The fifth annual Montana Lamb Jam is a one-stop event for everything Montana lamb. Set for August 9 at Kennedy Park in East Helena, Montana, the event will feature three, pasture-to-plate lamb dishes prepared by top Montana chefs coupled with vendors and presentations for a complete lamb experience. The original intent of the event, spearheaded by Kim Ashmore and Dave Scott and sponsored by the Montana Wool Growers Association, was to connect Montana lamb producers who were direct marketing their lambs to chefs and then connecting both chefs and producers to customers. “One of the things we need is to...

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On July 23, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12). Six panelists testified, followed by a clearly party-divided discussion. Initially known as the “Farm Animal Confinement Initiative,” Prop 12 was voted into law in California in 2018. The primary function of the law was to establish “minimum space requirements for veal calves, egg-laying hens, and breeding pigs,” Holly Cook, economist for the National Pork Producers Council described. To be in compliance with Prop 12, sows must have 24 square feet of space and the ability to turn around freely. Although the Supreme Court...

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What an amazing three days we had in Billings, Montana, last week for the annual NLVA Summertime Classic! I had the opportunity to work these three days of our video sale, and what a sale it was. The June video sales set all-time records for the various video auction companies around the nation. I talked to a pretty big number of ranchers after the June videos that were second-guessing themselves for not having their cattle sell in June and waiting for July. I must admit, I was also really wondering how the July video sales could be better than June...

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There is nothing quite like county fair time. I actually attended my very first Weld County Fair in July of 1996, about a week after I was born, so both of my parents could be there to help my then eight-year-old sister, Chellsie, and 10-year-old brother, Micah. Those were the years where I got to run feral until it was my turn to show. My parents would essentially shuttle me to town each day, tell me what time I needed to be back at the show box during the lamb show, or to the stalls during the horse show, and...

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Bighorn pneumonia is a very popular disease with anyone who wants to eliminate domestic sheep from the western United States. Any time there is a bighorn pneumonia die off, the finger points at domestic sheep as the cause, usually with no corroborating evidence needed. An outcry to eliminate the offending sheep follows. But there is more to the story… - Sierra Stoneberg Holt The Mycoplasma pneumonia organism is found in healthy populations of bighorn sheep. This is true for other species, also. A bison ranch suffered pneumonia losses from Mycoplasma pneumonia when a pack of wolves moved into the area....

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Perhaps it is my age, but it seems that I am called upon to write obituary poems very often lately. This poem was requisitioned by Peggy Mothershead before she passed away. After she had a stroke, she asked me to write her poem so she could read it before she passed. Unfortunately, I kept putting off writing the poem, because it was just too sad to sit down and do. I wish I had written it for her, but I hope somehow, she gets a copy! Peggy and her husband, Doug, ranched in Sweet Grass County all of Doug’s life....

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Agri-Kid Wesson Campbell, of Hobson, Montana, loves to help with the sheep and cows. Photo courtesy of Danielle Campbell.

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In fiction, often the weather foreshadows a plot twist. An author might use a brewing storm to foretell conflict coming soon or allow the reader to relax for a few pages with a sunny day at the beach. So, I had to wonder if the oppressive, muggy heat weighing on me as I scurried to prepare the ranch for visiting family was some sort of predictor. I tossed that thought out of my head to make room for the long list of preparations that I realized I wouldn’t finish. My daughter, Abby, mowed the lawn, but I still hadn’t painted...

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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that for the first time in 20 years, Australia will accept shipments of fresh and frozen U.S. beef, ending decades of bureaucratic red tape and prolonged negotiations that have prevented American cattle producers from accessing the Australian market. NCBA thanks President Donald J. Trump for delivering yet another trade win for America’s cattle farmers and ranchers. “For 20 years, U.S. beef was denied access to Australia while Australia exported billion of beef to U.S. consumers. The lack of two-way, science-based trade has been a sticking point for many years, and we are...

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Several days a week, echoes from the loudspeaker calling out pen numbers at Torrington Livestock Markets reverberate throughout the town of Torrington, Wyoming, oftentimes with sales running late into the evenings to accommodate the sheer volume of cattle on a weekly basis. Moving forward, Torrington Livestock Markets’ reputation as being one of the top auction markets by volume in the country will continue, but with a shift in ownership. On July 10, Chuck Petersen and Lander Nicodemus became partners in the business, which has been under the leadership of Shawn and Lex Madden since 1989. Brothers Shawn and Lex Madden...

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