Montana

Beyond the Weather: Montana Agricultural Mental Health

Published

2 years ago

May 19, 2022

Beyond the Weather: Montana Agricultural Mental Health

Simply as a rancher would by no means neglect a sick calf, nor a farmer his broken-down tractor, so ought to agriculturalists by no means neglect their psychological wellbeing, in accordance with Montana Division of Agriculture Director Christy Clark. On April 15, the state launched their psychological well being outreach for agriculture producers, referred to as Past the Climate.

Suicide charges within the state of Montana have been within the prime 5 within the nation for the previous three many years, and suicide charges amongst farmers and ranchers are larger than the nationwide common. After all, these statistics mirror the one quantifiable–and dreaded–results of ongoing psychological well being points. Nonetheless, there are numerous causes to hunt the sources now obtainable to Montana ranchers, together with stress, sleepless nights, seasonal melancholy, and never feeling oneself.

The federal authorities awarded a grant for this venture, obtainable to all state Departments of Agriculture. For Montana, this system was modeled after Wisconsin’s and damaged into three particular sections. The primary included mini-grants to be awarded for psychological well being audio system to seem at numerous conventions. Clark says, “That was actually well-received. These conventions that sometimes wouldn’t have a psychological well being speaker, like Grain Growers or Farm Bureau, had been capable of make the most of that.”

The second part consists of a media marketing campaign to start breaking down the stigma and to start out the dialog about psychological well being. The Northern Broadcasting System has coined the phrase “Past the Climate” to acknowledge the subject and depth of a typical dialog amongst farmers: the climate. Their objective is to encourage these in agriculture to dig deeper, to start checking on their neighbors, and most significantly, themselves.

Lastly, the third part offers entry to psychological healthcare to producers in contrast to ever earlier than. Whereas some could not have the time to drive to city for counseling each week, this program gives telecounseling. They’ve partnered with Frontier Psychiatry, bringing counselors with a data of the nuances of agriculture ahead to supply their companies to farmers and ranchers.. After doing a easy consumption, anybody can then obtain counseling through Zoom or over the telephone, relying on their choice, without charge to them.

“We launched on April fifteenth, and inside a matter of days, we had those who had reached out. The vast majority of them had not ever sought psychological well being help earlier than. I really feel like that is working. It’s been well-received, and we’re very excited that persons are benefiting from this,” Clark says.

“I don’t know in the event you’ve ever attended the funeral of somebody in agriculture who has dedicated suicide, however the church tends to be overflowing with neighbors and mates saying, ‘I had no thought,’ ‘She was all the time the primary one to assist everyone,’ and ‘If I solely would have identified.” We haven’t talked sufficient about it. That’s what the media is about and the audio system are for. Let’s break down among the stigma and begin these conversations. After we begin to speak about it, we understand that my neighbor has had related emotions,” she says.

A part of the stigma could come from the independence of these in agriculture. Producers might be geographically remoted, in addition to emotionally. Neighbors might even see one another at spring brandings, however in any other case, it’s typically that each man fends for himself on his personal operation. Agriculture can also be family-oriented, so it may be troublesome to achieve outdoors the household for assist.

Many components can contribute to emphasize for a producer: ongoing drought, excessive blizzards, wildfires, funds, household relations, and the record goes on. “The volatility of the markets is absolutely destabilizing for folks, not figuring out what influence the conflict in Ukraine goes to have on commodity costs, struggling to get inputs like seed and fertilizer […] There’s simply so many unknowns. It’s exhausting to foretell what downside goes to return up tomorrow,” Clark says. What’s extra, an agriculturalist can by no means “clock out” of their job. Fixed fear and stress can take its toll.

“It’s exhausting to set time apart to actually examine in with ourselves. When was the final time I slept soundly, or jumped away from bed with a spring in my step? We have to put that focus again on ourselves […] Test in with your self and examine in together with your neighbors. You actually are an important half. You’ll by no means neglect a sick cow, or a sick horse, or a tractor with a Test Engine gentle. We have to apply that very same degree of care to ourselves and to our neighbors.”

North Dakota additionally acquired the grant and can launch their program, Farm and Ranch Stress Help Community sooner or later. South Dakota accepted funding for his or her Avera Farm and Rural Stress Hotline (1-800-691-4336). Minnesota and Iowa are additionally engaged on initiatives.

