COLSTRIP, Mont. -- Many landowners in southeastern Montana are displeased with Talen Energy's decision to challenge a cleanup plan for Colstrip's coal ash ponds.

The company, which is part owner of the Colstrip power plants, says the $285 million plan for retired Units 1 and 2 is "grossly excessive." The ponds contain 5.7 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash.

Clint McRae, a Colstrip rancher and member of the grassroots organization Northern Plains Resource Council, said the coal ash has contaminated the region's shallow aquifers and Talen is trying to portray itself as the victim.

"They have a responsibility to the state of Montana and to the public, and specifically the adjacent landowners to clean up their mess," McRae said. "And the ruling that they were going to challenge this was very disappointing, but it has served them well for the last 40 years, and it wasn't surprising that they went down that lane."

McRae supports the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's plan, approved in November. Northern Plains estimates cleaning up the ash pond complex would bring 218 jobs to the region for at least a decade.

But Talen's December challenge delays the plan's implementation, leaving a decision to be made under the administration of newly sworn-in Gov. Greg Gianforte.

In the 1970s when the Colstrip plants were permitted, it was stipulated that the ash ponds would be completely sealed, zero-discharge facilities and closed-loop systems. But four decades later, landowners have discovered the leaking ponds discharge 400,000 gallons of contaminated water per day.

McRae said the DEQ plan is an opportunity to hold Colstrip plant owners responsible.

"The Montana Department of Environmental Quality finally stood up to the company and came out with their recommendation of completely cleaning these things up - lining the ponds, putting the effluent or the dry matter back into these ponds so they would never get into the ground water again," he said.

He said Montanans expect the company to abide by the law and for state agencies to enforce the law, but neither happened while Colstrip ash ponds have leaked. He said that has a big impact on folks in agriculture, who rely on clean water.

"If they can't do a better job than what they did and what they promised us 40 years ago, then these projects shouldn't go forward," McRae said. "And this is a prime example why there is so much resistance to projects like this."

2022 will see a renewed focus on farmer safety in North Dakota. A key position has been filled to focus on education designed to reduce accidents and fatalities on farms.

It's been more than 15 years since North Dakota had a farm and ranch safety coordinator through North Dakota State University Extension Services, a gap attributed to cuts in federal funding.

But with new money from the Legislature, Farm and Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson has been hired.

She said these days, producers face so many pressures, and it can be hard for them to think about slowing down and being extra careful.

"We are under Mother Nature's control, and also with the markets," said Johnson. "And so, how do you make really good, rational, safe and healthy decisions for yourself when you're under that kind of pressure?"

She said it's about more than just avoiding rushing on the job - things like healthy sleep habits also are important.

Johnson said it's hard to get true data on accidents in North Dakota, because so many family farms aren't required to report to OSHA. But in 2020, the state ranked second in the nation for injuries in confined spaces on farms.

Shane Sickler - a fourth-generation farmer and member of the North Dakota Farmers Union - was injured in an accident several years ago.

He said he had noticed the decline in safety outreach, and feels a rejuvenated program will help producers, especially those seeing higher turnover with their staff.

"We're moving so much faster," said Sickler. "Equipment changes a lot, so you have to adapt to the equipment more often. And with inexperienced help that comes - that you hire, maybe every year - you have to re-educate 'em about the equipment and stuff."

As she shapes prevention education, Johnson said she'll gather feedback from local extension agents on the types of accidents they're seeing too often in their counties.

She also encouraged farmers to not ignore mental health concerns, so they're in the best position to run a safe operation.

"Take advantage of the rural mental health services we have," said Johnson. "They're so, so much better - they're improving. Telehealth has been a huge factor."

Wisconsin handed over management of its hemp industry to the federal government on Jan. 1, and farmers and researchers say the new system will reduce barriers to cultivating the crop. Under state management, Wisconsin hemp farmers paid up to $1,000 in licensing fees.

Phillip Scott, president of the Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association, said licensing costs have been reduced to nearly nothing under the feds.

"A lot of the farmers in our state that wanted to grow hemp, a lot of them actually steered clear of it," he said, "because $1,000 to get licensed up for a product that I might have to burn at the end of the season if it doesn't pass the testing? It didn't make sense to them."

Hemp farmers are required to destroy crops that register above a certain level of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. Scott said federal management carries other benefits for farmers, including qualifying for future federal grant money.

The new federal licenses are issued for three-year periods, whereas the state had required farmers to reapply annually. Shelby Ellison, an assistant professor and hemp researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Horticulture, said the new three-year window will likely mean fewer changes in data-reporting standards, offering researchers a better view of the industry.

"There might be some small changes," she said, "but I don't think it will be as much as it has been the past couple of years, which has just made it more confusing for everybody."

Esther Shekinah, a research agronomist at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, said the change in management means the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection won't handle testing anymore.

"DATCP used to send people to come and test samples," she said, "but now the farmers are supposed to do their own sampling."

Farmers can reach out to more than a dozen U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved hemp samplers in Wisconsin for testing.

Kattia Jimenez, who owns Mount Horeb Hemp in southern Wisconsin, said she hopes these changes will bring long-term success for the hemp industry.

"I'm hoping that, as the years go by, we develop an infrastructure here in Wisconsin where it can really be a viable industry for our state," she said.

Michael Fields, in conjunction with several midwestern universities and research organizations, has compiled a Midwest Hemp Database of resources for farmers.

Advocates for independent rural farmers are urging state lawmakers to beef up mom-and-pop meat processing and storage capacity using American Rescue Plan dollars.

Johnathan Hladik, policy director at the Center for Rural Affairs, said local producers need alternatives to JBS and Tyson, and investing in main-street lockers will help rural economies recover from the pandemic's economic fallout. It would also help more families across the state access high-quality meat.

"And you know where it came from," Hladik emphasized. "When you're buying hamburger from Walmart, you do not know what animals were involved with that, you don't know what countries they are from. And when you buy from a local farmer, it's going to be cost competitive, and you get the satisfaction of supporting your local community."

Hladik noted shovel-ready projects to increase locker capacity include building out wastewater infrastructure, adding freezer space, purchasing machinery and investing in training and apprenticeship programs. Hladik's group is working with Sen. Tom Brandt, R-Plymouth, to deliver investment recommendations to Nebraska's Appropriations Committee in the upcoming session.

Grant Potadle, a rancher who raises Red Angus Cattle, opened a locker in Herman when COVID shuttered meat-packing plants. He said giving more family farmers access to local processing can help them stay in business.

Big processors force producers to accept low commodity-based pricing, and siphon off any margins, but Potadle stressed local lockers let producers set their own prices.

"A lot of people work really, really hard, and they just don't get compensated the way they should for their work," Potadle contended. "And for the retail value of the product that they are producing."

Hladik pointed out making farming more profitable for small-scale producers will also bring more young people back to the land, which can set up rural economies for long-term success. He added when COVID caused big processors to shut down, local lockers were there to get the job done.

"And what that shows us is the absolute necessity of having that alternative system in place," Hladik argued. "We can't rely solely on the big multi-state entities; we are going to need these smaller places in place, if nothing else, for food security."