a practice for thousands of years as locally sourced, and created using old world tradia way preserve a wide variety of foods before the tional techniques and methods. With ingredients advent of refrigeration. Charcuterie today is prefrom around the Bitterroot Valley and the beautiful pared to honor this tradition, and to show the true state of Montana, we create the highest quality artiflavors meat can develop over time, while being sanal cured meats. able to sustainably use the whole animal. Where you can find Fifth Season of Montana What is Charcuterie? products? You probably don’t use the French word charYou can stop by the Double K Ranch to purchase cuterie, but you know what it is—cured or smoked charcuterie at our meat shop. Find the hours and meat; products such as salami, sausage, bresaola, address at www.doublekranch.com. coppa, and prosciutto, to name a few. Charcuterie DILLON KOUF Fifth Season Montana
is making a big comeback having re-emerged from the local food and farm to table movements. Extending the shelf life of meat from days, and increasing it to months, we are expanding the four seasons to include a Fifth Season, so the meat harvested in spring can still be enjoyed in winter, and the game hunted in fall can be enjoyed in summer. It is the Fifth Season that has transformed the way we eat, and, it is this transformation that we celebrate and bring to you with the addition of Fifth Season Montana. What does the licensing to produce charcuterie involve? A lot of paperwork! Training, written plans, approvals and much more are just a few things to get started. The State of Montana controls the issuance of licenses to produce charcuterie and are at the shop daily to check in, the requirements are quite rigorous. At this time, Fifth Season is the
Other points of sale include: • Missoula Winter Market. Located at the Senior Center on the Hip Strip. 9am-1pm every Saturday until April 18th • O’Hara House Bee Hive Winter Foods Market, every other Tuesday, 3-4:30pm Oliver Blood House, Hamilton, through March 23 • Missoula and Hamilton Saturday Farmer’s Markets, May-October • Western Montana Growers Coop (Wholesale) • Restaurants: • 1889 (Missoula) • Create Art Bar (Missoula) • Latitude 48 (Whitefish) • Resort at Paws Up • With more around the state coming soon! Fifth Season of Montana appreciates your support of local hand-crafted charcuterie.
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 15
Night patrol: Calving doesn’t stop when the sun goes down PATRICK MANGAN Ravalli County Extension Agent
I wear my sweatshirt, my jacket, my boots. I grab a flashlight off the shelf as I walk out the door, one of those big, long police flashlights. Tonight my patrol is for life. I’m off to check on calves and lambs, make sure they are welcomed into their first hours of life by both their momma and one of my kind. The snow squeaks as I walk across the barnyard. It’s cold tonight. The kind that causes concerns for pipes, new life, and ranchers. As I round the corner of the barn I am plunged into the darkness of night. No lights here, or at least not human lights. A field of snow stretches before me. One I need to search on this February night. I leave the flashlight in my back pocket, letting my friends guide me. It’s a moonless night, somewhere between a full and new, still below the horizon. But I can see my way. The snow covered field glows with the light of far off places, stars hovering across the sky I walk under. I walk along a make shift path trammeled of cattle feet and tractor tire, both of which have previously moved through the deep snow I navigate. I walk north toward the covered shed, my first stop. As I look up, the Great Bear is nowhere to be found. He must be hibernating. But the seven hunters are there, guiding me along, making their sweep across the sky. Follow us, brother, they say to me, we will search with you, though our prey will be different. I follow along in their hunt, finding my own quarry at the north end of the field; the covered shed. As I leave the hunters I use the flashlight, like a spear jabbing into the night. Sets of eyes young and old fill my view. Calves and mothers laying in the protection and straw. No one brand new here on this trip, no one in their first night.
I move through the other haunts of the field, looking in all the corners, in all the places to go be with one’s self when giving birth to a new calf. All is clear, no one new. As I head back toward the house a new companion joins me, the big dog, Canis major. It’s his turn to walk beside me through the field. Beside the dog is Orion, decked out in his armor, ready for battle. I feel the bite along the edges of my ears, reminding me I have forgotten my own armor, a hat. Its 3 degrees now, enough to cause concern. It’ll be colder later; -8, then -13, or so they say. Time to find my hat, because I’ll be back out both of those times for the same patrol I am finishing now. Taurus gives me a quick blink of his eye as I near the barn. He will watch over my herd for the next two hours. A quick trip by the pen of sheep uncovers a surprise. The young lambs are all out running, playing, and enjoying the cold night, forsaking the warmth of their own little shed. Who can really speak for the mind of lambs, other than lambs? Not the farmer apparently. Then boots come off by the door, so I don’t get manure and snow on the floor where my spouse will complain and ridicule, then coat, and gloves, ready for the next trip. I set the clock for 120 minutes, and find a way to warm up and grab a little sleep until then. * Ranchers always work long hours in Montana. But none seem as long as those during the calving and lambing seasons. Ranchers do nightly checks through the pens where expectant mother cows and ewes are waiting to give birth. In the cold nights, a gentle hand from a rancher can mean the difference between life and death for the newborn. It means multiple trips out into the cold, sometimes staying up all night to care for the livestock ranchers are stewards to. This narrative describes one of my night patrols.
