Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow from Michigan announced that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will begin public policy hearings on the next Farm Bill. Luckily for Montana, Sen. Max Baucus sits on this committee that encourages farms to produce good food. Montana ranks fifth in the nation for producing wheat. Counties like Chouteau and Hill […]

Treating profit as salary is a common error for new businesses. It’s unusual for new owners to start by thinking their business through to the “end game” or to its ideal place. While some plan with an exit strategy in mind, there’s more to business than “do something, grow fast, get bought by Google”. What […]

A woman called me asking for a man I had never heard of. She said she was from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and was calling to get a count of the man’s hunt (i.e., how many had he killed). Since I had her on the line I asked her to explain and she told […]

The controversy over the recent killing of Anwar al-Awlaki by drone strike illustrates a serious problem for our country in its dealings with the rest of the world. Our goody-two-shoes approach to conflicts is being used to our great disadvantage by our enemies. Civil libertarians and human-rights activists would have us conduct due process before […]

Recently Rep. Jerry O’Neil described his “quandary,” with the tax reform pledge. In this letter, he voiced his opposition to tax incentives for renewable energy. Interestingly enough, I read last week that these tax incentives led to the historic power purchase agreement between Flathead Electric and Stoltze Lumber, adding power from biomass technology into the […]

Recently, Beacon reporter Myers Reece wrote a short story from an interview with Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg in which he included the congressman’s response to a question about third-party spending. His response went a long way. Rehberg said he wanted “100 percent transparency” in campaign finances. But he added that, in his high-profile contest with […]

For the past four decades, Montanans have watched in dismay as our state has become increasingly subject to federal legislation and regulation – while jobs and economic activity have dwindled. Our country teeters on the brink of economic disaster – but the majority of elected officials seem paralyzed when faced with producing solutions. Consider the […]

Good marketing doesn’t need to lie. If you have to lie to sell your stuff, either your stuff isn’t worth buying or you aren’t worth buying it from. Harsh words? Not if you want to stay in the business you’re about to start. These days, buyers are empowered by the information made available to them […]

A couple weeks ago, the Missoulian reported University of Montana’s Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit (CWRU) landed a three-year, $150,000 grant from the Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation. The money will enable a team led by UM research associate David Ausband to “study how wolf deaths affect pack stability and population growth.” Good! As a sportsman, I’d […]

What’s interesting about the STOCK Act is why it passed all. It only became a priority after a 60 Minutes investigation, which aired a few months ago, suggested that insider trading among members of Congress and their aides was widespread. In November, CBS News’ Steve Kroft’s began his segment: “Most former congressmen and senators manage […]

I have been following the issue of building a new high school in Whitefish. I, along with my wife, have been part-time residents of Whitefish for almost 20 years. Our permanent residence is in Claremont, Calif. We were pleased to see the support of a new high school by the city council. Although we can’t […]

I have a question. Sen. Jon Tester is constantly running around the state, stepping in front of cameras to give well deserved medals to our veterans, but where was he on the Big Mountain Jesus statue? The Knights of Columbus needed him to support their efforts to fight the Wisconsin atheists. Why didn’t Tester step […]

I am writing today to comment about the Whitefish Jesus Statue, sitting on land owned by all Americans. I find it curious that Christians, and in this case Catholics in particular, want to have things both ways. First they want to violate the First Amendment to the Constitution by keeping the Jesus statue on federal […]

There once were two cats of Kilkenny Each thought there was one cat too many So they fought and they fit And they scratched and they bit ‘Til except for their nails, and the tips of their tails Instead of two cats there weren’t any. Thus, according to the old Irish rhyme, the Kilkenny cats […]

Last time we talked briefly about things to consider in the early going of the business you just started. We talked a little about the product/service, but focused mostly on some basics about licenses/permits and getting supplies with a little taste of business model talk. The reality is that we shouldn’t have talked about most […]