If anyone desires to entry psychological well being sources in Montana, they will go to BeyondTheWeather.com, fill out a easy consumption or name a quantity, 406-200-8471, after which press 7.

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Montana

Reed Point Sheep Drive 2024 honors former sheep shaver and community friend

Published

4 hours ago

September 1, 2024

Press Room

Reed Point Sheep Drive 2024 honors former sheep shaver and community friend

REED POINT — All day Sunday, hundreds of people and sheep will flock to Division Street in Reed Point, for the annual Sheep Drive.

Unfortunately, this year will look different than most, as Olen Raisland, the town’s famous sheep shearer, passed away in April.

“It’s left a big hole in the community, losing Olen,” said Lynn Phipps.

Phipps, a Reed Point community member, was friends with Olen for years. He even trained her daughter on sheep shearing for almost two decades.

Reed Point Community Club

Olen Raisland

As Reed Point has a population of about 210 people, Olen’s loss has made a ripple in the townspeople’s pride this year.

“You just have to work around them. It’s the only thing that keeps you going,” says Jerry Friend.

Friend is a member of the Reed Point Community Club and lives in the town. He’s been organizing the event for the past 35 years, only one year after the event began.

Though Olen’s loss was devastating to the community, Reed Point is still trying to make this year’s Sheep Drive the best year yet.

“I feel like there’s a lot of support for Sheep Drive. Our Community Club is kind of a small organization, but when it gets closer to the date of Sheep Drive and stuff, a lot of people step up and help out,” said Lev Ott.

Lev and Audrey Ott are two of the organizers behind the event, and knowing that Olen loved to shave hundreds of sheep every Labor-Day weekend, they want to honor that activity completely to him.

“Like this year, the newest thing is the Olen Raisland sheep shearing demonstration. I think he was the one that sheep sheared for all of the sheep drive events, and we thought it was really important for him passing away, that we honored him,” says Audrey Ott.

As time gets closer, residents are becoming more and more excited for the Sheep Drive, and the festival’s biggest event, the Sheep Run.

“The Sheep Run turns into a town-wide event, and it lasts for an hour, instead of the ten minutes it usually does,” said Audrey Ott.

Lev & Audrey Ott, Reed Point Community Club

Even though things have changed in Reed Point, the community is still planning on showing up Sunday, just as Olen would have wanted.

“You’ve still got your factions. You’ve got this branch, and this branch, but they all pull together when times are needed,” says Friend.

“Yeah… We’ll miss him a lot,” said Phipps.

To learn more about this year’s Sheep Drive, visit Reed Point Community Club’s Facebook page.

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Montana

JetBlue brings Mint to Montana in rare move for this business-class product – The Points Guy

Published

14 hours ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

JetBlue brings Mint to Montana in rare move for this business-class product – The Points Guy

JetBlue thinks there might be some skiers who are willing to splurge on its top-notch Mint business-class experience.

The New York-based carrier announced this week that it would start flying its Mint-equipped Airbus A321 to Bozeman, Montana, on a limited run from Feb. 14, 2025, to March 30, 2025.

The airline will offer its business-class cabin on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on flights to and from Boston and New York during the peak Montana ski season.

Flights will operate with a daytime schedule, departing the Northeast midmorning and arriving in Bozeman in the early afternoon. The plane will then return to the East Coast later in the afternoon and arrive around 9 p.m. back in Boston and New York.

In addition to the special Mint service, the airline will fly its regular all-economy jets from Boston and New York to Bozeman during this period. All-economy service from Boston will operate on Mondays and Wednesdays, while economy flights from New York will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mint tickets are already available for purchase, and one-way fares start at around $900.

JetBlue says that it’s adding Mint service to Bozeman to “meet the evolving needs of its customers by offering superior travel options with an elevated in-flight experience.”

Back when Mint was introduced in 2014, JetBlue kept its business-class experience limited to a few key bread-and-butter routes. It was originally designed for premium transcontinental flights from New York and Boston to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But as the airline has added more Mint-equipped jets to its fleet over the years, the carrier has also deployed Mint service to a few other premium-heavy transcontinental markets, such as Seatte and San Diego. JetBlue also flies Mint planes to select Caribbean destinations during peak holiday periods and on weekends when it doesn’t need to operate as many frequencies on transcon routes. (Business travel usually slows down during these periods.)

