Talen Energy has put a $138 million price tag on capping Colstrip Power Plant’s toxic coal ash ponds. The co-owner and operator of the southeast Montana coal-fired power plant submitted the required estimates earlier this month to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. Capping the ash pods is only one portion of a three-stage cleanup Read More…
HELENA – While U.S. Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal “Obamacare” has been criticized for potentially undercutting coverage for thousands of low-income Montanans, at least one group is firmly behind it: The state’s primary lobby for small businesses. “What we’re looking for is a health-care system that is affordable, flexible and predictable,” says Riley Johnson, state Read More…
Economics professor Gregg Davis wasn’t always interested in economics, though his interest in natural resources began at an early age. In high school, Davis got a job working in a landscape nursery and fell in love with working in nature. “I loved working with living things,” he said. A Columbus, Ohio native, Davis was the Read More…
Missoula tech firm Submittable announced a $5 Million Series A investment led Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, True Ventures. Submittable is a cloud-based submission platform that was founded in 2010. The company now has more than 35 employees. “We are positioned as the matching and reviewing platform for any organization looking for work or any Read More…
Talen Energy has put a $138 million price tag on capping Colstrip Power Plant’s toxic coal ash ponds. The co-owner and operator of the southeast Montana coal-fired power plant submitted the required estimates earlier this month to the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. Capping the ash pods is only one portion of a three-stage cleanup Read More…
Clain Jones, Montana State University soil fertility Extension specialist, suggests Montana irrigated wheat farmers consider providing additional nitrogen to their crop, calling it the most important management factor to produce high protein levels this year. In an effort to maximize the amount of nitrogen absorbed by the crop and increase protein for the 2017 harvest, Read More…
HELENA – While U.S. Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal “Obamacare” has been criticized for potentially undercutting coverage for thousands of low-income Montanans, at least one group is firmly behind it: The state’s primary lobby for small businesses. “What we’re looking for is a health-care system that is affordable, flexible and predictable,” says Riley Johnson, state Read More…
Economics professor Gregg Davis wasn’t always interested in economics, though his interest in natural resources began at an early age. In high school, Davis got a job working in a landscape nursery and fell in love with working in nature. “I loved working with living things,” he said. A Columbus, Ohio native, Davis was the Read More…
Missoula tech firm Submittable announced a $5 Million Series A investment led Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, True Ventures. Submittable is a cloud-based submission platform that was founded in 2010. The company now has more than 35 employees. “We are positioned as the matching and reviewing platform for any organization looking for work or any Read More…
When Keith and Katie Poe contemplated the best way to make a living that allowed them to raise their family on Katie’s great-grandfather’s homestead in Trego, sausage became their savior. The Poes are in the fourth summer of taking their Saucy Dogs food truck on the road. The popular food trailer is a staple at Read More…
She had heard about T-shirt screen printing as a kind of “get rich quick” scheme and figured it was a way to move on from waitressing gigs. Plus it would let the Savannah School of Art and Design grad get her creative juices flowing again. So Tatum Johnson bought a screen printing book and Read More…
So far this year we have had good precipitation and irrigation water is holding up well. Unfortunately, northeastern Montana is very dry. Some ranches are already cutting stock numbers or moving stock and most are looking to secure hay supplies early. Talking with several people around Brockway, very little hay will be harvested east of Read More…
It’s the last week of April and the snow has finally stopped at Montana State University’s Red Bluff Ranch, 36 miles west of Bozeman just off Norris Road. Farm-truck mud rivets run deep and the only sound is the Madison River Valley’s late-spring wind that still carries winter’s bite. At every turn, the ranch’s budding Read More…
Drought conditions in Northeast Montana have developed rapidly since the end of April. Despite two consecutive years of record precipitation in 2015 and 2016, the winter months of 2017 did not bring much moisture; and while precipitation totals for April were average, May has seen only 25 percent of normal precipitation, along with above-normal temperatures. Read More…
Montana State University announced Tuesday that its biggest donor, alumnus Norm Asbjornson, has given another $2 million to support scientific research focused on strengthening Montana wheat. The money will support the first endowed chair in the College of Agriculture, to be renamed the Winifred Asbjornson Plant Sciences Chair, in honor of the small town where Read More…
