Collegiate Montana Stockgrowers MSU Northern Convention
December 14, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Zoetis Cattlemen’s College offers ranchers interactive learning

Collegiate Montana Stockgrowers MSU Northern Convention

See more blog coverage from the 129th Annual Stockgrowers Convention by clicking here.

By Hollyn Cardani and Kaleb Fisher, Montana State University – Northern Collegiate Stockgrowers members.

Friday at the Stockgrowers Convention the MSU-Northern Collegiate Stockgrowers group attended the Zoetis Cattlemen’s college workshop, “Zoetis Ranch.” Out of all the workshops we have attended throughout the week, this one was by far the most interactive.

A few of things Larry and Dan taught our group was about “Progeny Equivalents are used to describe the amount of effect that DNA analysis has on EPD accuracy. To achieve a comparable amount of EPD predictability and accuracy, an Angus animal would have to have the following amount of actual progeny (calves) performance information recorded and submitted.”

Also we played a game where we got put into groups and had to play three separate breeding and marketing seasons with different priorities. In the game we had five different bulls to choose from with all different qualities. The first season you had to purchase two bulls so the first season you wanted to pick the two bulls that would produce the best weaning weight.

After the first year you could either sell your two bulls and buy two new ones or keep the ones that you had already in season one but for the second year you wanted the highest Yearling Weight. So after the second year the goal was to purchase the best two bulls that would produce the best Dollar Beef when there are going to be marketed.

The Cattlemen’s College workshops are a great opportunity for ranchers interactive learning with tools available in the industry today. It is definitely a great way to learn how to apply those tools in their own businesses.

Zoetis Cattlemens College Montana Stockgrowers Convention

Related articles

 

December 13, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

NCBA and PLC Update from Rachel Abeh

Rachel Abeh

Rachel Abeh

Be sure to hear more from Rachel today in the Tax, Finance and Ag Policy Committee meeting.

By Rachel Abeh, MSU Collegiate Stockgrower, NCBA and PLC intern

In conclusion of my internship with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) I had the opportunity to head back west to present the NCBA policy report to Montana Stockgrowers members.

While working with NCBA and PLC I had a first-hand opportunity to see the legislative process at work. The internship was a great experience and gave me a chance to engage in beef policy at the national level. Additionally, my time at NCBA further solidified my interests in pursuing a career in the policy arena.

I worked closely with PLC, dealing with western issues—some of the most important to Montana’s producers. While at first I was a little skeptical about going to Washington, seeing the impacts of the work NCBA and PLC do for folks at home made it worthwhile.

It was exciting for me because NCBA really champions the beef industry in D.C. There is no doubt other groups engage; however, the caliber of professionals NCBA has on staff are bar-none. I was able to work with and learn from a great group of industry leaders and I really saw the Cattlemen excel—even other animal ag groups on the Hill, which made me proud to be an NCBA member and their intern.

NCBA policy is membership-driven and it was exciting for me to know I was engaging on issues that matter to farmers and ranchers across the country. NCBA’s top priority remains the Farm Bill; unfortunately, during my time in D.C. the bill didn’t pass. However, NCBA continues to advocate for passage, which will hopefully happen this January—ensuring stability for producers. Programs such as: Disaster Assistance, a Research title, and Conservation title.

Additionally, NCBA keeps vigilant over other issues impacting our industry such as tax and trade. A victory this past year was the estate tax exemption level at $5 million per individual and $10 per couple. NCBA worked closely with Baucus to champion this effort and continues to support full repeal of the “Death Tax.”

While I was in Washington, a feat for the industry took place as the Grazing Improvement Act passed the Senate. This is something important to western producer so it was exciting to attend the hearing and the meetings that came before passage.

NCBA also works closely with Montana’s delegation; in fact, NCBA continues to support Steve Daines as he works for Montana’s industry. I never realized how Montana’s issues were represented in D.C. but there is no doubt that NCBA and PLC are working for producers in this state.

