Next Year Country

This week on Next Year Country, Colton Young, Colter Brown, and Andy Schwab sit down with Montana State University Extension Sheep Specialist Brent Roeder to talk about the future of the sheep industry and the grand opening of MSU’s new wool lab. The conversation also covers wool and lamb markets, opportunities for producers, tools to deal with drought, predator pressure, and efforts to strengthen Montana’s sheep industry. The crew also discusses growing concerns from sugar beet producers over sugar imports, proposed increases in USDA FSA base acres, and the latest developments in the markets including the cattle on feed report, wheat exports, and the strong cull cow market.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Next Year Country powered by the Northern Ag Network. This week, Colton Young, Colter Brown, and Andy Schwab kick off the podcast with a wide-ranging conversation on the biggest stories impacting farmers and ranchers across Montana, Wyoming, and the Western Dakotas. The crew discusses the Trump Administration’s focus on increasing beef imports, new grazing regulations from the Bureau of Land Management, and the continuing debate over corner crossing and public land access in the West. From the markets side, they break down the results of the first major cattle video sale of the season, trends in beef demand, wheat crop conditions, and growing drought concerns heading into summer. Plus, an in-depth interview with Forest Mangan, CEO of the Livestock Marketing Association, on the cattle market, producer sentiment, and what’s ahead for the livestock industry. Out here, it’s always “Next Year Country” — and this is where the conversation starts.