I’ve been struggling the past few weeks to land on a word that captures, without embellishment, the magnitude of change that 2023 brought to public education in Montana. And my mind keeps coming back to one: seismic. It started last spring with a legislative session that education sources repeatedly characterized as unprecedented. I lost count of how many distinct bills I covered impacting

The Bureau of Land Management Montana/Dakotas State Office has opened a 30day public scoping period to receive public input on 26 oil and gas parcels totaling 5,053 acres that may be included in a July 2024 lease sale in Montana and North Dakota. The comment period ends Jan. 29. The parcels the BLM is analyzing, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment are available on the BLM’s ePlanning

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that agricultural producers can now enroll in the Farm Service Agency’s Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2024 crop year. Producers can enroll and make election changes for the 2024 crop year starting Dec. 18, 2023. The deadline to complete enrollment and any election change is March 15, 2024. On Nov. 16, 2023,

Registration is now open for Montana Farmers Unions’s popular Women’s Conferences to be held Feb. 2-4 in Miles City and Feb. 9-11 at Fairmont Hot Springs. Each year, the conferences provide time and space for women to learn and network with each other, fostering relationships and momentum to build more resilient farms, ranches and communities. After a successful inaugural event in 2023,

A food poisoning outbreak that killed two people and sickened 51, stemming from a Montana restaurant, has highlighted just how little is known about morel mushrooms and the risks in preparing the popular and expensive delicacy. The FDA conducted an investigation into morel mushrooms after the severe illness outbreak linked to Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman in late March and April. The investigation

Sleeping less does more than just make us tired. It can undermine emotional functioning, decrease positive moods and put people at higher risk for anxiety symptoms, according to a study led by a Montana State University professor who synthesized more than 50 years of research on sleep deprivation and mood. “In our largely sleep-deprived society, quantifying the effects of sleep loss on

Montana has long been an energy exporter, sending power generated with Montana-based resources to markets in other states. Between its snowmelt-fed rivers, plentiful coal reserves and abundant wind, the state has ample energy resources to power utilities here and elsewhere. Since Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip power plant came online in the mid-1980s, coal has comfortably claimed the state’s

Montana State University Extension and the Montana Stockgrowers Association awarded 2023 Steer of Merit certifications at the association’s Dec. 7 convention in Billings. MSU Extension beef cattle specialist Megan Van Emon presented the top five winners of the carcass and ultrasound Steer of Merit contests at a Best of Beef Luncheon. MSU Extension and Montana Stockgrowers Association distinguished