Montana
Montana Free Press: ‘White farmers’ ad airs amid racial baiting in U.S. Senate race
About that ‘white farmer’ ad
The Discrimination Financial Assistance Program was designed to address generations of racial injustice in federal farm policy.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Montana Free Press
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The Crow community was still fuming over a leaked audio recording of Senate candidate Tim Sheehy talking about tribal members “drunk at 8 a.m.” when a new TV ad began circulating about “white farmers” being excluded from a federal farm aid program.
“They’re just saying it out loud, now,” Rae Peppers told herself in disbelief. The ad struck the Crow tribal member and former Democratic state legislator as blatant race-baiting, and it arrived as Tribal Chairman Frank White Clay was being pressured to call out Sheehy about a campaign anecdote that had offended many Indigenous Montanans.
Though the ad never identified the aid program, Peppers recognized it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had set up a booth at Crow Native Days in June. Tribal members with small farm and ranch operations inquired about debt forgiveness. Peppers said she collected USDA literature to learn more about DFAP, short for Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. In the American West, the 228 Montana farmers who qualified for the assistance are second only to California’s 1,059, according to USDA data.
Just as the ad said, Montana’s incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester had voted for the program, twice, the second time to fix it. Senate Leadership Fund, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s $124 million unaffiliated super PAC, used for supporting candidates and non-coordinated expenses, paid for the ad.
“You know, the USDA runs more than 60 direct and indirect programs for farm aid. And we’re talking about two, possibly just one, for Indians, farmers that have Indianness in them,” said Susan Webber, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe. Webber, a Democrat, serves on the Agriculture Committee in the state Senate. “They [non-Indigenous farmers] get direct payments, they get crop insurance. In 2019 they received $22 billion in government payments. Indians don’t get that.
“The average market value for products sold by a Native American-owned farm is around $50,000 a farm, compared to white-owned farms and ranches, which is approximately $187,000. They’re not the big conglomerates,” Webber said of Indigenous farmers. “They’re just regular farmers. Really, it confirms that Native Americans are just eking out a living. And the commercial has these white disadvantaged farmers saying they’re disadvantaged? They got $22 billion.”
Montana ranks 18th nationally as a recipient of farm aid, according to the Environmental Working Group, a subsidy watchdog. Payments to Montana farmers in 2023 totaled $450 million, with crop insurance accounting for 48%. Ten different programs issued payments to 20,377 applicants, some of whom are counted in more than one program. Two of them are featured in the “white farmer” ad. Still, 61% of Montana farmers received no subsidy.
In eastern Montana, where 82% of the state’s agricultural products are produced, the 2022 ag census counted 640 Indigenous farmers and 29,053 white farmers.
The Discrimination Financial Assistance Program wasn’t a slam dunk for Congress. The first version — the one referenced by McConnell’s leadership fund ad, stalled in court. The $4 billion program was part of the American Rescue Plan, which passed in March 2021.
Scott Wynn, a white farmer in Florida, sued USDA because he didn’t qualify under DFAP’s race-specific loan forgiveness terms, which were designed to address generations of racial injustice in American farm policy. The U.S. District Court, Middle Florida District, blocked the program before it started. Later, Wynn prevailed.
Congress then retooled the program and passed a smaller version within the Inflation Reduction Act in late summer 2022. The terms were broadened to accommodate non-racial forms of discrimination. Tester voted for the Inflation Reduction Act.
The decades-old backstory of the loan-forgiveness program’s funding involves lawsuits filed by minority farmers who suffered decades of discrimination. For Indigenous farmers, the case was George and Marilyn Keepseagle v. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Standing Rock Sioux couple proved that because of race they had been denied low-interest loans and other USDA services. The government settled, agreeing to forgive $80 million in loans, while also paying $680 million in damages to 3,600 Indigenous farmers.
Two years before Keepseagle was filed, Black farmers sued on the same grounds in Timothy Pigford v. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, leading to a $1.06 billion settlement for nearly 16,000 Black farmers.