November 27, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Top 5 ways Collegiates gain from being engaged

MSGA Collegiate Stockgrowers Montana State Northern HavreLast week, I had the opportunity to travel to our Collegiate Stockgrowers meetings in both Bozeman and Havre. Both groups are preparing for Thanksgiving break and Final Exams. The visit was a good chance to meet many of our members, remind them of the benefits of being a Montana Stockgrowers Student member and the advantage of networking and learning opportunities at our upcoming Convention.

Our Collegiate members are inspired and engaged members of their respective University communities. Although they may come from different areas of the state and study programs, they have a common interest in being a part of the ranching community.

Supporting our Young and Collegiate members lends itself to the strengthening of MSGA in the years to come. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. Every opportunity we can use to help them gain more experience and leadership skills, the better prepared they will be for what lies ahead.

What advice do I have to give to Collegiate members looking for opportunities with Montana Stockgrowers?

  1. Take advantage of networking opportunities. Events like our upcoming Annual Convention are the best opportunity you will have to meet leaders within our ranching community. Find out what changes are occurring within the ranching community through these events and learn how they may affect you.
  2. Introduce yourself and leave an impression. Give a firm handshake, look people in the eye, and try your best to remember names. You never know who you may be talking to and leaving a good impression with the right people will pay off down the road.
  3. Seek hands-on experiences outside your comfort zone. It may seem very uncomfortable at the time, but learning how others work in your industry and gaining a better idea of the larger picture helps you understand more about what you want to do for a career and why you want to do it. Internships on different ranching operations was the best thing I ever did to learn more about how I want to shape my future in the ranching community.
  4. Find a mentor. Look for people you want to be like and are respected in their circles and abroad. Find someone who is willing to answer questions and gives you encouragement to learn more. Those connections made through mentorship will last a lifetime. MSGA offers a Mentorship program that will connect you with some of the best leaders in Montana’s ranching community.
  5. Have fun, but stay focused. You’re  only young once. Enjoy it, but don’t let a fun night out wreck what you’ve worked so hard to obtain. Take advantage of opportunities to branch out. You can always return home, but when you’re young, it’s easier to travel and explore the opportunities offered to you.

Montana State University Collegiate Stockgrowers logoLevel of student involvement is highly correlated to student success and development that last well beyond the days of college life. Encouraging our younger generations to get involved in groups like Collegiate Stockgrowers sets us (and them) up for a brighter future.

As a person not far removed from my college undergraduate days, I am very thankful for the mentors I have and those members of the ranching community who gave me opportunity and advice.

What advice do you have for younger members of the ranching community?

Younger members, what development opportunities would you like to see most through a Stockgrowers program?

Related articles
Big Kenny of Big and Rich Thanks Farmers on Southwest Airlines flight to Nashville BNA
November 19, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

“Big” Supporter of Farmers & Ranchers

By Lauren Chase, Montana Stockgrowers Association

220px-Big_rich_sahrac_coverWhen I think of the Grammy Award-winning country band Big & Rich, I can’t help but sing-shout: “Save a horse, ride a cowboy!” This song is a feel-good, up-beat tune that is recognizable from when the first “dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-daaaa” is sung. I can even remember it being one of the warm-up songs before my high school basketball game.

While this song is what most people associate with Big and Rich, this week, I got to see the band in a new light.

I was on a flight from Las Vegas to Nashville after Ryan and I presented at the Idaho Cattle Association’s Convention and Trade Show. It was my first experience flying Southwest Airlines and was still getting the hang of picking out your own seat. Naturally, only the middle seats were left when I boarded so I nestled between two guys, both jamming out with their expensive-looking headphones.

The man on my left leaned over and started talking to the man on my right, referencing last night’s concert. Intrigued, I asked: “Are you guys in a band?” The man on my left said, “Well, sort of. I’m the drummer for Big & Rich.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” I replied. We talked for a while about the pressures of being a professional musician and frankly, I now have a new-found respect for the music scene. That night in Nashville, he was supposed to learn an entire set-list of songs for a new country singer so he put his headphones on and started practicing his drumming. I then decided to start editing video from the Idaho Cattle Convention. A man across the aisle wearing bell-bottom jeans, a fitted corduroy jacket, a bandana and trucker’s cap that said “Electro Shine” on it leaned over and asked if those guys were being mean to me. I smiled and said, “No, everyone is getting along just fine. We’re all being creative!” He asked what I was working on and I explained that I work for the beef industry in promotions…thinking he would say some nicety and then turn back to his group. But his reply was shocking: “I LOVE CATTLE!”

