Conservation & Partnerships
 MSGA MidYear Meeting Celebrates 140-Year History and Works to Ensure the Future of Ranching In Montana
The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) wrapped up the 140th MidYear Meeting on Thursday, May 30 in Miles City, Montana, with record breaking attendance of over 200 attendees. Spirits were high at the event which included a call for unity in the livestock industry, discussions on the Producer Profitability Initiative, and grassroots policy work that focused on the future of the livestock industry.
Agency Updates
Funding Available Now!
Multiple Grants Opportunities
DNRC administers a wide range of grants and loans for Montana, assisting cities and towns, conservation districts, private landowners, and other groups in managing natural resource issues at the local level.
 FARM BUREAU APPLAUDS HOUSE AG COMMITTEE FARM BILL MARKUP, PASSAGE
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the House Agriculture Committee markup and passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. “AFBF appreciates the leadership of Chairman Thompson and members of the House Agriculture Committee for the markup and bipartisan passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act. The farm bill affects all of America’s families, and we’re encouraged to see the legislation progress in the House,” noted Duvall.
The Montana Farm Bureau has been encouraging movement on the farm bill for over a year, even taking a group of farmers and ranchers to interact directly with elected officials and committee staff about its importance back in February during MFBF’s Washington, D.C. Fly-in.
FARM BUREAU URGES FEDERAL AGENCY TO RETHINK REMOVING AG FROM REFUGES
Montana Farm Bureau has expressed strong concern at the proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove agriculture from Refuge lands. In a letter to the federal agency, the state’s largest general agricultural organization pointed out that hard-working, family businesses raise food and fiber on a combination of private, federal and state land and some of those families have cooperative agreements on Refuge lands.
USDA Makes $1.5 Billion Available to Help Farmers Advance Conservation and Climate-Smart Agriculture as Part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
 Biden-Harris Administration Outlines Strategic Priorities to Strengthen the Nation’s Response to Wildfire
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today issued a joint memo to federal agency leaders with wildfire responsibilities outlining their vision and goals for managing wildland fires this year. The Secretaries’ memo highlights fire management investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, as well as other strategic priorities to reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, engage in post-fire recovery, support the wildland fire workforce, and make communities more resilient to fire.
 Montana Snow Survey
The NRCS Montana Snow Survey Program offers mountain snowpack and precipitation data through manual snowpack measurements (Snow Courses) and the SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) network to predict snowmelt-driven runoff in the spring and summer. Individuals, organizations, as well as state and federal agencies rely on this information to make decisions related to agricultural production, fish and wildlife management, municipal and industrial water supply, urban development, flood control, recreation, power generation, and water quality management.
Blackfeet Natural Resource Conservation District: Celebrating 25 Years of Conservation and Problem Solving
The Blackfeet Natural Resource Conservation District is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year in Browning, Montana. 25 years of conservation practices and concerns have been addressed and worked on to assist the Blackfeet community. Terry Tatsey, president of the Blackfeet Natural Resource Conservation District (BNRCD), tribal member, and producer living on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, is a founding member of the conservation district and still sits on the board to this day. “In 1999, we actually recruited and got four board members, including myself, to serve as the first founding board members,” Tatsey stated.
 Native Plants and Noxious Weed Management - Montana State University Extension
This video discusses why it is important to consider native plants when managing noxious weeds. It covers how native plants contribute to healthy ecosystems, why they might be confused with noxious weeds, and why mistaking them for noxious weeds and killing or injuring them could lead to more noxious weeds. This video serves as an introduction to additional videos focused on specific noxious weed and native look-alike pairs.
 Public comment being accepted on the following:
- Resident SuperTag Draft Rules
- Mountain Lion Quotas
- Beartooth Grazing Lease
- Tri-state Grizzly Bear Memorandum of Agreement
- Flathead Lake Wildlife Habitat Protection Area Rules
- Conservation Leases
- Isaac Homestead Addition
- Weapon Restriction on Bjornberg Bridge Fishing Access Site
- Big Game Policy Repeal
Applications Sought for Positions on Two FWP Councils
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is looking to fill positions on two separate councils – the Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program (UGBEP) advisory council and the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) advisory council.
 Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council Recruits for Open Positions
The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is currently recruiting for open positions on its Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council (NWMAC). The following council terms expire June 30, 2024:
- Recreationist / Wildlife Group Representative
- Noxious Weed Free Materials Representative
- Montana Weed Control Association Representative
- Eastern County Weed District Representative
- At-Large Member
 Agriculture and Interior Departments Invest $2.8 Billion to Protect Public Lands, Support Conservation Efforts Across the United States
The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior announced a proposed investment of $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to protect and sustain our public lands and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools. Proposed projects will occur in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and multiple U.S. territories.
Podcast Corner
Ruminating on Soil Carbon with Paige Stanley, Jim Howell, Ariel Greenwood, & Chris Wilson
"Decades of scientific research on grazing and soil organic carbon (SOC) has failed to form a cohesive understanding of how grazing management affects SOC stocks--characterized by different formation and stabilization pathways—across different climatic contexts." This quote from the introduction to the review paper "Ruminating on soil carbon: Applying current understanding to inform grazing management" frames the dilemma we're discussing in this episode. How can common management levers that define overall grazing pattern, including timing, intensity, duration, and frequency, be used to optimize mechanistic pathways of SOC sequestration? These authors offer a framework for beginning to answer this important question.
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Research Center
To make the 406 Rangelands newsletter more reader friendly, the "Research Center" section has been permanently moved to the Rangeland Resources Program website. You can access it here.
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