BBER PUBLICATIONS SEARCH RESULTS

The purpose of the Montana World Trade Center International Trade and Investment Survey is to illuminate key characteristics of Montana businesses that engage in international trade. These characteristics demonstrate the importance of international trade to the Montana economy in terms of jobs produced, wages paid and revenue generated. The findings of this survey also provide information that business and government decision makers can use to grow our international trade portfolio.

To say that the minerals, metals, fuels and compounds that come out of the ground are what make the economy run and modern life possible is not an overstatement. From the complexity of miniaturized microchips to the simplicity of a concrete foundation, mining products are ubiquitous across the spectrum of products we consume and produce. Yet the physical distances between the mines where these raw materials are produced and the urban areas where most people live obscure this connection for many. Thus the mining industry, in Montana and elsewhere, has always faced challenges in securing political support for its continued operations as well as planned expansions. This report does not wade in to the political debate over the Montana mining industry?s current and future activities, except to offer evidence on one aspect of the mining industry?s presence in our state ? the contribution of hard rock mining activity here to the size, scope, and prosperity of the Montana economy.

Farming and Ranching: Navigating Another Drought By George Haynes and Kate Fuller
Forest Products: COVID-19 Hangover Impacts Wood Products By Steven Hayes and Todd A. Morgan
Energy Montana's Energy and Minerals Future By Bill Whitsitt
Manufacturing: Shipping and Supply Chain Are Big Concerns By Robert Sonora
Travel, Tourism and Recreation: Staffing Shortages Cause Concern By Jeremy Sage
Health Care: COVID-19 Drives Exodus of Health Care Workers By Robert Sonora
Real Estate and Construction: Boom or Bubble? By Derek Sheehan
Transportation and Logistics: The Roller Coaster Ride Continues By Simona Stan
Technology and Innovation: Pandemic Has Not Slowed Montana's Growing Tech Sector By Christina Quick Henderson

The purpose of the Montana World Trade Center International Trade and Investment Survey is to illuminate key characteristics of Montana businesses that engage in international trade. These characteristics demonstrate the importance of international trade to the Montana economy in terms of jobs produced, wages paid and revenue generated. The findings of this survey also provide information that business and government decision makers can use to grow our international trade portfolio.

Farming and Ranching - A Year of Volatile Commodity Prices and Near-Record Stimulus Payments Forest Products - Montana Wood Products in the Time of COVID-19 Energy - The COVID-19 Recession Impacts Prices Manufacturing - Continued Growth Is Interrupted by the Pandemic Travel, Tourism and Recreation - Crowds Flock To Montana During COVID Summer Transportation and Logistics - 2020 Was a Year of Disruption Health Care - COVID-19 Alters Health Care Landscape Technology and Innovation - Remote Work, Zoom Towns and a Spotlight on Biotech Real Estate and Construction - The Seller''s Market Continues

How we work is rapidly changing as we approach the fourth industrial revolution. What can Montanans expect in this new world of work?

This article looks at nine of Montana''s key industries; Farming and Ranching: Price Declines and Exports Make for a Challenging Year, Forest Products: Positive Signs for Montana, Energy: What to Watch for in 2020, Manufacturing: Montana Outpaces Nation as a Whole, Travel, Tourism and Recreation: Nonresident Visitation Stable, Health Care: The Impact of Medicaid Expansion, Transportation and Logistics: A Shortage of Drivers Continues to Cause Concern, Technology and Innovation: Record Revenue, Jobs and Venture Capital Investment, Real Estate and Construction: Housing Markets Lack Inventory.

Montanans use more energy per capita than consumers in most other states and we spend more per person on energy overall.

What will be the economic impact of the early retirement of Units 3 and 4 of the coal-fired Colstrip Electric Generating Station?

This study examines the implications of closing Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip Electric Generating Station early. Specifically, we examine the consequences for jobs, income, population, economic output and other measures of economic activity.

