Montana Padlock Ranch Environmental Stewardship
October 9, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Padlock Ranch among regional Environmental Stewardship award winners

Montana Padlock Ranch Environmental StewardshipNCBA Press Release

DENVER – Seven cattle operations from across the country were recognized as 2013 regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winners during the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colo., today. The seven regional winners will compete for the national ESAP award, which will be announced during the 2014 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.

ESAP, now in its 23rd year, was created to recognize beef producers who make environmental stewardship a priority on their farms and ranches while they also improve production and profitability. The ESAP award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences; USDA-NRCS; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.

The regional winners are Mountain Meadows Farm, Sudbury, Vt.; Kissimmee Park Properties, St. Cloud, Fla.; BitterSweet Acres, Greenville, Iowa; Frank and Sims Price Ranch, Sterling City, Texas; Padlock Ranch Company, Ranchester, Wyo.; Kualoa Ranch, Kane‘ohe, Hawaii; and Gracie Creek Landowners Association, Burwell, Neb.

Regional and national award winners have been commended for their commitment to protecting the environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating profitable cattle operations. The common trait among all winners is the desire to leave the land in better shape for future generations while also inspiring the next generation of land stewards.

“America’s farmers and ranchers are passionate about their land, and it shows through conservation and environmental stewardship efforts,” said NCBA President Scott George. “The cattle industry is continually improving upon our environmental sustainability, and these seven finalists set an example that we should all strive to achieve. We look forward to naming one of these seven great cattle operations as our 2014 national ESAP award winner in Nashville next year.”

Montana Stockgrowers 2013 Film Festival Logo
October 8, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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2nd Annual Montana Stockgrowers Film Festival

Montana Stockgrowers 2013 Film Festival LogoOn any ranch, there are countless stories to be told. Get out your video cameras and help tell the story of Montana family ranching to the world. Create a documentary, photo slide shows, or how-to videos. As long as it involves ranching, we’ll take it. The videos will then be published on the MSGA YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Your online vote, along with votes at annual convention, will determine the winner. Don’t worry – you’ll get a prize for your hard work!

Please send your entries to Lauren either on a DVD or by email by NOVEMBER 1. If you need help editing your video or have any questions, please contact Lauren.

Fred Wacker Montana Cross Four Ranch
September 10, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Fred Wacker – Miles City Ag Producer of the Year

The Fred Wacker family and Cross Four Ranch recently were recognized with the Ag Producer of the Year award for the Miles City area. The annual award, given by the Miles City Chamber of Commerce, recognizes a family or agriculture operation in Southeastern Montana who exemplify good agricultural production practices and a long-term commitment to the community.

Wacker is a third-generation Montana rancher. Cross Four Ranch operates in Custer and Rosebud Counties as a cow/calf, yearling, and a finished cattle operation. The entire Wacker family is involved in the operation and specializes in All Natural Cattle. Fred and his wife, Gwen, have four adult children: Sara Rehm, Julie Nowicki, Karen Martin, and Mike Wacker.

Fred Wacker was elected to the MSGA Board of Directors representing the Southeastern District in 2011.

Wacker has served as chairman of MSGA’s Marketing Committee is a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Live Cattle Marketing Committee, and served as Montana Cattle Feeders vice president, 2004-2005. Outside of the beef industry, Wacker has served on the Custer County Water & Sewer District Board (including four years as chairman), the Custer County Planning Board, and as president of the Miles City Kiwanis.

Montana Stockgrowers congratulates Mr. Fred Wacker and family for the recognition.

September 8, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSGA seeking nominations for “Ranching Woman of the Year”

Montana Stockgrowers Association will honor one of its members as “Ranching Woman of the Year” during Annual Convention in Billings, December 12-14. Please email Katie Stokes your nomination by November 1 with a letter of why you feel your Ranching Woman should be recognized.

September 8, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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2013-2014 Montana Cattle Directory

The 2013-2014 Seedstock and Commercial Cattle Directory is in! You’ll find information on Montana ranches, specifics on each ranch’s cattle, contact information, sale dates and much more! Be on the look out for your copy in the mail. If you don’t receive one, and would like one, call the MSGA office: (406) 442-3420.

Montana Stockgrowers Cattle Direcotry

Montana Stockgrowers Mentorship program
September 3, 2013 1 Comment Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Mentorship Program Applications

Montana Stockgrowers Mentorship programAs the average age of our ranching community grows older, opportunities for younger generations to learn valuable skills become increasingly important. One of the best avenues for younger ranchers to gain insight is through mentorship experiences. To facilitate this, MSGA is launching a Mentorship Program to pair a member of the Collegiate and Young Stockgrowers with a mentor in a similar field within the Montana beef industry. Mentor groups will be expected to communicate periodically and meet in person throughout the year. The hope is to build informal relationships where young producers can develop life skills and learning opportunities through one-on-one interactions with mentors.