Experts will discuss principles of organic agriculture in a public field day set for June 13 at Montana State University College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station’s Fort Ellis teaching and research farm, 33336 E. Frontage Road. The MSU College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station will team with the Montana Read More…
CASCADE – Tucked in an old poker room in the back of the Driftwood Bar in Cascade, Amy Eisenzimer (formerly Parker) mixes just five ingredients to make a drink with a kick: Parker’s Hangover Tonic. “I do recommend this to customers that are hungover…a little hair of the dog always helps,” said Eisenzimer. Parker’s Hangover Tonic is Read More…
With commodity prices at about a 10-year low, Montana State University Extension soil fertility specialists suggest steps for small grain producers to optimize fertilizer dollars. These include determining correct rates and selecting the appropriate fertilizer source, time of application and placement to optimize fertilizer use. “When commodity prices are low, it is a good time Read More…
Soil scientists with Montana State University Extension are encouraging farmers to use management practices that minimize ammonia volatilization (ammonia loss to the air) from nitrogen fertilizers. These practices can increase yields, be a financial boost to producers and reduce release of ammonia gas. Clain Jones, soil fertility specialist with MSU Extension and the MSU College Read More…
Thanks in large part to Montana State University’s local food purchasing program known as Farm to Campus, the university now buys more than 20 percent of its food products locally, according to university officials. In fiscal year 2016, MSU’s Farm to Campus purchases totaled more than $1.5 million, or 22.4 percent of the university’s total Read More…
Matt and Jen Cottle, ranchers near Bigfork, want to build a house for their son but they have found themselves in the crossfire of a heated legislative debate over Montana’s water laws. In a letter addressed to Sen. Mark Blasdel, R-Kalispell, Matt Cottle explained that he and his wife want to take advantage of a Read More…
The public is invited to attend free annual field days across Montana to tour and learn about the people, places and projects involved with agricultural research at Montana State University’s College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station or MAES. Five research stations across the state and a local Bozeman campus farm will each host Read More…
At the close of week 13 of the 2017 Montana Legislative Session, we’re finally at a point where no new bills may be introduced. That deadline produced a flurry of fresh legislation last week for us to sort through, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Legislators have set a goal Read More…
JOPLIN — Perseverance, determination, and good management were essential to survive the homesteader days, according to a Hi-Line homesteader. “We worked hard at everything,” said Eva Amundson, whose family homesteaded near Joplin, Mont. “It was tough. You had to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and make do.” In 1911, Amundson’s family moved from Langdon, Read More…
The National Weather Service in Great Falls issued its monthly recap and potential hazards briefing Friday, March 24. Meteorologists said February was warmer and drier than the 1901-2000 mean. Snowmelt is forecast to peak earlier than average this spring, but flood risks are isolated to minor flooding on small streams-creeks statewide along with tributaries of Read More…
Agriculture is the foundation of Montana’s economy, contributing over five billion dollars annually in recent years as the state’s top industry. With our nearly 60 million acres of farmland statewide, we take pride in our contributions to the state and across the globe. However, just as the world was different even twenty years ago, it Read More…
An invasive species is on the move and may be headed for Montana. Palmer amaranth, a giant pigweed, is known to have spread to at least 28 states, including Minnesota and South Dakota, but has not yet been reported in Montana. To prevent its spread into Montana, landowners are encouraged to check their fields to Read More…
The rehabilitation of Hebgen Dam is moving ahead and snow-water conditions in the Madison River drainage are above the typical seasonal levels. The Hebgen reservoir elevation is currently at 6,527.78 feet which is 7.09 feet from full pool and slightly higher than the 10-year average of 6,527.45 feet for the same time frame. Inflow for Read More…
The Better in Butte Local Crowd is seeking proposals from businesses, organizations, and individuals who need funding to get their projects off the ground. Butte was selected in 2016 to be a Local Crowd crowdfunding demonstration site as part of a research project funded by USDA. Crowdfunding is the practice of sourcing small contributions from Read More…
