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.
Montana pesticide applicators and owners of agricultural establishments should pay special attention to new worker protection standard requirements as of January 2018. The US EPA published a revised Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) in 2015 to better protect agricultural workers from pesticide exposure. Revisions went into effect January 2, 2017; however, Montana pesticide applicators are reminded of a few revisions that recently went into effect January 1, 2018. The following paragraphs define the new 2018 requirements while providing additional WPS resources.
Most of the revised WPS requirements became effective on January 2, 2017. Three requirements went into effect January 2, 2018:
can be reviewed and ordered on the PERC website.
For general information on WPS, navigate to the EPA website or view the MSU PEP website. Complete WPS manuals titled “How to Comply with the 2015 Revised Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides: What Owners and Employers Need to Know” can be downloaded from the MSU PEP website or can be purchased from MSU Extension Distribution for $3. A manual for trainers titled: “National Worker Protection Standard: A Manual for Trainers of Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Handlers” is also available on the MSU PEP website.
Contact Amy Bowser, MSU Pesticide Education Technician (406-994-5178;
[email protected]) regarding WPS questions or Cecil Tharp, MSU Pesticide Education Specialist (406-994-5067; [email protected]) with other pesticide education questions.
Links
EPA WPS Website:
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/agricultural-worker-protection-standard-wps MSU PEP WPS Website: http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/wps/index.html
PERC Website: http://pesticideresources.org/wps/cp.html
The Montana State University College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station invite members of the agricultural community and the public to attend its first college-wide public forum, “College of Ag Connects” on Monday, Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The forum is slated to engage with the Montana agricultural community on current and local issues by highlighting relevant, ongoing college programs and projects in agricultural teaching, research, and Extension. Faculty from each of the college’s five academic departments will present overviews of their teaching and research, followed by a question and answer session. MSU Vice President of Agriculture Charles Boyer will deliver opening and closing remarks.
Tracy Dougher, associate dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture, said she hopes College of Ag Connects becomes an annual winter event for the college.
“As a cornerstone college of the land-grant mission at MSU, it’s important we continually provide face-to-face venues to connect with our partners and colleagues, in addition to digital means,” she said. “January is a good month to share updates on our diverse agricultural research and activity when most producers and agencies are preparing for the new year.”
College of Ag Connects will be held in Room 125 in Linfield Hall. Lunch costs $10 in MSU’s Miller Dining Hall, but the event is free and open to the public, though registration is encouraged. Registration forms can be found at http://bit.ly/2BJp4q1. Visitors are welcome to park in university parking lots designated SB and F for the day, as Jan. 15 is a federal holiday and MSU classes will not be in session and offices will be closed.
Patrick Hatfield, head of MSU’s Department of Animal and Range Sciences, organized a similar departmental meeting in past years with great success.
“Our annual meeting with the Stillwater Range Association stakeholders in the Animal and Range Sciences Department eventually grew to include presentations from other departments in the college, and we received requests to expand the program to the entire College of Agriculture, Experiment Station and Extension,” he said. “We’re glad to do just that and hope the event is an opportunity for dialogue and feedback on our programs and research.”
Hatfield said the event is modeled after summer field days in the Department of Research Centers, where seven remote MAES research centers host a day to share programs and research.
College of Ag Connects faculty presentations are as follows:
For more information, contact Patrick Hatfield at [email protected] or call 406-994-4850.
Source: MSU
The Montana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) is accepting applications for mini-grants and demonstration projects.
The mini-grants will provide funding for educational events throughout the year and support partners and organizations with an interest in the conservation, education, and awareness of grazing lands and natural resources in Montana.
Limit mini-grant funding requests to a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $1,000. There is no application deadline. Submissions will be considered year-round by the Montana GLCI steering committee.
“The GLCI mini-grants and demonstration projects help organizations to both test and implement advanced resource solutions, as well as educate Montanans young and old about those advancements and the value of our grazing lands,” said Kirt Walstad, Montana GLCI co-coordinator.
Demonstration project applications are due February 16, 2018. The current focus is on innovative projects addressing grazing management, soil and rangeland health, concentrated animal feeding operations/animal feeding operations, or noxious weeds on private Montana grazing lands.
Applications will be accepted from groups of individuals, non-governmental organizations, and state or local units of government. The Montana GLCI steering committee places special emphasis on cooperative efforts working with partners. Individual projects will be considered only if the project provides broad-scale, community-wide impacts and education.
Projects must be initiated in 2018. Funding will be allocated on an annual basis, which is dependent upon the yearly Montana GLCI budget allocation. Application submission does not guarantee project funding will be available. All applicants must show a one-to-one match for project cost.
Get more information about both the mini-grant and demonstration project funding opportunities, including application requirements and forms, at www.mtglci.org.
The Montana State University Pesticide Education Program (PEP) is coordinating five regional private applicator initial certification trainings across Montana. These seven-hour training opportunities are designed for individuals desiring to learn more about pesticides, while simultaneously qualifying for a Montana private applicator license. A private applicator license allows individuals to apply restricted use pesticides on land they own, rent or lease. Training opportunities are available within Northern Cheyenne Reservation (Lame Deer) on January 17th, Blackfoot Reservation (Browning) on January 30th, Stillwater County (Columbus) on February 1st, Fort Belknap Reservation (Harlem) on March 6th and Broadwater County (Three Forks) on March 15th.
Each program will cover many subject areas of interest including integrated pest management, pesticide movement in the environment, pesticide safety and toxicity, pesticide law, calibrating ground spray equipment, understanding the private applicator license, reading and understanding the pesticide product label. Montana State University and Montana Department of Agriculture trainers speaking at these events include Dr. Jane Mangold (MSU Rangeland Weed Specialist), Dr. Cecil Tharp (MSU Pesticide Education Specialist), Amy Bowser (MSU Pesticide Education Technician), Theresa Schrum (MDA District Officer), Diana DeYoung (MDA District Officer) and Michaela Hystad (MDA District Officer). Surrounding MSU Extension county and tribal agents will also be assisting with many of the presentations.
Cost and Private Applicator Credit Opportunities
The registration fee varies by location with Lame Deer ($15), Harlem (Free), Columbus ($15), Browning (Free), and Three Forks ($27). This fee (when applicable) covers necessary manuals, speaker costs, and a catered lunch. Private applicators may attend the entire program for 6 private pesticide recertification credits. Attendees will qualify for a private applicator pesticide license by attending the entire event. Once qualified, individuals may send in a new applicator permit with license payment to the Montana Department of Agriculture to attain their Montana private applicator license. Attendees are strongly urged to pre-register as space is limited. See initial pesticide training details on the following page:
Initial Training Details and Registration
| Date | Host | Location | Info | Fee | Registration |
| 3/15/2018 | MSU PEP
Broadwater County |
Three Forks Headwaters Livestock Auction
25 Wheatland Road |
Agenda | $27 | Online
994-5178 |
| 3/6/2018 | MSU PEP
Ft. Belknap Reservation |
Harlem
FBIC Transportation Building 258 Agency Main St. |
Agenda | Free | Online 994-5178 |
| 2/1/2018 | MSU PEP
Stillwater County |
Columbus Columbus Fire and Rescue
944 E Pike Street |
Agenda | $15 | Online 994-5178 |
| 1/30/2018 | MSU PEP
Blackfeet Reservation |
Browning
Glacier Peaks Hotel 46 Museum Loop |
Agenda | Free | Online 994-5178 |
| 1/17/2018 | MSU PEP
Northern Cheyenne Reservation |
Lame Deer Charging Horse Casino
½ US 212 |
Agenda | $15 | Online 994-5178 |
Follow the links above for location-specific agendas and registration or use the full links below. • Agendas: http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/pat/education/initial.html
• Registration: http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/event.html
Contact Amy Bowser (406-994-5178; [email protected]) regarding registration questions or Cecil Tharp (406-994-5067; [email protected]) with other pesticide education questions.
