Are You a Young Rancher in Montana?

Join the Montana Young Stockgrowers Association!

If you are a young rancher in the state of Montana, consider a membership to the Young Stockgrowers Association. It’s a great way to meet your peers from across the state, learn from veteran MSGA leadership, and take part in several priceless opportunities during the year…from events to conferences. This group is made up of young ranchers, folks involved in the cattle business, students, and those who just want to meet new friends.

The Young Stockgrowers Association meets at both the Annual Convention in Billings and at the Mid-Year Meeting. Throughout the year, there are local YSG meetings, YSG-hosted events like the Cattle Crawl and Legislative Conference. Lacey Sutherlin – Stevensville – is the chair of the YSG during 2014 and Travis Brown – Sand Springs – is vice chair. Both would be more than happy to answer any questions or help you to get involved in YSG.

Travis had the opportunity to attend the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville last month as was mentioned earlier this week in his KRIRM Leadership feature. Today he’ll share with us a few more highlights from the trip.

Cattle Convention Perspective from Young Stockgrowers

Travis BrownIn February, at the CIC, I had the opportunity to attend on behalf of the Young Stockgrower Committee, and what a convention it was.  There was tremendous excitement for the beef business as cattlemen from across the country gathered in the midst of the highest market we have ever seen.  My personal favorite part of the convention is the trade show, the industry’s largest, and is all held within the massive Gaylord Opryland Hotel.  Businesses from across the country come to display the newest technologies in the industry, meanwhile there are live cattle demonstrations going on in the background, it is truly a sight to see.

Another highlight of the convention, and of particular interest to Young Stockgrowers are the Cattlemen’s Colleges, sponsored by Zoetis.  There are several different speakers brought in from all over the United States to discuss issues facing all parts of the beef business from the ranch gate, to the grocery store, and even around the Washington DC Beltway.  It is truly interesting to see what Millennials, consumers age 20-30, are interested in as they develop their tastes and preferences and how beef can meet their demands for the future.  Millennials are the largest generation, even bigger than the Baby Boomers, and making sure that they choose beef as their go to source for high quality, delicious, and nutritious protein will make a big difference.

Lastly the speakers and the cattle industry convention are absolutely incredible. From speakers about leadership like Capitan Phillips and Archie Manning to in-depth perspective from the true experts in the industry during the CattleFax Update there is great information to be heard.  There are some unique challenges and exciting opportunities facing the beef business as this winter draws to a close and everyone is looking forward to calving.

Find out more about the MSGA Young Stockgrowers program at mtbeef.org.

About Author

Montana Stockgrowers Association

The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit membership organization, has worked on behalf of Montana’s cattle ranching families since 1884. Our mission is to protect and enhance Montana ranch families’ ability to grow and deliver safe, healthy, environmentally wholesome beef to the world.

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