A pair of new streets are under construction in North Bozeman as part of a 20-acre commercial development slated for the vacant field off 19th Avenue south of Target. Located south of City Brew coffee across Cattail Street, the Opportunity Subdivision will contain six lots, five of which will be available for shops and businesses. Read More…
The Flathead Valley’s best and brightest young professionals will be honored in June at the inaugural 20 Under 40 celebration and event. The Daily Inter Lake will be presenting these honors in June along with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and the Flathead Area Young Professionals group. “The Flathead Valley is full of talented young Read More…
The Montana State University College of Agriculture’s Department of Animal and Range Sciences and the Montana Feed Association will co-host the annual Montana Nutrition Conference and Livestock Forum on April 11-12 at the GranTree Inn in Bozeman. The theme for this year’s conference is “Foundation and Future.” Speakers will cover a wide variety of topics, Read More…
A Missoula company is fed to the “sharks.” TOMIS takes home the winning prize at the Montana made “Shark-Tank” business plan competition. Tourism is one of Montana’s leading industry. In 2016, non-resident visitors spent $3.5 billion. According to one Missoula company, more of that money could go directly into the pockets of local tourism businesses if they Read More…
The U.S. 93 bypass, Glacier Rail Park and the reconstruction of Going-to-the-Sun Road have one thing in common. All three projects were once included on the community wish lists that shaped the Flathead Valley’s comprehensive economic development strategy in years past. Every five years, Montana West Economic Development embarks on a regional improvement plan, but Read More…
Christopher Gregory is one of the principals of Fortis Group, a newly formed business brokerage firm. Fortis Group operates out of Bozeman offices with its parent company Compass Advisors. Both businesses assist in the sale of businesses, with Fortis specializing in the sale of smaller market businesses, of which Montana is largely comprised. How Read More…
Flathead County’s unemployment rate posted at 6.7 percent in January, increasing from 5.9 percent in December, the state Department of Labor and Industry said Monday. The county has a current workforce of 42,248 people. The jobless rate in other Northwest Montana counties also increased over the same month. Lincoln County had a 10.5 percent unemployment Read More…
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce with one of its top honors, recognizing the local organization for its effective structure and positive impact on the Flathead Valley. The Kalispell chamber received a five-star accreditation for its sound policies, effective procedures and positive impact on the community. The chamber advocates Read More…
A pair of local nonprofits plan to buy the 270-acre Bohart Ranch Cross Country Ski Center to create a 500-acre recreational area adjacent to Bridger Bowl, the groups announced Friday. Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, in partnership with the Bridger Biathlon Club, will finalize the sale of the Bridger Canyon ranch by early June, before setting Read More…
After a relatively dry winter, water experts say heavy snowfall in February finally bulked up the snowpack throughout the state and enhanced the prospects for stream flows this spring. According to the USDA National Resources Conservation Service, northern and southern Montana river basins experienced record high snowfall during the first two weeks of February. Some Read More…
High tech companies brought in more than $1 billion dollars in revenue in 2016 and the industry is growing seven times faster than the rest of the Montana economy. A University of Montana Bureau of of Business Economic Research (BBER) study showed $1.09 billion in revenue last year, up from $867 million in 2015. Companies in Read More…
For a state that has the highest ratio of entrepreneurs, Montana does not rank well in how it treats those entrepreneurs, and the impacts of those policies are far reaching for every citizen. Montana ranks 32nd in the 21st annual ranking of all states by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE), regarding policies which Read More…
On a recent Wednesday night, Montana State University channeled its inner Silicon Valley. A group of startup businesses gathered to present their various ventures — from a rideshare app to a bioengineered toothpick — in front of a crowd in the atrium of Jabs Hall. The startups, six in total, represented the first cohort of Read More…
Talen Energy is pushing Montana lawmakers for a tax break worth millions to keep two units of the coal-fired Colstrip power plant open, with one Republican leader saying Tuesday the units could close within the year without some form of assistance. House Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, said the $10 million coal severance tax reduction proposed Read More…
Local taco connoisseur Marley McKenna is hoping to feed Four Corners’ growing appetite with a new Taco del Sol shop off Huffine Lane. The restaurant, which will join McKenna’s Main Street location, is set to open in April. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle