Montana

Montana Ag Network: Big Sandy couple has sweet success with cantaloupe farm

Published

6 months ago

September 7, 2025

Montana Ag Network: Big Sandy couple has sweet success with cantaloupe farm

BIG SANDY — Ron and Gay Pearson might not be household names, but just about everyone in Montana knows who they are.

“We’ll be walking like, say, in the store in Great Falls and somebody will call, ‘There’s the melon man!’ or the melon lady,” said Gay, co-owner of Pearson’s Big Sandy Cantaloupe.

Tim McGonigal reports – watch the video:

Montana Ag Network: Big Sandy couple has sweet success with cantaloupe farm

For more than 30 years, Pearson’s Big Sandy Cantaloupes have been a hit at grocery stores and farmers markets across Montana.

“We took them to Winifred and Big Sandy grocery first, and they just absolutely loved the cantaloupe. They couldn’t get enough of it,” Gay said.

But the work to grow the melons was painstaking.

“We hand planted them, we hand rolled the mulch. Everything was done by hand. The watering was done by hand, all of it,” Gay said.

Things got a little easier when they took advantage of a ready-made labor force.

“But, our two sons were pretty big guys. And then our third son came along and our daughter, and they all helped with it,” Gay said.

Gay grew up on this farm. She remembers a time when it almost was lost.

“One time they were going to put, the dam across down here, and I was probably three years old, and I was heartbroken because it would cover our whole area and our ranch would be gone,” Gay said.

MTN News

The only thing sweeter than the fruit might be the chance to be with family.

“There’s nothing better than that. And I mean, it’s just, you know, and it’s just, actually, there’s four generations of us now that are involved in the cantaloupe. And, how often does that happen?” said Ron.

Montana might not be considered a melon growing mecca, but the Pearsons have found their piece of produce paradise thanks to fertile soil combined with excellent conditions.

“And it’s hot down here. The evenings. The nights don’t really get cold. They stay warm. So the melons just keep growing,” Gay said.

Gay Pearson said the way they water the melons also makes a difference.

“We run through a ditch to water them. And then they go through black plastic pipes. So the water is very warm when it goes on to the plants. So they don’t have the shock of cold, you know. And I think that makes a huge difference on them,” Gay said.

The Pearsons also raise cattle and quarter horses, and they grow grain. But from the end of May until the first hard frost, it’s all about the cantaloupe, which they hand-pick starting in mid-August.

“Usually in a pickup there can be, I don’t know, 800 to 1,600 pounds. On the most given, markets that we’re leaving on Friday night, we have three pickup loads,” Gay said.

From curious deer to pesky grasshoppers to the unpredictability of mother nature, the cantaloupe business has challenges. But for the Pearsons, getting to work with family is something they not only cherish, it’s something they’d like to continue.

“I’m hoping that, one of our kids or grandkids will really get involved in this, and, just keep it going. I hope it does. You know, I’m 70, so it’s not going to last forever for me,” Ron said.

Working with family, getting recognized by just about everyone, the Pearsons are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

“You know, it seems like there’s not too many places that we don’t go that somebody doesn’t recognize us, so it’s pretty cool,” Ron Pearson said.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing

06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

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.

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Montana

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Published

21 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Apparent AI Glitch in Filing by Montana Public Defender, Recent Congressional Candidate

Everyone makes mistakes, even experienced professionals; a good reminder for the rest of us to learn from those mistakes. The motion in State v. Stroup starts off well in its initial pages (no case law hallucinations), but is then followed by several pages of two other motions, which I don’t think the lawyer was planning to file, and which appear to have been AI-generated: It begins with the “Below is concise motion language you can drop into …” language quoted above.

Griffen Smith (Missoulian) reported on the story, and included the prosecutor’s motion to strike that filing, on the grounds that it violates a local rule (3(G)) requiring disclosure of the use of generative AI:

The document does not include a generative artificial intelligence disclosure as required. However, page 7 begins as follows: “Below is concise motion language you can drop into a ‘Motion to Admit Mental-Disease Evidence and for Related Instructions’ keyed to 45-6-204, 45-6-201, and 4614-102. Adjust headings/captions to your local practice.” Page 10 states “Below is a full motion you can paste into your pleading, then adjust names, dates, and styles to fit local practice.” These pages also include several apparent hyperlinks to “ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws,” “ppl-ai-fileupload.s3.amazonaws+1,” and others. The document includes what appears to be an attempt at a second case caption on page 12. It is not plausible on its face that any source other than generative AI would have created such language for a filed version of a brief….

There’s more in that filing, but here’s one passage:

While generative AI can be a useful tool for some purposes and may have greater application in the future, when used improperly, and without meaningful review, it can ultimately damage both the perception and the reality of the profession. One assumes that Mr. Stroup has had, or will at some point have, an opportunity to review the filing made on his behalf. What impression could a review of pgs. 12-19 leave upon a defendant who struggles with paranoia and delusional thinking? While AI could theoretically one day become a replacement for portions of staff of experienced attorneys, it is readily apparent that this day has not yet arrived.

The Missoulan article includes this response:

In a Wednesday interview, Office of Public Defender Division Administrator Brian Smith told the Missoulian the AI-generated language was inadvertently included in an unrelated filing. And he criticized the county attorney’s office for filing a “four-page diatribe about the dangers of AI” instead of working with the defense to correct her mistake.
“That’s not helping the client or the case,” Smith said, “and all you are doing is trying to throw a professional colleague under the bus.”

As I mentioned, the lawyer involved seems quite experienced, and ran for the Montana Public Service Commission in 2020 (getting nearly 48% of the vote) and for the House of Representatives in Montana’s first district in 2022 (getting over 46% of the vote) and in 2024 (getting over 44%). “Его пример другим наука,” Pushkin wrote in Eugene Onegin—”May his example profit others,” in the Falen translation.

Thanks to Matthew Monforton for the pointer.

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