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Mint is also the premium cabin that JetBlue offers on its transatlantic flights to Europe that debuted in 2021. The airline has two Mint products: the original one that launched in 2014 and primarily flies on domestic and short-haul routes, and a newer product that debuted in 2021 for its European expansion.

These days, however, JetBlue has been scaling back its European expansion — at least, during the winter season, when transatlantic demand typically falls — to refocus its network on profitable routes.

During this time, JetBlue could send some of its business-class-equipped planes to the hangar on less profitable routes, or it could look for other routes with enough premium demand to fill a 16-seat cabin.

JetBlue seems to think it’s found one of the latter with Bozeman, the gateway to the famed Big Sky ski resort and the nearby luxe private Yellowstone Club for deep-pocketed skiers. Bozeman is also the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, but the national park doesn’t get too crowded during the winter.

Bozeman joins other new Mint cities announced recently, including Phoenix; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

All these moves come as JetBlue doubles down on its JetForward strategy to return to profitability. The airline is tweaking its network to focus on leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic from its Northeast focus cities.

JetBlue’s original Mint product (the one flying to Bozeman) is arranged in an alternating 2-2, 1-1 configuration. Travelers enjoy lie-flat beds, a restaurant-quality dining experience, amenities from Tuft and Needle and much more.

Mint has historically been considered the best domestic business-class product, but the seats are definitely starting to show their age. The airline hasn’t yet announced a retrofit program for these 10-year-old cabins, but one might be coming soon as the airline gears up to possibly launch a more extensive premium cabin experience.

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Montana

The Blitz: Montana high school football highlights (Aug. 30)

Published

1 day ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

The Blitz: Montana high school football highlights (Aug. 30)

Editor’s note: The Blitz is updated as soon as we receive game results.

Class AA

• Bozeman Gallatin 35, Helena Capital 28: Montana State commit Grant Vigen threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third. Reese Dahlke ran for a 57-yard score and Carter Dahlke provided a 7-yard TD reception as the Raptors scored all 35 points in the middle two quarters in edging the Bruins.Merek Mihelish threw for two scores and ran for another for Capital. Bobby Gutzman scored the decisive TD on a 25-yard reception from Vigen on the final play of the third quarter.

• Bozeman 30, Helena 17: Kash Embry threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third as the defending state champion Hawks rallied past the Bengals. Embry had a 15-yard toss to Evan Hughen and a 13-yarder to Logan Humphrey. His 3-yard scamper capped the TD scoring. A 33-yard strike from Jaxan Lieberg to Mac Lundstrom gave Helena a 17-13 lead with 5:13 to play in the third quarter. The Bengals’ other TD came on a 3-yard run by Trygve Braun.

• Billings West 28, Butte 27: The Bulldogs broke a 14-14 tie in the third quarter when Colton Shea unloaded a 66-yard bomb to speedster Tocher Lee, but the Golden Bears erupted for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Both teams scored in the final minute, but it was Billings West’s goal-line stand to prevent Butte’s two-point conversion with seven seconds remaining that sealed the victory. Lee got things going for the Bulldogs in the first quarter when he fielded a punt, cut back against coverage and raced 50 yards for the touchdown. The Bears scored on a touchdown run from Matt Ludwig, and took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when CJ Johnson connected with Elias Bonner on a 25-yard strike. Butte tied the game before halftime on a TD pass from Shea to Hudson Luedtke.

• Missoula Big Sky 40, Belgrade 7: Avery Omlid tossed a pair of touchdown passes, hitting Eli Kasberg (6 yards) and Brady Williams (33 yards), and the Eagles dismantled the Panthers, going up 13-0 in the first quarter and 33-0 at halftime. Tanner Davis ran for two scores, including a 16-yard dash, Keller Hiedrick rushed for a score, and Williams added a three-yard scoring run.

• Missoula Sentinel 27, Billings Skyview 21: Jace Kashotka rushed for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Jaxson Allery as the Spartans got past the Falcons for a season-opening win. Camble Bjornstad hauled in a 25-yard scoring pass from Paxton Fitch for the Falcons, and had a second score on an eight-yard run. Zakai Owens caught a 14-yard touchdown from Fitch, and Ryan Haidle hit paydirt for Missoula on a seven-yard run. Sentinel rolled up 235 yards rushing and 172 yards through the air.

