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A group of individuals and organizations from across Montana, led by Montana State University Extension, are collaborating to provide resources and solutions for farmers and ranchers under stress.

“We know from various research that there is a high level of stress in life, specifically among farmers and ranchers in rural areas like Montana,” said Michelle Grocke, health and wellness specialist with MSU Extension and assistant professor in the MSU Department of Health and Human Development. Stress can be caused by a range of issues, she said, from commodity prices, weather and crop yield to debt load, passing a farm or ranch to the next generation, family issues, and injuries or illness. She added that it can lead to mental illness, increased risk of suicide and other health issues.

Now, a team of Montanans known as the Montana Farm/Ranch Stress Prevention Advisory Council is working to create a new website that will host resources to help farmers, ranchers and other community members better understand the causes of stress – as well as how to manage it. The website is expected to launch this summer.

“Ultimately, we hope these resources will lessen the risk of mental illness and suicide among Montana’s farming and ranching communities,” Grocke said.

The website is a direct response to a need MSU Extension staff continue to hear about from people across the state, said Suzanne Stluka, associate director of MSU Extension.

“MSU Extension staff began to share tough stories of how chronic stress was impacting agriculture producers,” she said. “We knew we needed to do something.”

The team working on the website is composed of more than 20 members representing agricultural, health, tribal, veteran, local government and MSU communities. Project leaders are Grocke, Stluka and Alison Brennan, MSU Extension mental health specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development. In addition to the MSU Department of Health and Human Development and MSU Extension, partner organizations include Montana Farm Bureau, Custer County Commission, Garfield County Commission, Montana USDA Farm Service Agency, MSU Extension Local Government Center and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Grocke noted that an important component of the project is its accessibility: Individuals can access the resources anywhere there is an internet connection, whether it’s the library or their own homes.

The project is funded by a $32,737 grant from the Montana Healthcare Foundation.

“We feel really grateful and excited that they felt this was of value for them to support,” Grocke said. “A lot of the projects this foundation supports are collaborative in nature, innovative and forward-looking. We were thrilled to have them think this is a project deserving of their funding.”

The advisory council hopes the resources and materials will spark discussions about the causes and effects of stress — and, in the process, remove stigma associated with the topic, according to Brennan. They also hope it will equip community members with evidence-based farm stress and mental wellness resources to assist them in managing their stress. 

“There is, in fact, quite a lot of stigma still surrounding discussions about mental health, mental illness, mental disorders and suicide,” Brennan said. “My hope is that by providing a centralized location for relevant information running the gamut of topics —  from plant diseases, weather and financial management, to stress management techniques, to suicide prevention best practices —  we can start some crucial conversations about mental health in rural Montana, reduce stigma and save lives.”

Darla Tyler-McSherry, a member of the Montana Farm/Ranch Stress Prevention Advisory Council and director of student health at Montana State University Billings, said goals for the website include bringing attention to the issue of suicide in Montana’s farm and ranch communities and giving people practical, easy-to-incorporate strategies to improve their mental health.

“Additionally, I want to communicate the message that if you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you are not alone and effective help is available,” Tyler-McSherry said. “Lastly, I want this project to help confirm the notion that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather, a sign of incredible strength.”

More information is available at montana.edu/wellness_extn/stress-management/mt_farm_stress_clearing_house/project_page.html. To learn more or to offer feedback on the website, contact Grocke at 406-994-4711 or michelle.grocke@montana.edu.

Recreationists in southwest Montana reported having more encounters with grizzly bears in 2019 than in recent years.
 
Montana’s portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem saw 18 potentially dangerous encounters between humans and grizzly bears mostly in non-residential areas last year. In those encounters, five people were injured and two adult bears were killed. Fortunately, none of the human injuries were fatal.


Last year’s 18 incidents happened in the Madison, Gravelly, Absaroka and Beartooth mountain ranges, with 14 of them occurring after Sept. 1.
 
Most attacks from grizzly bears happen in surprise close encounters with people. Grizzly bears often attack defensively when encountering people in dense brush or timber, at the site of an animal carcass or when cubs are present.
 
