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Western Ag Reporter Podcast

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7:03

Senator Sheehy Reflects on Trump's Argentina Deal -...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/25

On October 22, following a contentious week of debate surrounding President Donald Trump’s deal with Argentina to lower the price of beef in the United States, USDA released a 13 page “Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry.” The plan focuses on three priorities, which include: protecting and improving ranching as a business; expanding processing capabilities, market access, and improving consumer transparency; and increasing demand while growing domestic supply. Prior to USDA’s official ...

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8:02

Banjo - Daisy's New Friend

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/25

Last week, Daisy felt awful. She battled with her conscience and wanted to right the wrong she’d been a part of but didn’t know how or what she was going to do when she found Rascal in the mountains. But he found her first and mocked her for wanting to make good on his prank. Will Daisy get a chance to convince Rascal to fix what he’s done or will he get away again? “Crunch, crunch, crunch,” the carpet of the wood’s recently fallen leaves sounded as the animal walked across them. Daisy turned...

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3:31

Reader Opinion - Public Lands in Montana

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/25

Earlier this year, public land ownership and use were big topics in the news. The issue divided many Montanans on how best to use and manage these lands. I’m an avid user of public lands and fully support keeping them open to the public, but I also want to shed some light on how they’re funded at the federal level. The federal government is obligated to pay local jurisdictions some form of property tax on the land it owns. There are complex formulas and programs used to calculate those paymen...

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7:33

Cooking - Shoot Straight or Shoot Often

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/24

The general rifle hunting season starts this week, so hundreds of optimistic out of state hunters will pour into Montana and our neighboring states to try to fulfill their dream of shooting a big, bull elk. Few of those hunters’ dreams come true, but the statistics on success rates do not deter avid hunters from booking hunts or trying it on their own. In general, the average hunter does not know what lies in store for him - especially if he has booked a wilderness outfitted hunt. The followi...

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0:14

Agri-Kid of the Week - Hennessey Murnin

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/24

Hennessey Murnin exiting the First Interstate Arena in Billings, Montana, after winning Reserve Grand Champion Heifer in the junior calf division at the Regional Hereford Show. Photo by Kellie Kubacak. Article Link

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3:36

Ride Easy Pard - Clay Butte

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/23

Sometime after we moved to the Reinhart place on the edge of White Sulphur Springs, Montana, I was introduced to Clay Butte. I think it was either Jack or Chester James, two of my cousins that I went with the first time, but I’m not certain. We were probably eight or nine when I first went there. Clay Butte was perhaps a half mile or so from our eastern fence, and we rode our bikes there, rode our horses, or hiked to it. It was a wondrous place for young fellers to be. Riding our bikes didn’t...

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3:16

Reality Check - Louis L'Amour and the Classics

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/23

As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, many of us who work with our hands and spend our days outside find that this season offers more time with family and, for many of us, time to read. In today’s fast-paced and attention-grabbing world, reading has increasingly become a lost art. Lately, I’ve tried to spend more time reading or, when under a horse or driving the pickup, listening to one of my favorite authors: the beloved Western writer, Louis L’Amour. A few things stand out to me ...

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5:40

North Dakota 4-H Wins NILE Livestock Judging Contest

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/23

On October 13, the Foster County 4-H Livestock Judging Team, out of North Dakota, put together a solid performance to win the senior division of the 4-H livestock judging contest at the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) in Billings, Montana. The team – comprised of Molly Hansen, Cyrena Kuss, Cally Hansen, and Kadence Spickler – traveled over seven hours to compete against other top teams from across Reporter Country. At the end of the day, the official team results in the 4-H...

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4:46

Editor's Perspective - Hear Me Out. . . Again: The...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/23

On August 28, I wrote a column in response to an op-ed that was published in the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colorado) and The Denver Post which was titled, “Wild horses are pitted against grazing cattle in a battle for survival across the West.” I addressed some of the inaccuracies in the op-ed, and even after writing about it here, I couldn’t shake my frustration that the author, Jennifer Best, had just spewed a bunch of emotionally charged misinformation across a state already imbued with an...

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4:06

Selkirk Ranchers Win 2025 NILE Ranch Rodeo

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/22

One of the most highly anticipated events of the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) in Billings, Montana, each year is the Ranch Rodeo Finals, which drew in a large crowd on Saturday, October 18. With stiff competition from nine teams who made it into the finals, Selkirk Ranchers, out of Dillon, Montana, came out as this year’s champions. The nine competing teams made up of four members have the opportunity to gain up to 36 points over the course of the three events: team doct...

