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On Friday, the total number of Montanans fully immunized against COVID-19 surpassed the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. “This encouraging milestone is a testament to the tireless efforts of our health care workers who are administering these safe, effective vaccines. It’s also a testament to Montanans who have taken steps to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors from the spread of the virus,” Gover...
On Monday, Governor Greg Gianforte welcomed 80-year old-veteran William "Bill" Davis to the Southwest Montana Veterans Home as its first resident. "Today is a great day for the many veterans who call Montana home," Governor Gianforte said. "They served our country, and we, and our country, must keep our commitments to them. The Southwest Montana Veterans Home is one way we do that by ensuring that our veterans have access to housing and medical support. It was an honor to...
On Tuesday, Governor Greg Gianforte announced the state will expand its efforts to protect the most vulnerable Montanans by entering Phase 1B+ of the state’s vaccine distribution plan on March 8, 2021. In Phase 1B+, COVID-19 vaccines will be available to Montanans 60 years of age and older and Montanans 16 to 59 years of age with additional qualifying medical conditions like asthma, cystic fibrosis, and liver disease. “With this expansion, we are prioritizing the population groups that account for nearly 90 percent of Mon...
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming that the final date to purchase or make changes to crop insurance on spring-planted crops in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming is March 15, for the 2021 crop year. Farmers also need to notify their agent if they have planted winter wheat in a county with only spring wheat coverage by this date. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks a...
(Editor's note: This is the second in a series about the recent legalization of marijuana in Montana.) With recreational marijuana now legal in the state of Montana, law enforcement is making adjustments to deal with possession and use of the long-time illicit substance now being allowed. According to law enforcement officials, the change in law will result in both minor and significant changes in enforcement practices. Prior to Jan. 1, recreational use of marijuana has been i...
The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission in its February meeting approved increasing the fall black bear quota in Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Bear Management Unit 700 from eight to 12 bears. Indicators used by FWP biologists to assess black bear numbers suggest that black bear populations in southeastern Montana continue to grow and expand. “Since our inaugural black bear season in 2006, black bears have continued to flourish and expand across southeastern Montana,” said Regional Wildlife Manager John Ensign. “What once were ra...
(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about the recent legalization of marijuana in Montana.) At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2021, possession and use of recreational marijuana became legal for all adults over 21 in Montana after the passage of two initiatives by Montana voters in the November election. Constitutional Initiative 118 amended the state constitution to allow the Legislature or voters to set the age at which adults can possess and consume marijuana and ballot Initiative 190 legalized the sale and p...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is continuing to offer free online courses for youth and adults interested in hunter and bowhunter education. In response to social distancing requirements and restrictions on group gatherings, FWP moved to all online courses for hunter and bowhunter education certification in May of 2020. These free, online-only courses will continue to be available to students age 12 (by Jan. 16, 2022) and older until we can resume in-person classes. The...
The Miles Community College Nursing Program was officially moved from conditional status to full approval status with the Montana State Board of Nursing (SBON) in January, 2021. The program has been added to the list of Montana Board of Nursing Approved Programs on the Montana Department of Labor and Industry website. The SBON has also conferred Marlys Eggum as the MCC Interim Director of Nursing. Eggum was a full-time nursing faculty member at MCC from 2001 to 2013 and has been more recently working as an adjunct instructor...
Calls are being received at local Area Agencies on Aging reporting that a credit card arrived in the mail from “Money Network Financial” saying that they represent the US Treasury and to call to activate the card. These are legitimate cards. Some 8 million Americans are receiving their stimulus payments on a pre-paid debit card sent through the mail, in addition to others who will receive the payment via paper checks or automatic deposits. Just because someone received their last payment one way does not mean they will rec...
On Monday, Governor Greg Gianforte launched the state's COVID-19 vaccine dashboard. "With over 77,000 safe and effective vaccine doses administered in Montana, we continue to make strides to protect the most vulnerable. We can make even greater progress if the federal government increases our supply," Governor Gianforte said. "I encourage Montanans to use this dashboard to stay up to date on our progress to save lives and make the vaccine available to everyone who wants one."...
Montana’s unemployment rate declined to 4.4% in December, down from 4.6% in November. Montana’s rate remains lower than the national rate of 6.7% in December. “While we’re encouraged that Montana’s unemployment rate remains lower than the national rate, we have work to do to get our economy going again, get Montana open for business, and get Montanans back to work in good-paying jobs,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. Payroll employment added 400 jobs over the last month, with job gains in construction, retail trade, and healthc...