Grizzly bears are currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, the U.S. Forest Service and Tribal lands who conduct the investigations and management actions. However, grizzlies have expanded well beyond recovery zones and become more densely populated in southwest Montana. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s grizzly bear population, which includes portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, is estimated conservatively at about 750 bears.

 
Preparing for 2020
 
March is typically when bears start emerging from hibernation, and by April, most, if not all, bears are active again. This is also when residents and recreationists are spending more time outside.
 
Residents can help minimize bear attractants by doing a spring cleanup of their yard. Bird feeders, pet food, garbage and other attractants should be stored securely. Bear-resistant garbage containers are available to residents in many areas.
 
If a bear finds an artificial food source during the bear activity seasons, it is likely to return to the same place to look for food and lose its natural drive to find food in the wild. Situations like these can create risks for humans and property and require problem bears to be relocated or destroyed.

Recreationists should always be prepared to handle a bear encounter. Carry bear spray and travel in groups; these two factors proved essential for people who survived bear attacks last year. Casual noise can help alert bears to your presence. Animal carcasses can attract bears, so avoid them. Follow food storage orders, which went into effect on Mar. 1 for public lands in Montana.

For more information on avoiding negative encounters with bears, visit igbconline.org/bear-safety.

REACH Inc. is thrilled to announce that Dee Metrick accepted the Executive Director position, and will take over when Rob Tallon retires on July 1, 2020. Dee has worked at Reach for the previous 21 years, and is currently the Community Relations and Development Director. She began as a Work Services Specialist in 1999, and in her time at Reach also served as a Contract and Business Development Specialist and Staff Development Specialist. Dee will lead our organization forward with her dedication to our clients, passion for our mission, and extensive knowledge of Reach's operations.

Sweet Pea Festival is sponsoring its annual t-shirt art contest for the 2020 festival season. All ages and expertise are welcomed to enter.

The two categories for entrants are: Category 1 (ages 5 through 13) and Category 2 (ages 14 and older). Each category will have a prize winner with the prize for Category 1 being $250 cash and the prize for category 2 being $1000 cash.

The deadline to enter is 5pm, Friday, April 3rd and deliveries will be accepted by hand or via mail to the Sweet Pea Office at 424 E. Main Street, Suite 203B, Bozeman, MT.

All entries must be mounted on a firm backing and have the signed entry form securely attached to the back. A parent or guardian must also sign the entry form for any entrants under the age of 18. To see entry specifications and to print your t-shirt contest entry form please visit:
https://sweetpeafestival.org/applications/2020_tshirt_art_contest_application/.

Please contact the Sweet Pea office with any questions at 406-586-4003 or visit their website at https://sweetpeafestival.org/.

ABOUT SWEET PEA FESTIVAL:
The Sweet Pea Festival is a three-day festival of the arts held in Bozeman, Montana, since 1978. This year’s Festival dates are August 7,8,9 with other events, such as Chalk on the Walk, starting off the festivities of Sweet Pea Week on August 4th.

The festival includes everything from music, theatre and dance, to children’s activities to adult painting workshops. Sweet Pea is committed to its mission statement of “promoting and cultivating the arts.”

Hundreds of volunteers run and organize this annual event, a testament to the community’s desire for its ongoing success. All the money raised above what is needed to operate the Festival is given back to the community in the form of grants for the arts, art education, and special projects in the Bozeman area. Where art and community meet.

Montana State University has hired Kevin Gillilan as its new director/chief of university police. He will start on April 20 and will replace Frank Parrish, who will retire in May.

Gillilan will work to direct and administer the overall policing and public safety initiatives, as well as promote a safe and secure environment across the university. He will also provide leadership to MSU’s police department and oversee management of the institution’s police, parking and emergency management operations. 

“We look forward to Kevin serving us in this important role,” said Terry Leist, MSU vice president for administration and finance. “His knowledge and experience from 24 years in law enforcement in the municipal and higher education environments will be of great benefit to Montana State University. I look forward to welcoming him and his family to the MSU community.”