Page 16 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
The surprising benefits of flash-grazing EMY ROYCE Bitter Root Land Trust
It was a cool September morning on Lazy Burnt Fork Ranch. There was still frost on the barn roof untouched by the early morning sun. The air is crisp as Steve Peckinpaugh leans up against the barn, smiling as he looks over Storage guidelines for winter squash. the cows. “They seem so much happier grazing when they are closer together,” Steve says. “I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. That’s a benefit I didn’t expect.” Steve and his wife, Catherine, along with fellow rancher, Dan Kerslake, are raising Angus cattle together on the Peckinpaugh’s conserved Stevensville ranch. After attending a forum in Missoula on grazing innovations a few years ago, they decided to modify how they graze their cows. “We were looking for ways to maximize the grass resource, address weeds, improve soil health, and provide healthier pastures for the cows,” Steve explains. Now they “flash-graze,” also known as “intensive grazing.” Small sections of pastureland are grazed, and then left to rest for at least 45 days, sometimes longer. “It ensures all the forage is eaten, not just the ‘good stuff, and in turn the weeds have all but disappeared,” says Steve. There is a lot of science that backs up the benefits of flash-grazing. Good for Ranches, Good for Water
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The Natural Resource Conservation Service has been collecting data for years. The grasses are taking the carbon out of the air and putting it back into the soil, where they get absorbed back into the grasses, increasing their nutritional value. Increasing carbon levels in the soil allow for greater
water retention. “There’s more organic matter in the soil, which means more nutrient-rich grass for cows. It’s a natural cycle that helps ranches like ours weather the changing times,” notes Lee Severson, another rancher utilizing flash-grazing. Lee manages Flying E Ranch, one of the larger conserved ranches in the area. “We adapted this grazing strategy a little over 10 years ago. The biggest difference I’ve seen is that I can feed our cows natural grasses for longer, instead of hay. If you can feed them grass instead of hay, not only are the cows better off, it saves money and water.” This technique helps protect the watershed and enhance ranch operations. It also promotes even, consistent grazing. As a result, in combination with increased water retention, pastures become better habitat for increasingly threatened pollinators, like bees and butterflies. The fact that the land is also supporting pollinators makes Steve smile again as he watches the cows. “Ranchers have long been stewards of the land,” observes Steve. “Conserving our land, and investing in our soils, makes our community stronger too.”
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 17
photo courtesy melissa saville
Busy year at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds By Allen Biergo
This past year has been a busy one for the Ravalli County Fairgrounds and fair staff. We installed a new roof and new windows on the Beef Barn and painted the inside; installed a new roof on the Sheep and Swine Barn; and installed new windows and made roof repairs to the Poultry & Dairy Barn; and installed new lighting in the Rabbit Barn. Every barn on the fairgrounds had some type of electrical issue that was repaired. The Art Building received a paint make over – floor to ceiling. The Commercial Building’s floors were painted and the roof repaired. The under-the-grandstand vendor area was repaired and painted. New asphalt and electrical upgrades improved Food Row. The rodeo sky boxes and bucking chutes received a new coat of purple paint and a new East gate and a gate for antique machinery on the north Ssde were installed. We installed dog waste stations around the fairgrounds (please use them). We built and/or repurposed displays for open class exhibits. All this work not only takes staff time but help from our dedicated volunteers. A lot of volunteers. This past year the fairgrounds instituted a new program. Volunteer for four hours at the fairgrounds and receive a free day pass to the Fair. We had over 300 volunteers put in over 5,000 volunteer hours. They did everything from picking rock to weeding. Parents brought their children to earn their day pass. It’s known as giving back to your com-
munity. It takes a community to make a great county fair. And a great fair it was. The other new program was “Come to the Fair for Lunch.” Between 11 am-2 pm pay to enter fair then eat your fill of fair food and if you leave by 2 pm you get your entrance fee back. It’s a win-win. We had several new superintendents this past year that came through with flying colors. They had a vision for their departments and it was awe inspiring to see them fulfill them. Most of the First Interstate Building really did start looking like an old fashioned country mercantile. The general public has very little idea how many hours it does take to transform that building into what it looks like at fair. The 2019 Fair had the biggest gate…ever! It had the largest sale of carnival tickets…ever!! Food vendor’s dollar amounts were up across the board. Exhibits were up. We had 8,362 exhibits for fairgoers to feast their eyes upon. So here is our challenge to you; enter the Ravalli County Fair in 2020. Enter that favorite photo of the grandkids, the apron you made for mom, the dill pickles your family loves, those flowers from your yard, or those tomatoes from your garden. There is a category for almost anything. Enter the fair and become part of the fair fabric that brings the community together for four magical days. It doesn’t cost you anything to enter an exhibit. Just follow the rules in the Exhibitors Handbook. And to let you in on a secret... if you win a ribbon, you get a premium, as in money and you get bragging rights for a whole year. So in 2020 it’s a date. Come play with us!
