MSU bets $10M on a comeback: wool
Morning. It's cooler out there — the rain and thunderstorms rolled in overnight, which is a nice change from wondering what color the sky is. Today's issue: MSU just sank $10 million into a comeback for an industry your grandparents took for granted, plus a car show and a county trying to divorce another county. Let's get into it.
Wool is getting a $10 million second act at MSU.
The university's new Wool Lab opened in July, a facility aimed at making wool production more efficient and profitable for Montana sheep ranchers. It's run by extension specialist Brent Roeder, who's spent a career watching synthetic fiber eat wool's lunch and now wants to convince students the industry is "still important and relevant."
The building — funded by a mix of legislative appropriations and private industry donations — also houses the state's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the Department of Agriculture's Analytical Lab. Roeder tends the college's flock out at the Fort Ellis Research and Teaching Farm, and plans to haul his six best animals to a sale in Miles City this September ("you're taking your best of your best").
The one number that puts it in perspective: outside Bozeman, the only similar facility in the country is at Texas A&M. The old lab dated back to the 1940s, when the Legislature first funded one in 1945 during a wartime wool boom. Land-grant universities used to have these everywhere; now Montana's running one of two.
Two ballot fights are heating up around the state.
House Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick says he'll have to sue to stay on the ballot after AG Austin Knudsen's decision this week changed how term limits get counted — a ruling that could knock out GOP primary winners who ran unopposed. Meanwhile, a Missoula judge heard oral arguments over a 2025 bathroom law that could change how some Montanans use public restrooms. Both are worth watching from down here.
Union workers at the Stillwater Mine gathered for a town hall Thursday night as contract talks with Sibanye Stillwater drag on since April. Members covering the Nye and Columbus complex — about 450 workers — have rejected two proposals, one by 93% and one by 84%, with turnout the union president called its highest ever.
Rural residents in the Seeley-Swan area are floating a plan to split off and form Montana's 57th county, complete with a feasibility study. For scale: the state hasn't minted a new county since Petroleum in 1925.
Cooler with rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for today. A gray Friday is a small price for clearer air — take the umbrella and don't complain.
Sunday (Aug. 16):
The 26th annual Cruisin' on Main Car Show takes over Main between Willson and Rouse from 9am to 2pm — classic cars, trucks, motorcycles, live music, and a 50/50 raffle. It's free to walk through, held rain or shine, and has raised more than $400,000 for Cancer Support Community Montana over the years. Bring cash for the donation booth.
The Wool Lab is betting a new generation will want to raise sheep. Would you buy Montana-grown wool if a Bozeman shop stocked it? Reply with one sentence — add "print it" if we can share yours.