Kenny and LaurenThat sparked further conversation about how his father runs a cattle farm in Virginia and how he loved growing up on the farm. The drummer whispered to me that this man was Kenny, the “Big” of Big & Rich. I felt dumb, but I was excited that I got to meet him!

As the flight went on, I showed him my coffee table book, Big Sky Boots…and he just loved it! We talked more about the cattle industry and how he does charity livestock auctioneering at the local sale barn. Kenny had questions about grazing, nutrition and profitably.  It was really refreshing to see someone who travels to many metropolitan cities and interacts with thousands of people, name off many breeds of cattle and be genuinely interested in learning more about the industry.

We de-planed at BNA and as a favor to cattlemen, he let me record the video below. Help me to thank Kenny (catch him on Twitter @BigKennyTV) for supporting America’s farmers and ranchers!

 

Wolf Creek Montana Mountains Cattle Grazing Snow
November 14, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Cowboy Poetry – 20% Chance of Flurries

Winter isn’t too far off and many of us have already experienced the first snow of the season. As I am settling into the routines and adjustments of living in a Northern climate, I’m learning that even a small chance of snow flurries can easily turn into a dusting of white on the ground overnight.

This season be sure to send us your photos, videos, and stories of Montana ranch life during the winter. We would love to share them through all of our online channels.

We thought the following Cowboy Poem was appropriate as we headed into colder weather. We never know what the weather may bring. Enjoy and stay safe out there!
–Ryan Goodman

Wolf Creek Montana Mountains Cattle Grazing Snow

20% of Flurries
By Jeff Anslinger

As we headed out to start the day
We noticed the sky was turnin’ gray

A cold north wind had started to blow
And we knew that by noon there’d be snow

Now I’ll admit it’s early spring
And a man never knows what the weather will bring

But most of the calves are already born
And just last week the sheep were shorn

Then the blizzard blew in like a demon from hell
How much snow we’d get was hard to tell

So towards the shelter we pushed the stock
But the snow was a driftin’ by two o’clock

Then the sheep went to millin’ and the cattle bunched tight
But like madmen against nature we kept up the fight

We were yellin’ and whippin’ with our catch ropes
But as the blizzard raged on, there sank our hopes

Across our saddles we carried calves to the shed
And prayed to God that by morning they all wouldn’t be dead

We made it to the house, but our hopes they were gone
Then the blizzard blew out just before dawn

For we knew the battle we had lost
But then first light showed us the cost

My heart was sinkin’n while I was on the saddle
Countin’ dead sheep and draggin’ frozen cattle

But in my mind some words still remain
This weatherman’s little rhyming refrain

Stockmen and ranchers, you have no worries
It’s only a 20% chance of flurries.

—Jeff Anslinger is a Cowboy Poet from Northwest Missouri.

Cowboy Salute to Veterans Day 2013
November 11, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Happy Veterans Day!

Many offices are closed today and there are still plenty of chores to be done, but that does not stop us from tipping our hats to the men and women who have so bravely served for their country.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
— John F. Kennedy

Cowboy Salute to Veterans Day 2013

C.R. Morrison Bronze Sculpture Texas Tradition
November 7, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Collegiates Raffle Morrison Bronze Scultpture

The Collegiate Stockgrowers at Montana State in Bozeman are selling raffle tickets for a bronze sculpture by Montana artist, C.R. Morrison. The sculpture, titled “Texas Tradition”, was donated by Julie Boyer. Proceeds of the raffle go to help CSG with costs of the club educational opportunities and guest speakers.

C.R. Morrison Bronze Sculpture Texas Tradition

The drawing for the sculpture will take place at MSGA Annual Convention and Trade Show on Saturday, December 14th. Contact MSU-Bozeman CSG via email ([email protected]) or find them on Facebook for more details.