We asked speakers from the 2018 Economic Outlook Seminar to share their insights on the prospects for some key sectors of the state economy.

The 2017 Economic Outlook Seminar covered a wide range of sectors and topics from job growth to energy and tourism. In this round table discussion, we highlight some of those topics and industries in an effort to better understand the state?s economic climate.

The University of Montana?s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) Forest Indus try Research Program participated in the NARA System Metrics Sustainable Production Team (a.k.a. the Sustainability Measurement Team), collecting and providing detailed measures of forest industry activity in the four-state NARA region. The primary data that BBER produced on the characteristics of timber harvest, logging residue, and mill residue were used by other NARA scientists to further analyze the financial and logistic availability of logging residue as a biojet feedstock and the potential viability of a biojet industry in the Pacific Northwest. These data have also been made broadly available to the public through the BBER?s website, the Forest Inventory and Analysis Timber Product Output (FIA-TPO) online database, and by request.

This report traces the flow of Oregon?s 2013 timber harvest through the primary wood products industry and provides detailed description of the structure, timber use, operations, and condition of Oregon?s forest products sector. It is the third in a series of reports that update the status of the industry every 5 years, and is based on a census of timber-using facilities conducted during 2014. Historical forest products industry changes are discussed, as well as trends in harvest, production, mill residue, and sales. Also examined are employment and worker earnings in the state?s primary and secondary forest products industry.

Presently there is a lack of information describing US southwestern energy consumption and emissions generated from the sawmilling industry. This article uses a mail survey of softwood sawmills in the states of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico to develop a profile of on-site energy consumption and selected emissions for the industry. Energy consumption is categorized by fuel type on a production basis for both renewable and nonrenewable sources for production year 2012. Selected emissions from on-site energy consumption were also estimated for respondent sawmills. Survey respondents represented 35 percent of total softwood lumber production of 169.2 million board feet. Total annual on-site sawmill energy required was 64.8 billion British thermal units. Sixty-one percent was derived from diesel fuel, primarily for on-site rolling stock; 35 percent was from electricity; 3 percent was from gasoline used for on-site rolling stock; and the remainder was from propane and wood. Energy produced from nonrenewable sources accounted for 94 percent of total on-site energy consumption. Off-site electricity generation for consumption at sawmills comprise the majority of all emissions in this analysis: 62 percent of CO2, 99 percent of CH4, 94 percent of NOX, 99 percent of SOX, and 99 percent of particulate matter <= 10 um (PM10). Diesel fuel, which supplies the majority of on-site energy, comprises 36 percent CO2, 0 percent CH4, 5 percent NOX, 0.4 percent SOX, and 1.1 percent of PM10.

Total on-site energy requirements for wood product manufacturing are generally not well understood or publicly available, particularly at subregional scales, such as the state level. This article uses a mail survey of softwood sawmills in Montana to develop a profile of all on-site energy consumption. Energy use is delineated by fuel type on a production basis for both renewable and nonrenewable sources for production year 2009. Survey respondents represented 92 percent of total Montana softwood lumber production of 449 million board feet, which is 4 percent of western US production and 2 percent of national production. Total annual on-site sawmill energy required was 1.6 trillion British thermal units. Seventy-seven percent was derived from wood and bark, primarily for process heat and steam for lumber drying; 16 percent was from electricity; 5 percent was from diesel used for on-site rolling stock; and the remainder was from gasoline, propane, and natural gas. Energy produced from renewable sources accounted for 86 percent of total on-site energy consumption. In addition to providing an energy profile of Montana sawmills for policymakers, aggregated results may be useful to individual firms in characterizing their energy requirements relative to the state average and in identifying potential opportunities for bioenergy expansion.

The American energy boom began with improvements in technology and led to the shale-energy revolution. This article attempts to put events into perspective by looking at the Bakken area on the Montana-North Dakota border over the entire boom and bust cycle.

