Grant to aid Montana bio-fuel industry

Logan Fisher is a fourth-generation farmer and “might be the last,” he told a group of about 35 agriculture, labor, tribal and commerce officials.

The 26-year-old Joplin man said that trends over the last 20 years of declining revenues and increased cost of production, farming is getting more difficult.

“We can’t afford to keep farming if we can’t get money for our products. It’s hard in these depressed communities with depressed economies,” Fisher said.

“It’s true and that’s exactly what we are working on with the WIRED grant,” Montana Agriculture Director and Havre native Nancy Peterson said.

The state and federal officials were in Havre as a part of the kick off of the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development initiative, which is a $15 federal million grant set up to aid in the creation of a biolubricant and bioproduct industry in eastern and central Montana.

Montana State University-Northern Chancellor Alex Capdeville said it is a challenge to convince young people to major in agriculture and diesel mechanics but last fall 33 companies tried to woo the university’s graduates to work for them.

“We need to convince the youth to stay in Montana. Montana kids want to move back to Montana and we need to give them an economy to come back to,” he said to the group.

Angela Brandt

Havre Daily News
[email protected]

Full Story: http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2006/05/19/local_headlines/grant.txt