Broadus Winter Ag Meeting & Holden Meet & Greet

By Ric Holden

Broadus MT: Congressional candidate and rancher, Ric Holden, visited Broadus and attended the Montana State University Extension winter ag meeting held at the Powder River Fairgrounds. The extension service linked up with the United States Department of Agriculture to educate attendees about the overwhelming infestation of grasshoppers that have plagued eastern Montana in the last few years. All indicators show that the infestation is expected to expand this spring. The "migratory Grasshopper" is the species that is causing the greatest concern. The department has put together a program which will allow county producers to form an agreement to spray large areas of Powder River County to reduce the size of the hopper infestation.

The Extension Service brought in Megan Van Emon from Miles City to provide information to the cattle producers in attendance, concerning the "stable fly". Last summer, much of the area experienced a larger than normal number of stable flies. These flies caused breeding cattle to continuously mill around watering areas and pasture corners to get away from the biting insects. Observations of Montana cattle are showing that the stable flies had an adverse effect on the bred back percentages for local cattle herds. It appears that a more aggressive treatment plan for our cattle herds will be necessary next summer.

Mrs. Michelle Grocke-Dewey, PhD, from Bozeman provided a talk encompassing the topic of mental health in the agriculture community. Stress related issues such as weather, equipment breakdowns and family situations all lead to stress that affects the autonomic nervous system. She explained how that stress can affect the operation of the ranch. A free counseling access system has been put in place for agriculture producers. The help line is 406-200-8971 ext: 7.

Holden went on to attend a public meet and greet meeting held at The Coffee Shop, in Broadus. Senator Holden can be reached by emailing: [email protected] or visiting his campaign website: holdenformt.com.