Gillilan has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in justice administration, both from Faulkner University. He also has a Doctor of Business Administration from Northcentral University, which is now headquartered in San Diego.

He most recently served as the chief of police at the University of North Alabama. Prior to that, he served as the chief of police at both the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg and Talladega College. 

"My family and I are excited to join the Montana State University family,” Gillilan said. “I look forward to working with each member of MSU Police in continuing to build collaborative relationships within the communities we serve as well as with other law enforcement agencies. I consider it the highest honor to serve MSU’s students, faculty and staff."

Auto industry manufacturers are facing an immense amount of pressure from consumers with the supply and demand of cars. In the minds of the consumer, they don’t think about the time and energy assembly line workers put into building the cars that they want so badly… all they know is that they want the new model Lexus that just came out!

Because of the pressure and high demand of the industry, manufacturers have taken some new approaches to meet those demands and increase productivity. One of the approaches they’re taking is by way of machine vision-based quality assurance.

This approach to productivity not only prevents classification errors but it also prevents low-quality products from being sent to the next level in the supply chain. When mistakes like this happen, it can lead to reputational damage to the company and it can also cause issues in company to client relationships as well.

Machine vision-based quality assurance is only one of the ways productivity is increased in production lines. In addition to that, we’ll take a look at other ways the auto industry is taking productivity to the next level. First, take a look at machine vision-based quality assurance.

How Machine Vision-Based Quality Assurance is Improving Production Line Productivity
According to photonics.com, machine vision in the automotive industry is a technology used to optimize processes in the value chain. It optimizes things like logistics, quality assurance, and, of course, productivity. This particular technology is used in many different applications. It performs inspections of component surfaces, detection for completeness, and it identifies and sorts out defective products.

One of the best features of machine vision is its speed and agility. For its detection processes, the algorithms only require a few milliseconds, allowing a mass amount of products to undergo automatic inspection in a very short amount of time.

If you thought that machine vision is an impressive way to improve productivity on production lines, then wait until you read about vacuum impregnation.

How Vacuum Impregnation is Improving Production Line Productivity
There has been a major surge in aluminum use in recent years… decades rather. Everything from sustainable practices like recycling aluminum shavings to its heavy use in the auto industry, aluminum is a metal that’s in high demand for many industries. In fact, Spark R&D is a company based out of Bozeman, MT that uses recycled aluminum shavings in conjunction with solar power to manufacture their products in-house!

But the demand for aluminum use in car manufacturing is where it’s heavily used. Why has the demand for aluminum increased? Well, it’s increased because it improves braking and handling, it reduces the overall weight of a car, and it extends gas mileage… Those reasons alone are major selling points to customers and play a significant role as to why aluminum is such a hot commodity in the auto industry.

Did you know that there is about 400 pounds of aluminum used in most cars now? That’s a lot. But because of its high demand, those 400 pounds are projected to increase to 550 pounds by the year 2025! That’s an increase of 150 pounds!

So what does that mean for the auto industry? That means that they’re making some major changes in their productivity practices. More and more companies are bringing in impregnation machines to eradicate the porosity that comes with aluminum castings. Because the demand is so high for aluminum components, companies are bringing these impregnation machines in-house to eliminate the costs of outsourcing for impregnation services. That’s productivity and efficiency at its finest!

How Manufacturing Robots are Improving Production Line Productivity
There was a point in time where people feared robots in the instance of them taking their jobs. That’s when the “Rise of the Robots” scare came to be. When robots were brought onto the production line, people were afraid that they were going to lose their jobs because the robots could do their jobs better and faster.

Well, the truth is that the robots indeed could do the job of a human much better and with more accuracy and speed. The thing that people failed to realize is that the robots weren’t brought in to put people out of jobs… the robots were brought in to increase productivity and ultimately improve the safety of production line workers.

Car manufacturing robots have made a huge contribution to productivity in the automotive industry. These manufacturing robots have protected workers from dangerous responsibilities, improved the quality of products, and relieved bottleneck, to name a few perks...

