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U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., has announced that 20 Montana airports have received $8.9 million in funding for critical upgrades and maintenance.  “Montana’s community airport play a critical role in connecting our state,” Daines said. “Every single dollar make a huge difference to keeping our rural airports reliable and ready to use.” The funding included $504,000 for the Sidney-Richland Airport Authority. This project will fund the acquisition of new snow removal power broom with air blower equipment to keep the airport serviceable during snow periods and aid in the efficiency and safety of operations.   Daines secured the following provisions in

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who runs the federal farm subsidy and public nutrition programs, told a Montana audience that “my goal is to have a safety net for all American citizens, producers, but also those who cannot afford (food) … It is not in the heart of America to want to see anyone go hungry.” Speaking at the Montana Ag Summit in Great Falls, Perdue said spending cuts are necessary to get the federal debt under control. For the coming fiscal year, President Trump has proposed a $193 billion cut – 25% – in food stamp spending over 10 years,

The 2017 Montana Ag Summit Thursday featured several high-profile speakers and panels on various issues affecting present and future agriculture, and top-of-mind beef industry issues were included. J. Christopher Giancarlo, acting chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), gave a speech on the future of commodity markets, placing emphasis on the need for regulatory reform and a need to change the “ill-conceived regulatory burdens” that add costs to doing business. Giancarlo discussed the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn.’s concerns about the impact high-frequency trading had on certain dates in the live cattle futures contract during 2015 and 2016. He

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced Wednesday in a press release that the airports at Havre and Big Sandy are among Montana facilities receiving almost $8.9 million in funding for upgrades and maintenance. The $1,216,934 grant for the Havre City-County Airport will be used to: • Fund the final phase for the rehabilitation of 10,000 square yards of the existing apron to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement. • Fund the second of three construction phases for the rehabilitation of 400 feet of the existing Taxiway C needed to maintain structural integrity of the pavement. • Fund the final

Here’s how Montana’s politicians reacted to Trump’s decision to back out of the Paris climate accord:  Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines: “Withdrawing from this unenforceable agreement is good news for Montanans — it would have raised utility rates for hardworking Montana families and cost our state jobs. We all want clean water and clean air, but this deal was a bad deal.” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester: “At a time when countries around the world are looking to America to lead in innovation, the decision to pull out of this agreement puts American businesses and jobs at risk. Like all Montana farmers,

The Montana Ag Summit kicked off on Thursday at the Montana ExpoPark in Great Falls with a tribute to former U.S. Senator Conrad Burns. Burns passed away on April 28, 2016, at the age of 81. U.S. Senator Steve Daines opened the ceremony by announcing the creation of the Conrad Burns Ag Technology Award, to be given every year at the Ag Summit. U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Burns’ friend and former colleague, also spoke about his memories of Burns. Senator Roberts invited Burns’ wife Phyllis to the podium, where she spoke and took a picture with award winner Taylor Brown. Brown owns the Northern Broadcasting

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was in Great Falls Thursday for an “agriculture summit” hosted by Senator Steve Daines. Perdue promised big changes at the U.S. Forest Service, which his department oversees.  Former Georgia Governor Sunny Perdue has only been Agriculture Secretary for five weeks. He told the crowd of mostly farmers and ranchers that where he comes from, trees are a crop that can be sustainably harvested. “We’ve got a lot of U.S. Forest [Service] land that’s not healthy. Part of that’s budgetary, part of that’s ideology and litigation and NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] regulations that we’ve got

New U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue spoke in Great Falls Thursday. Perdue suggested reforms for a couple of big safety net programs important to farmers. Perdue has only been on the job as ag secretary since the end of April, and part of his job is to help President Trump push forward a budget that calls for big cuts in the Department of Agriculture. Speaking to an audience of more than 700 mostly farmers and ranchers at an “agriculture summit” convened by Senator Steve Daines, Secretary Perdue said the cuts include trimming SNAP benefits, better known as food stamps.  “It’s

The Montana Ag Summit kicked off on Thursday at the Montana ExpoPark in Great Falls with a tribute to former U.S. Senator Conrad Burns.  Burns passed away on April 28, 2016, at the age of 81. U.S. Senator Steve Daines opened by announcing the creation of the Conrad Burns Ag Technology award, to be given every year there is an Ag Summit. U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Burns’ friend and former colleague, also spoke about his memories of Conrad. Senator Roberts invited Conrad’s wife Phyllis to the podium, where she spoke and took a picture with award winner Taylor Brown. Brown owns the Northern Broadcasting