Montana
Montana Ag Network: Research finds sheep grazing benefits bees
LAVINA— Sheep grazing has been helping bee populations thrive at a Lavina sheep and cattle ranch.
Entomologist Hayes Goosey, who works as the Montana State University Extension forage specialist, said grazing reveals dirt patches, where bees can dig nests.
Watch how sheep are part of a bigger picture:
Montana Ag Network: Research finds sheep grazing benefits bees
He studied sheep and cattle grazing effects on the environment at Lehfeldt Land and Livestock in Lavina.
“Most bees are solitary, and they nest in the soil, and they need bare patches of ground to identify nest locations. And so periodic grazing then opens up that canopy of that detritus and gives native bees places to nest,” said Goosey.
Abi Saeed/ MSU Extension
“We found greater numbers of bees associated with areas where cattle grazing was present compared to places where a long-term idling or lack of grazing had been the dominant land management for about a decade,” he added.
Grazing also balances animal populations that have been there for years.
“To maintain historically what the range looked like, it requires grazing at varying levels,” added Goosey.
Vanessa Willardson/Q2
Fifth-generation rancher Ben Lehfeldt, whose property Goosey studied, said taking care of sheep is a lot of work, but it is worth it.
“Sheep, cattle, agriculture, the whole is essential to the whole wildlife picture. Everything works together,” said Lehfeldt.
This week, Lehfeldt is working with a team of five shearers, two wool handlers and his family to shear 2,000 sheep, producing 20,000 pounds of wool.
Vanessa Willardson/Q2
“It just kind of gives them a fresh start for the year to grow that coat,” said Lehfeldt.
Shearing sheep is also an important step before lambs are born because sheared sheep will be more likely to seek shelter during bad weather, meaning lambs will get the shelter they need too.
“If they had a big coat on, they wouldn’t want to go to a shelter if it’s raining. That lamb needs protection. So now… when they feel that rain, they’ll head and take their lamb for protection,” said Lehfeldt.
Vanessa Willardson/Q2
Working hard to maintain sheep populations in Montana, such as the work behind sheep shearing, contributes to a bigger picture.
“Not only does it help with the sheep and the grazing, but it also adds to the environment and the wildlife and the insects as a whole,” added Lehfeldt.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 30, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 30 drawing
07-09-18-28, Bonus: 07
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 30 drawing
05-19-21-42-55, 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.
BUTTE, Mont. — The city of Belgrade has earned some serious bragging rights.
The city of Belgrade’s tap water won a blind taste test on Thursday morning at a joint conference of the Montana Section of the American Water Works Association (MSAWWA) and the Montana Water Environment Association (MWEA).
Belgrade now moves onto the national AWWA annual conference in Washington D.C. in June, where they will compete for the People’s Choice and Best of The Best Awards.
Montana tap water has scored well at the national conference in the past. In 2015, the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District won the Best of the Best award. In 2019, Bozeman won third place in the Best of the Best competition.
Water is judged based on taste, clarity, aftertaste, and odor.
“It is definitely a point of pride and a little bit competitive between communities around Montana. It’s pretty fun to see the operators that work so hard on their water sources and bringing that into their communities to be able to take that to even the state level and the national level, and take home a prize for that,” said Carrie Gardner, national director for the Montana section of the AWWA and a water/wastewater regional team manager for Great West Engineering. “So, it’s truly important to everyone here just to deliver clean, safe, water. But that’s also a fun aspect, to be able to have some bragging rights, too.”
Belgrade was one of only three cities that provided samples of their water to the conference this year, joining Missoula and Kalispell.
Thursday’s taste test was part of the final day of the conference, where operators, engineers, consultants, and regulators from across the state work together to protect Montana’s water resources.
This year’s conference theme was Resiliency and Risk.
“All of us are here because we care about the communities we live in in Montana and being able to have drought resistant systems,” said Gardner. “Water is a critical resource. So our focus is delivering clean water, public health, and safety. Making sure we have sources available, and, that we’re cleaning that water going back so we can have less environmental impacts and be able to reduce the issues that drought causes.”
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 29, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 29 drawing
03-19-35-51-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from April 29 drawing
06-19-24-30-48, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from April 29 drawing
16-18-27-28, Bonus: 05
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 29 drawing
07-52-56-67-69, Powerball: 03
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from April 29 drawing
11-14-24-29-45
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 29 drawing
05-10-17-21-42, 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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