Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Bill to add black bears to Montana livestock‑loss reimbursements wins broad industry support at hearing
Summary
Representative Eric Tillman told the Senate committee House Bill 356 would add black bears to the Livestock Loss Board’s reimbursement and mitigation programs; ranchers, Farm Bureau, tribes and industry groups supported the change and the Department of Livestock said current funds and procedures can handle verification and payouts.
Representative Eric Tillman introduced House Bill 356 to expand Montana’s livestock loss reduction and mitigation program to include black bear depredation among reimbursable losses.
Rancher Merrill McKamey told the committee that his Cascade County operation suffers ‘‘no less than 10 and sometimes up to 20 lambs and ewes a year’’ lost to black bears and urged the committee to treat black‑bear losses the same as losses caused by wolves and mountain lions. Nicole Rolfe of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation and representatives of the Montana Stock Growers Association, Montana Wool Growers and other producer groups also testified…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