Page 18 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
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 & photos WENDY BEYE
It’s difficult to miss seeing the historic barn at the north end of the Eastside Highway - large block letters made of red metal on the roof identify its owner: HURTT. It was time to do a story, and I hoped that owner Dave Hurtt’s mind was still sharp and witty.
August is supposed to be warm and dry in Montana, but Murphy’s law always seems to kick in when it’s time for me to photograph a barn. My trip to the Hurtt barn is no exception. A heavy fog covers the valley, with nary a peep of sunshine. I decide to go ahead with an interview, and hope
Agriculture Magazine, June 2019 - Page 19
The Hurt barn. Photo by Katie Fletcher
the weather improves before I have to leave. As I park by the massive barn, a man driving a green 4-wheeler with a cab roof pulls up next to me. Dave Hurtt greets me with a smile, apologizing for not jumping out of his jitney because of a bad hip. “Back in 1985, when I was putting new metal on the lower part of west barn roof, I slipped on the ladder and bounced down, hitting the rungs with my hipbone. You’ll see a red dot toward the south end of the barn. That’s where I fell.” At nearly 90, it appears to me that he’s doing pretty dang well, all things considered. After we chat a bit, he takes me into the barn, and points to the steep stairs that lead to the loft. “We used to have a lot of dances here, and my uncle wanted to come to one. We had to carry him up these stairs, and I built a special chair for him to sit in so he could watch the festivities.” We arrive at the top of the stairs, and I spot that special chair, along with two rows of old auditorium seats that are lined up on each side of the
loft floor. “What’s the story on those?” I ask. “They came from the Mullan, Idaho school, via the Florence-Carlton school. Florence got them after the rebuilding of the Florence school following its fire, about 1964. Florence used them until they were able to build a new gym with seating and then were looking to get rid of them, so I hauled them home and upstairs into the barn.” The loft ceiling has some old stains from water leaks, but the new roof has been doing its job to protect the sturdy ridge and rafters. The last section of roof on the south end where Hurtt fell had to be completely replaced because the sheeting began to rot before that piece could be repaired. The loft floor is swept clean, and there’s no evidence that pigeons have been a problem. The complete hay fork and trolley set-up is still in place, high up in the north gable end. Hurtt has pointed out the tall concrete foundation under the barn, and I see wooden ventilation shafts leading from the bottom floor where
Page 20 - Agriculture Magazine, March 2020
there used to be dairy stanchions all the way up to the two cupolas on the roof. Those features, along with the barn’s size, are nearly identical to the design of Anna Mae Paddock’s barn north of Darby. There is no way to verify that the same builders were involved in both barns, but the time of construction is also very close. Hurtt relates several stories that were passed down to him from elderly friends and relatives when he was a young man. Albert Tillman was the oldest son of Newton Jasper Tillman, who moved to the Bitter Root from Missouri and obtained the property through an 1896 homestead deed and other purchases. He told Hurtt that a man named Robert Lemon used the adjacent house to entertain prospective orchard tract buyers in the early 20th century when the boom related to the Big Ditch was at its peak. Lemon also reportedly operated a dairy he called Meadow Croft, perhaps after the apple boom bloom faded and landowners turned to other means of making a living. The barn was definitely built to house dairy operations, with a washing-up trough poured into the concrete floor, and a set of shallow stairs built to allow cows to walk into the milking parlor from the adjacent corral. During the time the land was irrigated by flooding the fields, water collected in the basement of the house. Hurtt recalls that Curtis Taylor, a neighbor to the south, said he used to dive off the basement steps into the pool that rose underneath the house every summer. After the sun burns off most of the fog, I snap some photos of the outside of the barn, and visit with Hurtt’s daughter Leslie. She now operates a horse boarding service in the fields and corrals around the barn. She says so much land in the area has been subdivided into small lots that people moving to what they think is “the country” find out that a few backyard horses need a lot more to eat than they can find on a few weed-infested acres, so bring their animals to her to care for. The Hurtt family had to downsize their ranch, too, due to financial stresses, selling lots for prices far higher than what they could produce through agricultural endeavors. I later research the chain of title and confirm
Hurtt Barn ventilation shafts to cupolas.
