After another abnormally dry year, Montana ranchers are struggling to make ends meet.

What's happening?

As KPAX reported, drought conditions have wreaked havoc across Big Sky Country, impacting the state's agriculture industry. Without proper water supplies, many ranchers have had to deal with hay shortages, leaving them with no choice but to sell their cattle. 

"It just didn't rain. It rained around us, but Potomac and the Blackfoot in general was just under an umbrella all summer," said Denny Iverson, a cattle rancher in Potomac. Despite often using nearby Union Creek to irrigate their fields for years, Iverson and other ranchers in the region were forced to stop irrigating their fields by June. 

"About a month and a half after we quit irrigating, the creek actually dried up, and I hadn't seen that in 50 years. And I've talked to some older folks that have been here longer than we have, and they said yeah, they've never seen that either. So, it was pretty dramatic," Iverson added.

Why is a prolonged drought in Montana important?

Shifting global climate conditions have contributed to an increased risk of extreme weather events and worsened droughts. As happened in Montana, altered weather patterns have resulted in a dramatic decrease in rainfall. With droughts lasting longer than average, communities are feeling the impacts.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly half of Montana is still experiencing at least moderate drought conditions. Over 3% of the state is still in an extreme drought that could cost the agriculture industry and other local businesses.

"We're coming off of actually one of the worst droughts that's on record for the Blackfoot River, and this comes off of a pretty severe drought that we had last year," said Clancy Jandreau, Blackfoot Challenge water steward. "Just to put it into context, they've been measuring flows in the Blackfoot River for about 90, 92 years, and this September we hit historic record lows for most of the month."

What's being done about drought conditions in Montana?

Founded in 1993, Blackfoot Challenge is a nonprofit organization that coordinates efforts with landowners as well as federal and state agencies to promote conservation efforts and ensure proper water resource management. The organization is responsible for devising response plans that encourage water conservation by residents when river flows drop below certain levels. 

To mitigate the tough conditions throughout the state, Montana's ranchers work with Blackfoot Challenge to determine the most effective drought resilience plans while attempting to keep their properties up and running. While the most recent drought has proved difficult, Jandreau remained confident that the region will persevere.

"We have a good track record of doing that here in the watershed, but it's a struggle for sure when you get these really extreme events," he said. "We've been through it before. We'll survive it. There's a real understanding between the ranchers and those that aren't ranchers that we're all here because we love the landscape. We love the valley."

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