Insufficient irrigation water, selling cattle in Blackfoot Valley in Montana
10/21/2025 12:00:00 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Lewis and Clark County, MT
Missoula County, MT
Powell County, MT
Start Date: 6/27/2025
- End Date: 10/21/2025
Drought reduced the flow of the Blackfoot River in September, dropping it to record lows since recordkeeping began 90 or more years ago. Cattle ranchers in Blackfoot Valley were short on hay and sold cattle. One ranching family irrigated with water from Union Creek, but they had to stop drawing water from the creek before the end of June. The creek was dry about a month and a half later, which has not occurred in the past 50 years.
KPAX (Missoula, Mont.), Oct 19, 2025
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