The big story is Montana''s economy coming into balance; both geographically and across industries. Three or four years ago, commodity prices were high and oil was booming. That, along with high agriculture prices, made for faster growth in rural counties, primarily eastern counties, rather than in bigger cities.

The U.S. oil and natural gas industries had a tough year in 2015. Excesses in world production, political unrest and new technologies all contributed to the variability in oil, and to some degree, natural gas prices.

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) reviews its Economic Outlook Seminars, other Outreach efforts, publications, reseach projects and finances for 2015. Each of the BBER programs: Economic Analysis, Forest Products, Survey Research, Manufacturing Research, Energy Research, Heath Care and Montana KIDS COUNT is discussed.

Strong growth in Montana manufacturing employment occurred despite permanent closures in several manufacturing industries. Employment in the wood and paper products industry decreased by 550 workers between 2009Q2 and 2013Q3. Employment in all the other components of Montana manufacturing increased by about 1,600 workers, or 11.3 percent. In summary, since the start of the recovery Montana manufacturing employment has increased considerably faster than the national rate. This strong performance was in spite of permanent closures in the wood and paper products industries.

Prime topics of conversation in Sidney and throughout the Bakken area are the latest rumors and speculations about the price of oil. Some people are wondering what the impact of the drop of the price of oil by 50 percent since mid-2014 will do to the economies of Eastern Montana. But it is not just the people living within 50 miles of the Montana-North Dakota line who should be concerned because the economic impacts will be felt far from the drilling and extraction sites.

A wide-ranging discussion covering economic topics of interest. The discussions include: the Economy, Healthcare, Tourism and Recreation, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Forest Products, Housing, and Energy. A panel of industry experts and economists provide their responses to important questions regarding Montana?s economy.

For the past five years, we?ve witnessed something of an economic miracle in the eastern third of our state. Even more so in the western third of North Dakota. Towns and communities that were once depopulating and shrinking to the point where their schools and basic institutions were threatened have come roaring back, thanks to the Bakken oil boom. And for the first time in living memory, the rural portions of Montana ? particularly in the east ? were growing faster collectively than any of the urban areas.

As we assess Montana''s economy, new data call into question two trends: the stronger than average performance of our state economic and the natural resource boom that has played such an important part in that performance. There are signs that grow in Montana''s economy has been slowing, and it''s important to take these trends into account.

It''s not just people in energy industries who are benefiting from the oil boom. Workers in industries such as construction, professional services, and accommodations now have great employment opportunities and higher wages.

In 2005, less than 2 percent of U.S. crude oil was produced through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. In 2013, the share was more than a third, and it continues to grow rapidly. The increases in gas production are no less startling. For a state like Montana, which sites astride the Bakken formation, it has been a sea change for the entire economy.

Q&A with Montana''s leading economists and industry experts on economic issues facing Montana.

Forecasts for the U.S. economy have called for sluggish growth this year, with better growth next year. But each year in this sluggish recovery, the goalposts are moved back and we must again wait for better growth "next year." Has "next year" finally arrived in 2014?

Reversing a decades-long trend, it was the rural, eastern counties that led the state in growth and the more populous western counties that suffered the steepest declines.

The economies of Butte and Anaconda have long been intertwined. Copper used to be the connecting link; it was mined in Silver Bow County and refined in Deer Lodge County. But now the connections is workers.

The Great Recession was barely noticeable in Hill County. There were only two years with little or no growth in income.

Much was expected of the Billings area economy at the beginning of the year. And for the most part, it has delivered.

Bureau of Business and Economic Research''s Annual report for fiscal 2012 - 2013 details the activities and finances for the year. Each of the BBER''s programs are reviewed and various research projects and publications are highlighted.

Q&A with Governor Steve Bullock on statewide economic issues and plans for his first year as governor.