The robots have heavily been used in spot welding and painting of cars but are utilized in other areas as well. But the biggest reason why manufacturers utilize robots is that robots are the driving force behind manufacturing capacity, worker safety, and quality of products.

Public art and social creativity often define the cultural landscape of a town. It is uncomplicated if you think about it; the art in public places gets seen by everyone, from simple passersby to devoted park attendees.

And here in Bozeman, the public art scene is flourishing. Murals have been popping up left and right down our city streets, and dozens of statues dot our skylines.

Griffin Foster, a North Carolina migrant, makes a name for himself regularly as one of the pivotal players in this growing public art scene.

Foster got into murals as a way to pay for college. He said, “I realized that it was easier for me to get a mural than it was for me to sell a painting to a gallery if you have somewhat of a social vibe to you … That’s the thing about coming from a city, is that I’m not really shy”.

He grew up in Raleigh, which he says is worlds away from Bozeman. “Raleigh’s motto is ‘keep Raleigh boring,’” he shared.

But still, he learned art while growing up there. “I started drawing when I could hold a pencil. And then it was Legos, if I’m being honest. Legos were the quintessential kid item that facilitated my path” said Foster, adding that his first hustle involved selling blown-up drawing of Pokemon cards when he didn’t have the money for cookies at school lunch.

Growing up, Foster had plenty of role models to look towards. “I had a really hardcore AP Art History teacher in high school … and she was the one who definitely pushed anyone. If she saw that a kid had something, she would incentivize them to push on that. She was the one who ended up getting me to apply to the College of Design in Raleigh.”

He received a BLA in Landscape Architecture in 2016, and quickly found work that brought him to Bozeman, where most of his success has been in public art. He says his proudest work is a mural on Neptune’s Brewery in Livingston, though he also helped to paint the Bozeman letters that can be seen on the east end of Main Street.

“I helped Angela Yonke do the letters down there, the Bozeman letters,” he said. “That wasn’t really my project but she was like ‘Yo, we need somebody to paint letters’ and I was like ‘I got you.’”

He also, along with a friend, painted “most” of the walls by the Gallatin Valley BMX track on 7th Avenue, and just finished up a project on a hair salon in Hamilton.

He took a leap in coming here, saying, “I had no idea what the Hell I was doing, I didn’t know anything about this place, I had never even heard of Bozeman. I just kinda wanted to change it up. I’m used to a way more urban environment,” but still he must insist, “I’m a mountain guy.”

And of course, he allows the Bozeman landscapes and culture to influence his art. He said, “I’m always thinking about how your environment shapes your thoughts and your thoughts shape what you’re going to create.” Since coming to Bozeman, Foster has found his place in depicting the world around him.

In fact, the outdoor scenes he explores in Montana often serve as inspiration for his work. “I always bring my sketchbook and watercolor set backpacking. Most people go because they love being outside, but I go because I’m trying to capture and remember. When I do a sketch and look back at it, I can remember what I was wearing and where I’ve been.”

And here in Montana, he’s found plenty of spots to stop and sketch.“That’s why I love Montana ... I’m curious about the spots. Montana reminds me of a big treasure map. I feel like I know more rivers and mountains in Montana than I do in my home state,” said Foster.

While the outdoors makes a happy home for Foster, the social landscape requires, in his eyes, a bit more tedious navigation. Foster noted the duality of our local art scene saying, “One, [there’s] really talented and mature fine art, which I’m kind of into with like plein air painting,” which is a form of painting that involves creating your work where it will be shown. “But, there’s also a community of younger people, like people my age … but I don’t really put myself in that category either.”

So where does he fit in, stylistically? “I put my work in the lens of art movements, not in locations. Like Italian Futurism and Spanish Cubism. But mostly Italian Futurism. That’s why I’m broke right now. I’ve been to Italy like seven times,” he said. He also cites a style known as Graf-Futurism as one of his regular mechanisms, which is essentially a combination of Graffiti and Italian Futurism.

This kind of work comes with a certain sort of rhythm, a city-type beat that is prevalent in Bozeman despite our distance from any urban areas. “There’s a lot of back and forth between internal navigation and external stimulation; there’s that feedback loop,” he added.