A new generation of consumers is getting to know beef through the new beef checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. campaign, launched in October. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its introduction, the iconic brand has been refreshed, celebrating its reintroduction to a variety of today’s consumers, channel partners and food influencers.
State beef councils are beginning to extend the campaign’s content and features, educating and exciting their states’ consumers about the many benefits beef provides to their lives.
Of special interest to state councils has been the campaign’s “Rethink the Ranch” anthem video and related video spots, showcasing real, hard-working farmers and ranchers from around the country. Nationally, the videos have generated more than 765,000 video views to date, and reached more than 3.5 million consumers. State beef councils have downloaded various Rethink the Ranch content for use on their own social media properties and through other consumer and thought leader outreach.
“Our state and national partnership is particularly valuable to Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., as the campaign showcases the people behind beef as well as beef’s powerful nutrition story,” according to Alisa Harrison, senior vice president for Global Marketing and Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. “Our team travelled across the United States to capture and develop the most factual and thoughtful stories about how today’s beef is brought from the cattle raiser to the dinner table. Together with the information about the high-quality beef being delivered, it’s a message that’s compelling to consumers today.”
Councils in several states, including Kansas and Missouri, will be promoting the Rethink the Ranch anthem video in a YouTube campaign launching mid-January. The Ohio Beef Council is producing its own video series to bring to life local producer stories, and is using the familiar sound of Copland’s Rodeo music and the new Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. logo in its own state materials.
Nationally, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. team has reached more than 20 million people in the first quarter of this fiscal year (starting Oct. 1) with positive messaging about beef. Overall, more than 2 million people visited the BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com website from Oct. 3 to Dec. 18, 2017. The team has successfully driven web traffic to the Raising Beef section of the website to encourage visitors to view the Rethink the Ranch videos, with almost 400,000 page views since the launch. Those people stayed on website pages 42 percent longer (compared to 2016), and the Raising Beef section – core content for the relaunch campaign – became the second top viewed section of the site, right after the recipes.
Retailers, foodservice operators and other beef marketers are also being engaged and encouraged to learn more about beef and feature it more often through one-on-one outreach and through a LinkedIn campaign, which targeted business decision-makers. Major media outreach has resulted in more than 30 million impressions for the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. relaunch, including a major story in the Wall Street Journal online and print editions.
The effort is also reaching out to food and health influencers, such as registered dietitians, bloggers and doctors, to share the positive information about the brand and website. More than 36,000 health professionals have been reached through outlets such as Nutrition 411, a popular e-newsletter for dietitians.
“Teamwork has always been an element of pride for the cattle and beef industry,” said Harrison. “With this campaign, we’re able to celebrate and capitalize on our state and national partnership and make the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand as broad, extensive and cost-effective as possible.”
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The Federation of State Beef Councils is a division of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A series of soil health workshops aimed at helping Montana producers learn new strategies and techniques for improving soil health on their land will be held across the state January 16-19, 2018. Attendees will learn how to add biological inputs to their operations to increase yield, decrease chemical inputs, and improve the resilience and health of their soils. Practices such as no-till (including potato and beet rotations), intensive grazing, diverse rotations, cover crops, and more will be discussed in the context of actual working farms and ranches.
The practice of improving soil health on farms and ranches is a movement that is sweeping across the nation. These workshops will introduce soil health principles for producers both large and small who are interested in improving the soil health on their land. The workshops will also talk about practical ways to implement soil health practices effectively, and how improving soil health can ultimately increase production and bottom lines.