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1:31

Importing Argentinian Beef Will Not Work and Will...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/21

CLICK HERE to tell Congress that importing Argentinian beef will not work and will hurt U.S. cattle producers! The Trump Administration announced a plan to import more Argentinian beef as a way to lower beef prices. We believe that the federal government should not be trying to influence beef prices and should let the free market work. Additionally, Argentina has a deeply unbalanced trading relationship with the United States, meaning they sell far more of their beef into the U.S. market than...

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1:23

MSGA Shares Disappointment in SCOTUS' Decision to...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/21

The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) expressed disappointment Monday morning with the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision to not hear a crucial corner crossing case. In August, MSGA filed an amicus brief alongside the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association (WSGA) and Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) to the United States Supreme Court in a crucial corner crossing case. “MSGA has defended private property rights for more than a century and will remain engaged in supporting move...

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3:13

Comments by the Publisher 10.23.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/20

The announcement by President Trump late last Thursday (October 16) that beef prices were too high and that a big deal may be coming with Argentina certainly threw the futures markets into pandemonium on Friday – limit down right at the opening bell and stayed that way all day. But if you look at the live markets last week, fed cattle actually sold for higher money. Auction markets around the country on Friday (October 17) still sold feeder cattle very well. Was it lower? Yes. But not near as...

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3:10

MSU Experts Offer Way to Assess and Track Soil Health

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/20

When land managers modify their management to improve soil health, it is often challenging to measure and evaluate the soil’s response. “There is no optimum standard for soil health in the same way that there is an optimal body temperature for human health,” Cathy Zabinski, professor of plant and soil ecology in MSU’s Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, said. Soil health varies greatly by soil type and climate, so Zabinski and Zane Ashford, a former graduate student,...

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1:46

RAAA Honors 2025 Grid Master Awards Recipients

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/19

The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) recognized the top-performing cattle of 2025 with the prestigious Grid Master Awards during the 72nd Annual National Red Angus Convention in Loveland, Colorado. The award honors producers and feeders who combine superior Red Angus genetics with sound feeding and management practices to achieve industry-leading carcass results. To qualify for the Grid Master Award, cattle must be enrolled in RAAA’s Angus Access or Allied Access and meet strict carcas...

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6:15

R-CALF USA - U.S. Cattlemen's Association Comment on...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/18

In a press conference on Thursday, October 16, President Donald Trump addressed the prices of a variety of goods and services in the United States from In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) drug treatments to oil and beef. In comments regarding his goal of getting the price of gasoline down closer to .00/gallon, President Trump said, “if you can get oil down, it’s such a big category, everything follows.” Trump continued, “…We are working on beef, and I think we have a deal on beef […] that would be t...

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2:03

Nebraska Beef Council Engages Future Dietitians

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/18

Mitch Rippe, Nebraska Beef Council Director of Nutrition and Education, has been busy connecting the worlds of agriculture and dietetics through two impactful learning experiences for dietetic interns from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Beef Industry Farm Tour: In an effort to bridge the gap between dietetic programs and the agricultural industry, the Nebraska Beef Council recently hosted a comprehensive farm tour offering future dietitians’ ...

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5:02

Banjo - Daisy's Lesson

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/18

It hadn’t been what Daisy had suspected. Banjo had responded with grace. The kind she definitely didn’t deserve after following Rascal’s lead and being a part of him dumping blue branding paint across them. Her papa showed her more in her mistake than she could truly understand, as a pup and all, but her gut felt it was a very important lesson. Daisy thought about what Banjo had said, “If you’re a part of the group, you’re as guilty as the one committing the crime-no matter the type of crime....

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2:05

Western Sustainability Exchange Offers Ranch...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/17

Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) and Eastern Montana Regenerative Agriculture (EMRA) are teaming up to offer two, two-day workshops for anyone ready to bring more clarity, efficiency, and ease to their ranch finances. The first workshop, “Are You Making It or Faking It?”, will take place November 17–18 at Miles Community College. The class will be led primarily by ranchers who have successfully implemented these strategies themselves, along with agricultural financial experts. Don’t expe...

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2:08

Nominate Your Neighbor for 2026 Environmental...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/16

NCBA is accepting nominations for the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Awards. Established in 1991, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) annually recognizes outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers across the country. “Since its inception 35 years ago, this prestigious program has recognized 235 cattle operations for their stewardship efforts,” NCBA President, Buck Wehrbein said. “We look forward to finding the next deserving stewards and...

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