Even as growth continues to spread and solidify across the state, important pieces of the economy remain far from healthy. The national economy will turn in a more sluggish growth performance this year. This and other global economic developments make us a bit more measured as we re-examine Montana''s growth prospects.

Migration had dramatic impacts on Montana during the past two decades, affecting the total population, its distribution between rural and urban areas, and composition by age, including school-age populations.

North Dakota is experiencing an oil boom that has increased total U.S. oil production as well as sheltered the state from the economic impacts of the Great Recession. Montana doesn''t have as much oil development activity as North Dakota, but is experiencing impacts of the development in Western North Dakota.

The BBER's Forest Industry Research Program is helping scientists determine whether they can develop ways to turn one of the region's most plentiful and underused commodities, wood waste, into jet fuel.

The 2013 economic outlook for Yellowstone County focuses on the importance of energy and wholesale trade. It forecasts continued growth in Yellowstone County.

Both coal and oil production have experienced ups and downs during the past decade. Even so, generally rising prices have meant that the contributions from the energy industries have been a growing contributor to state government revenues.

Announcing the Bureau's new Natural Resources and Energy Program that examines the trends, issues, and factors affecting the outlook for the energy sector in Montana.

Q & A with Bureau economists and industry experts throughout the state about the latest economic trends and forecasts, as well as the outlook for Montana's important sectors.

A lot of things started to fall into place for the recovering Montana economy in 2012. We estimate that the state economy grew by about 2.7 percent in 2012.

The past decade has been an economic roller coaster for Richland County. Annual growth rates ranged from a -7 percent to almost 19 percent. Most of the volatility can be traced to the Bakken oil boom and trends in the mining industry.

The direct and indirect impacts of the eastern Montana energy boom made for a short recession in Yellowstone County. There was one year of stagnation (2008) and one year of decline (2009) followed by accelerating growth in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

According to the report, "The Economic Impact of Increased Production at the Spring Creek Mine," commissioned by the Montana Chamber of Commerce, a proposed increase of coal production by 20 million tons at the mine owned by Cloud Peak Energy would more than double output at the facility and require expansion in capital and equipment, labor force and new purchases of resources such as electricity and work uniforms.

This report summarizes the findings of an investigation into the likely impacts on the Montana economy of a significant expansion in coal production at the Spring Creek mine operated by Cloud Peak Energy near Decker, Montana.

Montana entered 2012 with its energy sector constantly in the news. So where are we now? And more importantly, how do these possibilities influence the outlook for Montana's economy?

Annual report for the BBER covering the years activities and accomplishments featuring major projects from each of the program areas.

Forest managers need to know how much timber residue remains on site after a logging operation to predict feedstock potential for woody biomass energy uses and to gauge the efficiency of their operations. Logging utilization studies quantify the amount of growing stock volume cut and either delivered to the mill or left in the forest as logging residue at the state level. However, managers lack site-specific residue information that could be used to inform their prescription efforts. The authors used logging utilization data to develop predictive models that provide the residue information needs of land managers.

The trend in oil well permitting in Montana is up, and the state's energy future looks reasonably bright.

This is a study of the effects on the Montana economy of the development of Otter Creek coal in southeastern Montana. An assessment of the impact on employment, income, output, and population.

This press release announces the completion of an economic impact study conducted by Patrick Barkey. This study concludes that expansion of the Spring Creek coal mine would boost jobs, household income and tax revenues in Montana.

From 2000 to 2006, Montana's oil production more than doubled. Montana's geologic setting has long provided opportunities for successful exploration and development activities, and new technology has opened up billions of barrels of oil in the Bakken.

Along with the rest of the nation, Montana faces major energy challenges. Paul Deneault, vice president and co-owner of Big Sky Enviroproducts, has a few ideas that might help lessen the negative environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. Deneault will operate a Missoula-based distribution business with three areas of focus: clean burning propane lawn mowers, a fuel-saving gasoline and diesel reformulator and a lubricant that makes engines run more efficiently.