And, the strive to exist in a movement that goes with little recognition keeps Foster hungry. “I’m never satisfied, and I think that that’s one of the first things you have to have. That looming desire to make the next thing,” he said.

Truly, Foster values the ability to do hard work, which is reflected in his expansive repertoire. “I don’t go home and watch Netflix. I go home and I work on my personal projects for as many hours as I can get before I go to sleep, and then I hate sleeping,” he said, with a bright smile and tired eyes that say it all.

But, he does not look down on those who live without the same passions that he has. He said, “It’s not my job to come into here and tell people how to live their life. One Montanan that I met that I really appreciated, he said ‘I don’t mind outsiders moving here, but I do mind outsiders moving here trying to change how Montanans are living.’ And that I completely respect.”

Looking ahead to the dawning decade, Foster still feels that he has a lot of work to do for our community. “I’m planning the BYEP wall. It’s gonna be fire, dude. It’s gonna be legit,” he said, in reference to a mural he has been contracted to paint on the side of the new building used by the Big Sky Youth Empowerment Program on Mendenhall.  “I consider myself a Graffutruist, someone who’s interested in letters but also Futurism and like, planar geometry, and abstraction. But I wanna start a new art movement called Forest Futurism. It’s a spin off a Graffuturism. I’m gonna do the first piece on BYEP, but what I’ve realized is that the amount of urban infill and Bozeman right now, and the verticality, I think it’s the right move, but I feel like we’re falling short with maintaining a good green footprint,”

“None of the buildings have green roofs, they’re taking trees up and putting in street trees in grates that are four feet by four feet, these trees are going to die within the year.So, what I want to do is basically an insane forest, like an abstract forest on the side of BYEP that’s basically a statement about healthy growth, like green growth,” he said.

With all these big ideas, Foster hopes that his work will keep moving our community forward. He’s also doing work with the Ravalli County fairgrounds this year, though his success has meant he gets to be more choosy. “I’m very particular, at this point, with what I pursue. In college, I didn’t have a job so I was more down to do whatever, but now I’m kind of locked down by time and I can only take so much other work,” he said.

As public art continues to grow in Bozeman, Foster has one message for us all. “Simplify your life. The less bills you have, the easier it all is.” This message is apparent in his art, which lucky for us, is widely publicly available, and will continue to become more accessible as the public art scene flourishes.

Game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are seeking information on several trumpeter swans that were shot on Central Park Pond on Heeb Road, east of Manhattan.  

Wardens and biologists were able to safely collect some of the dead swans off the ice. Initial analysis of the collected birds showed evidence that several of them had been shot illegally. The investigation is ongoing, and further testing on the dead birds is still pending.  Investigators believe the birds were likely shot sometime around Feb. 19. 

Trumpeter swans are protected by state and federal laws for migratory birds. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Montana’s poaching hotline, 1-800-TIP-MONT (847-6668). Informants can remain anonymous, and persons who provide information that leads to a successful prosecution in this case may be eligible for a monetary reward. 

Big Sky Resort announced today that its ski lift operations are now in alignment with The Big Picture, the ski area’s initiative to reduce operating impact and become carbon neutral by 2030. 


The resort recently purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) equivalent to the annual electrical consumption of its 38 lifts. 


“Lifts are obviously essential to our business – and they are responsible for nearly a third of our total electrical consumption,” explained Kryn Dykema, the resort’s sustainability specialist. 


“Our 2025 Vision has us replacing more consumptive lifts with the most efficient available—like Ramcharger 8—but that takes time.  As we navigate both on-site reductions in energy use and cleaner sources, buying RECs is the best practice strategy in the near term.”


Buying RECs also has a broad impact, says Dykema, by creating a market demand for clean energy. “The money used to purchase these RECs is used to support renewable energy creation.” 


The resort has completed its carbon audit, and is coming close to publishing its roadmap to carbon neutrality in 2030.  “Our priority is to work quickly to meet our sustainability goals,” said Dykema.