Program Expectations

Participants in the program will interact and grow through meeting a series of expectations:

**Communicate though social media, telephone, or email
**CSG/YSG member should have a list of goals and discuss them with the mentor
**Meet in person at an event (MSGA convention, industry event in the area, etc)
**Organize one visit during the year — on the mentor’s ranch or business
**Answer survey questions every three months as a progress report
**Complete a reflection at the end of the year discussing what each other learned, how having a mentor/mentee benefits the beef industry, and a brief overview of interactions

Participants in the Mentorship program will be recognized at the annual convention upon completion.

To learn more about the program. contact Lauren Chase at the MSGA office, or by email ([email protected]). Complete the application below or download by clicking here. Applications are due by November 1, 2013.

Applications can be filled out here.

September 1, 2010 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Registration now open for the 7th Annual Young Ag Leadership Conference

Young Agriculture Leadership Conference Montana

Register now for the 2010 Young Ag Leadership Conference (YALC) October 1-3 at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge. This unique conference—a partnership between seven of Montana’s primary agricultural groups—allows young producers from throughout the state to come together across organization and commodity lines for hands-on workshops, discussion groups and networking.

The conference is designed for anyone ages 18-40 who is involved with or concerned about Montana’s agricultural industry. Conference hosts include Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Montana 4-H Foundation, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Montana FFA Foundation, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana State University College of Agriculture, and the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

“This conference is a great opportunity to showcase agricultural groups in Montana working toward the same goal of developing the industry’s next generation of leaders,” said Todd Smith, YALC planning committee chair. “We hope attendees walk away with a greater understanding of how important it is to get involved – for their industry and their future.”

The conference begins Friday, October 1 with registration beginning at 4 p.m. at the Rock Creek Resort, followed by a social, dinner and entertainment. Saturday will offer participants a selection of six different workshops, featuring presenters from the Cattle-Fax, the Center for Ag & Rural Banking, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the University of Nebraska and more. Workshops will include topics such as using social media to tell agriculture’s story, family communications/estate planning, a cattle industry outlook, utilizing “precision agriculture” technology, and tracking the activist to name a few. In addition, discussion groups led by organizational staff, state leaders and Congressional offices representatives will allow attendees to ask the tough questions about issues facing their industry. Dinner, entertainment by hypnotist Dr. Al Snyder and live music at the Bear Creek Saloon will round out Saturday’s events. Attendees are in for a real treat on Sunday morning as nationally-known speaker Trent Loos, will wrap up the conference with a can’t-miss keynote on the importance of being a champion for agriculture.

Cost of registration for the YALC is only $25, with all meals provided. The registration deadline is September 24. To register for the YALC go to http://www.mfbf.org/ or contact Sue Ann Streufert at (406) 587-3153 or [email protected] to receive a registration form.

August 5, 2009 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Young Stockgrowers announce third annual “Cattle Crawl” dinner tour in Billings

Helena – The Third Annual Cattle Crawl, a progressive beef dinner tour of the Windmill, Bistro Enzo, Rex and the Montana Rib and Chop House restaurants in Billings, Mont. will take place Sept. 13 this year. The Cattle Crawl is a project of the Young Stockgrowers committee of the Montana Stockgrowers Association to acquaint urban consumers with producers and to encourage foodservice establishments to feature beef in a creative way.

Tours will begin at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. at the Windmill, where diners will kick off the evening with a tenderloin kabob appetizer on a bed of parmesan mashed potatoes topped with a roasted red pepper sauce. The group will then board the bus to Bistro Enzo, where the chef will serve a traditional Greek salad with flank steak, roasted peppers, local feta, cucumber, and a lemon and oregano vinaigrette. The historic Rex restaurant will present a hanging tenderloin with a peppercorn sauce accompanied by au gratin potatoes and asparagus with a Hollandaise sauce. The second entrée from the Montana Rib and Chop House will feature a Southwestern skirt steak with grilled vegetables. The Cattle Crawl will then return to the Windmill for a chocolate mousse and berry parfait dessert and coffee. Wine will be available at each stop and participants will receive a commemorative wine glass.

The Cattle Crawl is made possible by Montana beef producers and their Checkoff dollars. Tickets are $75 per person or $140 per couple. For more information or to join the herd, please contact Rose Malisani at MSGA at (406) 442-3420. To learn more about Montana beef, please visit the Montana Beef Council website. To learn more about the Young Stockgrowers click here.