Montana State University Extension has released the MontGuide “Quitclaim Deeds in Montana.” According to Marsha Goetting, family economics specialist, a quitclaim deed is a legal form that allows an owner to transfer real property, like land or buildings, to a grantee, who then holds the title to the property. The grantee of a quitclaim deed accepts the risk of any known or unknown problems with the real property, Goetting cautioned. Unknown claims against the property could include a defect in a title, collection liens, miss...
Montana youth ages 21 and under may be eligible for up to $8,500 in loan financing through the Montana Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Junior Agriculture Loan Program. “With the average age of farmers and ranchers being nearly 60 years old, supporting the next generation is vital to Montana’s livelihood,” said MDA Director Mike Foster. “The Junior Ag Loan Program plays an important role in connecting young people who are passionate about pursuing projects in agriculture with the financing they need to get started....
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) has postponed its 2020 Inductee Recognition Ceremony & Western Heritage Gathering, normally held in early February each year, to Saturday, August 14, 2021. “Due to local restrictions and an abundance of caution related to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are pushing back our annual celebration,” said MCHF & WHC Executive Director, Christy Stensland. “Although these have been challenging times for all Montanans, we look forward to the future and the honor of ga...
HELENA- The Montana House of Representatives voted 66-31 recently to pass House Bill 102 by Representative Seth Berglee (R-Joliet). House Bill 102 removes state barriers to individuals exercising their constitutional right to carry a firearm for self-defense. It allows individuals who are lawfully allowed to open carry a firearm to carry concealed in the same areas without a permit. Additionally, HB 102 ensures that young adults on our college campuses aren't denied their fundamental right to self-defense. “It is long past d...
HELENA, Mont. – On Tuesday, Governor Greg Gianforte announced that Montana would be moving into Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. In Phase 1B, COVID-19 vaccines are available to Montanans 70 years of age and older, 16 to 69 years of age with a high-risk medical condition, and Native Americans and other persons of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications. “Focusing on the most vulnerable Montanans in our vaccine distribution will save lives. Thanks to the hard work of our local health jur...
The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting applications for an estimated $3 million in federal funding available through the Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program. The purpose of the SCBG program is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Montana. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, peas, and lentils, dried fruits, as well as horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. State and/or local organizations, government entities, producer associations, academia,...
Applications for Montana Community Foundation (MCF) scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year are now available for Montana students. Last year, MCF awarded nearly $500,000 in scholarships to 168 Montana students throughout our state. These scholarships are made possible by the generous donors who have established scholarship funds at MCF. Scholarship awards generally range between $500 and $20,000, some of which are renewable for multiple years. Qualifications vary widely, resulting in scholarship eligibility for a diverse...
Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation continually seeks way to assist and promote the communities that we work in, which includes Carter, Dawson, Fallon, Prairie and Wibaux Counties. This often involves researching new ways to diversify the local economy. Studies are finding that for many individuals location is more important than jobs for determining where people decide to reside long-term. Gone are the days that people depend on their job as the primary determination of where they will live. This poses both a...
4 was difficult for businesses, non-profits, ag producers and so many others due to COVID-19. In late April the first round of COVID Relief Funds through the CARES Act rolled out for Montanans, in the form of grants and loans. $1.25 billion was allocated to Montana with almost $700 million being allocated to grant and loan programs. Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation (EPEDC), serves Fallon, Carter, Wibaux, Prairie, and Dawson County and is committed to providing the support needed in eastern Montana through gr...
To further explore this question, you need to know what a value-added agriculture product is. The USDA defines it as a result of the change in physical state or the manner in which the agricultural commodity or product is produced and segregated, the customer base for the commodity or product is expanded and a greater portion of revenue derived from the marketing, processing or physical segregation is made available to the producer of the commodity or product. Basically, taking raw commodities and manufacturing it. Some of...
As of Tuesday, December 15, Montana reports a cumulative total of 74,040 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 803 new cases since yesterday, 8,916 active cases, and 64,298 people considered recovered. State officials also report that 3,119 of the cases have resulted in hospitalizations, with 338 patients currently hospitalized. There have been 826 Montana deaths attributed to the disease, including 4 in Carter County. Carter County reported 10 active cases of coronavirus on...
submitted by Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation What is "placemaking?" Placemaking can be confusing and a little bit intimidating for most. Placemaking as an economic development strategy, also called place-based economic development, is the practice of using a community's public amenities to make economic progress. This approach focuses on the unique features of particular places, building on existing assets, and using them to attract new investment and...
Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation is thrilled to announce two new positions who will be able to provide economic development assistance in Carter, Dawson, Fallon, Prairie and Wibaux Counties. Alissa Miller will join the EPEDC team as the new Food and Agriculture Development Assistant. Before moving to Baker, Alissa attended Bitterroot Cosmetology, Montana State University in Bozeman and then in Billings. She has worked in many areas of business within Fallon...