Walker MIlhoan Montana Collegiate Stockgrowers
October 29, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

What is the value in Mentorship?

Walker MIlhoan Montana Collegiate StockgrowersThe first group of participants in the Montana Stockgrowers Mentorship program will be announced at Annual Convention this year. This program will be a great opportunity for seasoned members of the Montana ranching community to mentor some younger members and help guide their journey as becoming members of the industry. One of the participants is Walker Milhoan.

Walker is a Collegiate Stockgrowers member at the University of Montana in Missoula. Here is a brief Q&A with Walker about participating in the Mentorship program. Applications for both Mentors and Mentees are due November 1

Why do you want to participate in the Mentorship program?

Walker: It has been my life’s goal to call myself a “rancher.” This is all I have ever wanted to do, and fortunately for me, I wasn’t born into the lifestyle. I say “fortunately” because not being born into the ranching business has forced me to think of it in a way that someone who has a lot of tradition behind them might not. It’s not second nature to me, therefore I have to think out and analyze every piece of the puzzle, and this is where a solid mentor can be a great deal of help. Since I can’t always rely on my own intuition and experience, I must fall back on someone who can.

What do you hope to gain while participating as a “Mentee”?

I hope to gain a better understanding of the minutia that comes with cattle business. For example: I was helping this rancher from Helmville ship calves last summer and we were trying to piece together the most similar ones to send to the truck. I thought I had done a good job of pairing up these two steer calves when Dan sorted one of them off and said, “that one has piece of Burdock behind his ear, he came from a different pasture, don’t send him.” I wouldn’t have thought of this in a million years, but Dan did, and it’s those little things that can add up in a hurry. Ranching requires a million little nuances like this everyday and having a solid mentor can help a greenhorn like myself stay out of some of the weeds.

What value do you gain from Mentorship programs? Any suggestions for those who want to become involved?

Montana State University Collegiate Stockgrowers logo
October 22, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

MSU Collegiate Stockgrowers host Reception

Montana State University Collegiate Stockgrowers logoCome join us during MSU’s Celebrate Ag!! Weekend for our 2nd Annual Collegiate Stockgrower Reception! It will be Friday, October 25 from 5-6pm in the first floor lobby of the Animal Bioscience Building. We will have appetizers and drinks, as well as guest speakers! We will be selling raffle tickets for a CR Morrison Bronze.

Contact us at [email protected] or call John Henry at 406-853-4938 for questions or bronze tickets. Hope to see you there! Bring a friend, or two!

Digital Cafe Social Media tips
October 15, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Digital Cafe: Using Facebook to share your story

When we share, we all benefit.

Facebook’s mission is: “to make the world more open and connected.” I believe we have a similar mission at the Stockgrowers to connect Montana ranchers with each other and to the greater public. According to Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s goal is to “give everyone in the world the best personalized newspaper we can,” and in order to create this experience for users, Facebook continually updates its look and its features. In the last months, Facebook has pushed for a greater emphasis on visuals, with changes in their News Feed content and dimensions of wall photos. The trend for story telling is through images. No longer is a text status update the “best” way to communicate.

What does this mean for MSGA? In order to continue to tell the story of Montana’s ranchers, we need more visuals. I have been really excited these past few months because ranchers from across Montana have been sending in photos of haying and other summer ranch activities. Most of the time, these photos are taken simply with a smart phone and turn out great! I then post them on our Facebook page and almost immediately, the “likes” and comments start rolling in.

The more photos you send to me, the more we can tell the beef story and show life on a ranch. It creates a place where people can come and know that they will see authentic images of what is happening on ranches by the ranchers themselves.

There are many ways we can work together to tell our story:

  • Email your photos to: [email protected], indicating where the photos were taken and a brief caption
  • Send them as a message to the MSGA inbox found on our Facebook page
  • Upload the photos to your personal/business page and tag MSGA
  • Tweet them to us at @MTStockgrowers

As always, if I’ve thoroughly confused you, please feel free to call or write with any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing more photos from you all!

Digital Cafe Social Media tips