Note: This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press. It is published under a Creative Commons license.
Although newly minted GOP candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate have garnered heavyweight endorsements, the Montana Republican Party said Thursday it won’t throw its support behind any candidates for federal office in the primary.
“The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) stands behind its deep bench of qualified candidates seeking to represent Montanans and supports a competitive primary process to let voters pick their preferred candidates,” the Montana GOP said in a news release Thursday.
Monday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he was retiring due to health concerns once his term ends, and he immediately tapped talk-show host Aaron Flint as his preferred successor in Congress.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chairperson Al Olszewski also filed for the U.S. House as Republicans, as did Ray Curtis of Bonner.
Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew, and in a statement the same night, announced an endorsement of former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, who had filed the same day.
In the Senate, Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child also filed to run in the Republican primary.
Endorsements for Flint and Alme cascaded. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed both candidates, and U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy and Gov. Greg Gianforte threw their weight behind Flint and Alme.
Late on Wednesday, the Montana GOP did not immediately have comment on the news Daines, Montana’s senior U.S. senator, had resigned, but Thursday, the party thanked Zinke and Daines for their service.
A news release said the party would not endorse any candidates in the federal primary and would leave the job in the hands of voters.
“The party hopes every candidate will make their case to the public, contrasting their Republican policies and principles with those of Democrats — as well as phony ‘Independents,’” the news release said.
Former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar announced a run for the U.S. Senate as an independent this week.
A tension within the Republican party has emerged in recent years between hardline conservatives and more moderate members, and some legislative primaries illustrate the split.
This week, the state GOP said the number of primaries for state legislative seats shows a high interest from Montanans who want to serve the state and pass Republican policy, and the MTGOP “is glad to see so many Republicans being called to public service.”
In a brief call, MTGOP spokesperson Ethan Holmes said the party had not ruled out endorsements in legislative primaries.
In the news release, however, the MTGOP offered its view of the larger political debate.
“Montana voters know that beyond the primaries, there is a clear choice between Republican and Democratic governance; one path leads to lower taxes, less crime and stronger families, and the other leads to higher taxes, more crime, and social decay,” MTGOP Chairperson Art Wittich said in a statement.
The news release also said the state GOP is working “tirelessly to deliver a Bright Red Future” at both the state and federal level and looks forward to help candidates whom voters select win in November.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing
07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing
33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 4 drawing
01-07-08-27, Bonus: 12
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 4 drawing
05-10-26-53-59, Powerball: 06
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from March 4 drawing
03-04-06-08-10
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing
12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The search for a new University of Montana president has drawn more than 60 applicants, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
“We do not have an exact count at this time, as several applications are still being completed and additional submissions are expected,” said spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Galen Hollenbaugh in an email earlier this week.
In January, then-UM-President Seth Bodnar announced his resignation to pursue other public service. Wednesday, the final day of filing, he announced he was running as an independent for the U.S. Senate to try to unseat Republican incumbent Steve Daines.
Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian earlier said that with the advice of AGB Search, a firm that’s helped the Montana University System conduct other executive searches, he would undertake an expedited process to appoint a new president.
Christian has been providing brief updates on a website dedicated to the search. Last week, he said he and AGB Search are reviewing applications, and the pool of candidates was “strong and diverse.”
The commissioner also announced he was convening a small working group to assist in the search, members who “represent a variety of perspectives to assist in vetting and narrowing this field of exceptional candidates.”
In an email this week, Hollenbaugh identified the members of the working group who are assisting Christian with application review as:
- Community member and former Regent Joyce Dombrouski
- Faculty Senate Chairperson Valerie Moody
- Staff Senate President Dominic Beccari
- Administration Representative John DeBoer (Vice President of Academic Affairs)
- ASUM (Associated Students of the University of Montana) President Buddy Wilson
Hollenbaugh declined to comment on the way the rest of the process would unfold or the role the working group members would play.
Christian earlier said he anticipated an appointment within one to three months, or as soon as early this month.
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