Affiliate Mentorship Program Brings Ranchers to Helena for Leadership Workshop

Affiliate Mentorship Program Brings Ranchers to Helena for Leadership Workshop

Montana Stockgrowers Association is in its second year of making a renewed effort to connect with Local Affiliate groups from across the state. The Affiliate Mentorship Program (AMP), which is designated as a three-year program, has been designed to connect the existing dots of communication between the Local Affiliates and MSGA. It encourages individual producers across the state to become involved in the outcome of their own destiny within the BEEF industry through their local affiliate and on to MSGA.

Our AMP program annual meeting took place this February with a two-day workshop held in Helena. 60 leaders, representing 15 Local Affiliate Associations from across the state were invited to learn more about what Montana Stockgrowers is doing for members on a state and national level. Attendees were also invited to provide feedback on improvements in communication and opportunities Local Affiliates would like to see from MSGA.

The leadership seminar is designed to empower individuals to engage by sharing their thoughts, ideas and concerns in a constructive manner to a constructive audience that can respond in a beneficial way and to become more familiar with how MSGA develops policy and strategies to continue to be an effective leader in the industry.

During the meeting, attendees had the opportunity to meet with the MSGA Board of Directors, hear from Executive Vice President, Errol Rice, gave an overview of MSGA’s structure and how information flows between state and local levels. Director of Natural Resources, Jay Bodner, informed the group on how MSGA handles policy issues during the legislative session and how MSGA works to give Montana ranchers representation on important policy and regulation changes. Manager of Communications, Ryan Goodman, introduced the group to the many ways MSGA is working to build communication channels within membership and to elevate the story of Montana ranchers.

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Renea Heinrich with MorganMeyers. Renea provided this year’s AMP participants with an educational platform on “Becoming Ambassadors for Agriculture: Changing the Conversation”. Participants learned how to become better ambassadors for agriculture by discovering how to tell their stories in ways that are meaningful to their audiences. The workshop continued to build on last year’s Thought Leadership session, beginning with a refresher on media training skills, and then moved into a discussion around what consumers want to know about animal agriculture and how to deliver that information in ways that will resonate. Attendees learned that transparency is vital in today’s world as is communicating through shared values.

The outcome of the AMP program is to make a more consistent connection between MSGA and the local affiliates. We want to convey the message of who we are and how we are tied together from the local to state levels and then to a national level through existing networking. AMP conveys the message that individuals shape conversations. Those who show up, indeed run the world, however, “It is shaped by those who speak up.”

The AMP program would not be possible without the support of generous sponsors. Special appreciation goes to Merck Animal Health, Montana Livestock Ag Credit Inc., along with the help of several additional private sponsors that wished to remain anonymous.