GREAT FALLS — Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's biggest exporters of several goods, including wheat and barley, and given the current situation of both of those countries, agriculture in Montana may see some ripple effects.
As of now, the agricultural industry in Montana is not being affected, but prices are expected to spike. Montana Wheat & Barley Committee Vice President Cassidy Marn explains some of the potential effects.
“The biggest effect that we will see is in prices obviously when the world supply is decreased by potentially that much we don’t know how it’s going to affect planting for the future crop in the black sea region as well so when you take that much out of the potential supply, we may see that affected in price, we also may see that affected when spring rolls around and planters are deciding what to plant,” said Marn, “and with the prices beginning to increase it’s certainly a crop that’s very appealing.”
Former president of the Grain Growers' Association Mitch Konen notes that it has not been the best year for grains all around. “We are coming off a dry season not only here in the US but also in Brazil. They had a worse off season than they were expecting, and even in Russia and the European Union.”