• Great Falls CMR 28, Kalispell Flathead 14: Caleb Taylor fired three touchdown passes – two to Drew Etcheberry – and Keegan Fuller added a first-quarter running score from 15 yards out as the Rustlers fended off the Braves to give first-year coach AJ Wilson his inaugural win. Taylor connected with Etcheberry from 77 and 26 yards out for a 21-6 lead early in the fourth quarter, then found Kade Somerfeld for an 80-yard launch to clinch it. Taylor was 12-for-20 passing for 308 yards. Brett Pesola scored on a 14-yard quarterback keeper and Nolan Campbell added a 9-yard scoring jaunt for Flathead.

• Kalispell Glacier 28, Great Falls 3: Kobe Dorcheus ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson Presley ran for a third and passed for another as the defending state runner-up Wolfpack jumped to a fast start and held off Great Falls. Presley romped into the end zone from 15 yards out with 10:05 showing in the first quarter and hit Carson Baker from 38 yards out for a 14-0 lead eight minutes later. Great Falls got on the board with a 29-yard field goal by Caleb Litzinger with 0:00.2 showing on the clock before halftime.

• Billings Senior 21, Missoula Hellgate 12: Ryder Murdock ran for one score and threw for another — a 66-yarder to Davyn Lehfeldt — for the Broncs, who rang up 257 yards rushing and handed the Knights their 13th consecutive defeat. Rylan Jennings also scored for Senior, which led by two points until Murdock’s 15-yard run with 6:43 to play. Vince Paffhausen threw for a score to Finn Kelly and ran for another for Hellgate, which had allowed at least 41 points in all of its games in 2023.

Class A

• Frenchtown 42, Columbia Falls 12: Brody Hardy threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two, and Billy Corette added a pair of scores on his own as the Broncs romped past the Wildcats. Hardy opened the scoring with a 24-yard run and also had a 1-yard plunge, added a 25-yard scoring toss to Corette – who had a 35-yard fumble return for a score – and also found Bailey Corette for a 3-yarder. Banyon Johnston scored both of Columbia Falls’ TDs on 1-yard runs in the first half.

Class B

• Jefferson 21, Florence-Carlton 14: Tyler Zody’s keeper with 9.9 seconds remaining broke a 14-14 tie and lifted the Panthers to a huge season-opening road win over the defending B champs. Jefferson went up 7-0 in the first quarter on a touchdown run by Luke Oxarart. The Falcons tied it up when Mason Arlington hit paydirt. Oxarart put Jefferson back on top with a 31-yard scoring run, and the Falcons answered again when Arlington found Isaac Bates for a nine-yard scoring strike.

• Red Lodge 46, Whitehall 8: Chase Cook ran for nearly 200 yards – including a 47-yard run on the game’s first play and a 97-yarder late – as the defending state semifinalist Rams clobbered the Trojans.

• Glasgow 51, Shepherd 8: In a battle of two playoff teams from a year ago, the Scotties started fast with 26 points in the first quarter and 19 in the second en route to a 51-8 victory over Shepherd, under the direction of new first-year coach Josh Casares.Warren Gamas threw for three touchdowns and Wyatt Suggs ran for two for the Scotties, who blitzed to a 45-0 halftime lead on the way to crushing the Mustangs. Alec Boland had a punt return for a score, Rex Monson added a pick-6 and Minot State commit Wyatt Babb caught one of Gamas’ TD passes for Glasgow.

8-Man

• Fairview 63, Poplar 26: Tyler Loan threw three touchdown passes, ran for a fourth and caught a fifth for the defending state champion Warriors, who rolled to a 54-0 halftime lead on the way to drubbing the Indians. Wyatt McPherson ran for two scores and tossed a scoring strike to Loan. Ryan Lustig also scored three TDs for Fairview: On a 20-yard interception return, a 70-yard catch from Loan and a kick return to start the third quarter and cap his team’s scoring. Poplar scored two TDs and had a safety.

Editor’s Note: To have games included here, submit scores and scoring details to 406mtsports.myteamscoop.com.

Contact Jeff at jeff.welsch@406mtsports.com or on Twitter @406sportswelsch

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