Hurtt Barn Dave in his custom-built chair.
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 21
Hurtt Barn dairy cow steps.
Hurtt Barn south door outside.
the Newton Jasper Tillman obtained a U.S. patent deed to the land in 1896, and Robert Lemon purchased the property from the Ravalli County Sheriff in 1941. He may have leased the property from Tillman or had a contractual agreement before then, as Hurtt heard that Tillman was a “wheeler-dealer” and land speculator. Tillman died in 1936, and the surviving children may not have kept up with property tax payments after that. Hurtt’s parents bought the ranch in 1963 after it passed through other ownership several more times. The Chronicling America website of newspaper archives yielded confirmation that Robert Lemon was General Sales Manager for the Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, from 1908 through its demise due to bankruptcy in 1916. A short paragraph on the society page of The Missoulian, July 20, 1913, says that Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lemon were guests of honor at a party near the Bitter Root Inn (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the BRVIC, and destroyed by fire in 1924). The Lemons were in the valley “for the summer.” Lemon placed numerous half- and fullpage advertisements in Popular Mechanics and Saturday Evening Post touting the $2,000-$5,000 a year income that was practically guaranteed from a 10-acre apple orchard in “one of the most magnificently endowed natural environments on the Creator’s footstool.” If fledgling orchard owners did not want to actually put in the labor necessary to achieve these fabulous profits, the BRVIC would contract to “develop your orchard under expert horticultural supervision for five full growing seasons from date of planting, including all land taxes and irrigation charges.” Of course, the valley was “frostless and wormless,” and BRVIC was backed by $5,000,000 in assets. At the time, the Big Ditch did not yet reach the area, and cost overruns, weather, insects, and technical disasters soon bankrupted the company, leaving absentee landowners with apple saplings dying on the dry benches east of the river.
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The case for late spring/early summer calving ROD FREEMAN
As a native-born Montanan raised in the ranching country of Stillwater County, I grew up working various cattle and horse operations. As some may know, I left Montana for 40-plus years to make a living and returned in August of 2003 to begin a third career in Real Estate. My love and interest in ranching and cattle operations provided me with motivation to study current trends in livestock operations. One of my first discoveries was the science of rotational grazing. That research led me to research advantages of late spring/early summer calving. I grew up during a period when most ranchers calved in March and April and then the trend was to calve even earlier, in February. Typically, back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, February was a colder but drier month which tended to support that move. February weather during recent years has arrived with more snow and cold than normal and that has made the chore and management of calving under those conditions even more challenging. In addition, those conditions place an even higher stress on the mother cows and increase the demand for supplemental feed. Calf losses from those weather conditions can be high. A successful Montana rancher observed that wild mammals do not have their babies before late May or June, so nature is telling us something. Calving in the May/June time frame puts these babies on the ground under much more ideal weather conditions. It makes the chore of manag-
ing the calving of a herd much easier. Grass is greening and is available to the cows and the calves start grazing at an earlier age, making the requirement for hay much lower. Ranchers who also practice rotational grazing have a significant business and financial advantage as they commonly have eliminated haying and the cost of that equipment. Photo perry backus Typically, these ranchers have found that purchasing a 30-day supply of hay to support their herds during a blizzard is all they require to supplement their rotational grazing. At a minimum, hay and supplemental feed costs are greatly reduced as calving is happening when high quality grass is available. The study that I have seen discovered that June calving cows were fed an average of 327 lb. of supplement per cow year while cows calving in February and March were fed and average of 3,947 lb. per cow year. June calves that were weaned at the same number of days of age averaged 35 lb. lighter but this was offset by January calf prices trending higher for the same weight of calf sold in October. The combination of less labor/man hours and less hay fed made the June calves more profitable at weaning time. This study did offer the concern that the breeding season is extended into a much warmer weather cycle, but that concern was magnified in areas of high humidity with no night cooling. Late spring/early summer just might be well worth considering.
Agriculture Magazine, March 2020 - Page 23
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