Workshop dates: (Click on the speaker’s name for their bio)
| 1/16 | Three Forks | The Gathering Place | Brendon Rockey and Steve Kenyon |
| 1/17 | Great Falls | Holiday Inn | Brendon Rockey and Wendy Taheri |
| 1/18 | Billings | Big Horn Resort | Brendon Rockey and Steve Kenyon |
| 1/19 | Miles City | Sleep Inn | Steve Kenyon and Wendy Taheri |
| 1/19 | Sidney | Richland County Fairgrounds Event Center | Brendon Rockey and Derek Axten |
These workshops are presented by Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Montana, NRCS, and Montana Soil & Water Conservation Society.
Those interested in attending should register in advance at swcdm.org/soil-health. Workshops are $15 online through January 8, and $20 at the door. Doors open at 8am, and workshops begin at 9am and end in the mid afternoon. Contact Ann McCauley, 406-443-5711, with questions or to inquire about sponsor and vendor opportunities.
The Public Lands Council (PLC) today opened applications for the Nick Theos Scholarship Program, offering qualified college students a unique opportunity to attend the PLC 2018 Spring Legislative Conference April 10 – 12 in Washington, D.C.
Selected scholarship recipients will join conference attendees as they meet with members of Congress, federal government agency officials, and leading policy influencers to communicate policy priorities of the public land ranching industry.
Two Nick Theos scholarships are available for 2018. The scholarships include a $250 stipend, hotel accommodations, and complimentary conference registration. While PLC is unable to pay for travel in full, additional sponsorships to help cover travel costs are encouraged.
Nick Theos, a founding member of PLC and lifetime supporter of the livestock industry, passed away on April 11th, 2013, at the age of 92. The scholarship was created by the Theos family to encourage the next generation to engage in the policy issues facing public lands ranching.
Application Details:
Interested students should complete an online application by February 9, 2018. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in public lands ranching.
Questions may be directed to Allie Nelson, 406-231-3328, [email protected].
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 27 members to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. Two Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) members were among the appointees. Turk Stovall of Billings, Mont. and Katie Cooper of Willow Creek, Mont. will serve three-year terms on the Board.
“We are thrilled to have Turk and Katie represent Montana on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board,” said Errol Rice Executive Vice President of MSGA, “They are proven leaders in Montana and will be excellent advocates for the Beef Checkoff at the national level.”
Stovall and Cooper will be joining MSGA member, Lynda Grande of Columbus, Mont. who is currently serving a three-year term.
The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board is composed of 99 members, all of whom are beef producers or importers of cattle, beef or beef products. The board is authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) recently recognized Connie Townsend of White Sulphur Springs, Mont. as “Ranching Woman of the Year”. The announcement was made Wednesday, December 13 during the 133rd MSGA Annual Convention and Trade Show in Billings.
Connie (Niebel) Townsend grew up on the family farm and ranch in Four Corners. After attending school in Bozeman, she graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Home Economics.
She married Herb Townsend in 1954 and they made their home in White Sulphur Springs, where Herb was the County Extension Agent. There they raised three children: Tod, Trent, and Teri on the family ranch. She now enjoys the title of grandmother and great-grandmother.
Connie worked for the Beef Checkoff for eleven years; she was part of the Nutrition Coalition where she was instrumental in the introduction of serving breakfast in public schools through the state. She served as Chairwoman of the Agriculture in Montana Schools Foundation which today give Montana students a greater awareness of the contribution of agriculture to their lives and their community.
Connie remains active in Townsend Ranch and within the community. She is a member of the Hobby Club, helps at the Food Bank and is very active in her local church. Congratulations to Connie Townsend, an advocate of agriculture, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, and friend!
The Ranching Woman of the Year award is an annual honor presented during MSGA’s Annual Convention and Trade Show. Contact the MSGA office at (406) 442-3420 to find out how you can nominate someone for next year’s recognition. To learn about previous honorees, visit mtbeef.org/ranching-woman.
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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit organization representing 1,500 members, strives to serve, protect and advance the economic, political, environmental and cultural interests of cattle producers, the largest sector of Montana’s number one industry – agriculture.