Welcome to the Rangeland Resources Program newsletter!

Featuring key information about our program, notifications about upcoming events, and news blasts, this newsletter will keep you up to speed with everything Montana rangeland. If you have any suggestions for future newsletters, please contact Stacey Barta at SBarta@mt.gov.

This is often my office view this time of year, I was glad to be out for a few days!  That is Slippery Ann at the bottom. 

Craig and Conni French Receive Montana Leopold Conservation Award

2020 Montana Leopold Conservation Award Winner Video

Craig and Conni French always considered themselves good land stewards, but six years ago things really began to change. They came to see their cattle ranch’s fate was tied to healthy soils and grasses.

Their introduction to holistic ranch management techniques called into question long-held, traditional ways of thinking. The drastic changes that followed required a leap of faith for the fourth-generation ranchers. They traded harvesting hay for grazing methods that let their cattle harvest the forage themselves. Such changes didn’t happen overnight, and each came with its own risk and learning curve.

The use of cell grazing (a form of rotational grazing that moves a large herd frequently to new pastures) allows more recovery time for perennial vegetation to flourish on a semi-arid, brittle environment of short prairie grass. This results in better forage and wildlife habitat.

Craig and Conni make decisions not just with their cattle herd’s health in mind, but also the impact on soil, insects and wildlife. Temporary electric fence has replaced permanent fencing to reduce conflicts with wildlife. Targeted grazing of non-native grasses has improved habitat for grassland birds and sage grouse.

With assistance from the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, they moved livestock water tanks and windbreaks away from a creek. Beaver Creek flows through three miles of the ranch and its health is a conservation priority for the French family. The return of willow trees along the creek’s banks is a sign their efforts are paying off.

Their voluntary 30-year conservation lease with Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks ensures their land’s native grassland and sagebrush will remain uncultivated and undeveloped. Likewise, hunters are allowed access to their ranch’s thriving wildlife populations through enrollment in the state’s Block Management program. The French's have also agreed to sustain and improve habitat for four species of imperiled grassland birds and sage-grouse, and have their numbers surveyed.

As long-time members of The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, a rancher-led conservation group that aims to educate within and outside the ranch community, the Frenches share their experience with holistic management, cell grazing and other innovative conservation practices.Collaboration with federal and state agencies, non-profits and other ranchers is critical for them to achieve conservation success.

Earlier this year, Montana landowners were encouraged to apply (or be nominated) for the award. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders.

Among the many outstanding Montana landowners nominated for the award were finalist Pete and Meagan Lannan of Livingston in Park County. The 2019 recipients were Bill and Dana Milton of Roundup in Musselshell County.

The Montana Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Sand County Foundation, the Office of Governor Steve Bullock, Montana Department of Agriculture, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Rangeland Resources Committee, Northwest Farm Credit Services, Sibanye-Stillwater, World Wildlife Fund, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, McDonald’s, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Society for Range Management – Northern Great Plains Section, Soil and Water Conservation Society, and The Wildlife Society of Montana.

    What the Hay?

Do you know about he Montana Department of Agriculture Hay Hotline?  Not just for finding, selling or donating hay, but also has resources for pasture.  Since many parts of Montana have suffered greatly at the mandibles of hoppers, this may be a resource for producers out here looking for forage or pasture.  MDA Hay Hotline https://agr.mt.gov/Hay-Hotline

Ladies on the Range

Stephanie Carroll-Carter County Conservation District

The Carter County Conservation District along with the local NRCS office hosted a fun and educational event, focusing on women in agriculture. The tour started off at the Bonsell Ranch. We had the opportunity to tour their hoop house, which was in full production. The ladies then focused on weed management and plant ID. We finished the event at the Ekalaka Event Center where we focused on Farm and Ranch Safety, Canning, Gardening and Animal Health. To end the evening, the Wagon Wheel Café put together an amazing meal and door prizes were handed out. The Conservation District would like to extend a sincere Thank You to all those who attended and helped put this day together and for continuing to promote conservation education in Carter County.

If you or your organization are interested in hosting a similar event please contact Stacey at sbarta@mt.gov for more information. 

Fires and Feathers

More than 300,000 acres have burned in Washington state since Labor Day, when high winds and temperatures created perfect conditions for fast, destructive fire. Ashley Ahearn [birdnote.org] headed to Bridgeport, Washington, where the Cold Springs Fire has burned more than 170,000 acres and is still threatening homes and wildlife. This 4 minute listen speaks to the importance of everyone on a landscape.  cold-springs-fire-threatens-homes-and-sage-grouse. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Conservation for the Future: Ray Banister, Wibaux, MT

USDA- NRCS Montana

Ray Banister ranches south of Wibaux, MT. He has practicing "boom and bust" grazing management for more than 30 years on his ranch and has seen the impacts of the management style over time on soil health, plant health and productivity, and animal health and performance. NRCS has recently set up a site to conduct soil dynamic properties studies.  Ray Banister. 

Coordinator Corner