October 30, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Report highlights best practices in Montana ‘Beef to School’ partnerships

A team of Montana State University researchers, stakeholders and community partners known as the Montana Beef to School Project has written a case study report to help Montana beef producers, meat processors, schools and communities explore what factors make beef to school programs successful and encourage the use of local beef in every Montana school. The report was released online this week to coincide with National Farm to School Month in October.

‘Farm to school’ efforts are increasing nationwide and, as beef is one of Montana’s top agricultural products, ‘beef to school’ efforts are increasing in Montana, according to Carmen Byker Shanks, assistant professor in the MSU Department of Health and Human Development and principal investigator of the USDA Western SARE-funded Montana Beef to School Project.

Montana has just over one million residents, approximately 2.5 million cattle, thousands of beef producers, approximately 20 state and federally inspected beef processors and about 145,000 students across 821 schools, Byker Shanks noted.

“Beef is a natural component of farm to school efforts in Montana,” she said.

At the same time, schools, processors and ranchers are facing successes and challenges when attempting to make beef to school programs viable, Byker Shanks noted. Between 2015 and 2018, the Montana Beef to School Project is developing an operational framework and toolkit to decrease barriers and increase opportunities for Montana beef to school efforts. The case study report is one output of that work.

“These case studies provide lessons learned for producers, processors and schools when entering beef to school partnerships,” Byker Shanks said. “We want this report to contribute to understanding how to make farm to school generally more feasible in Montana. Farm to school programs are one way to ensure that students are connected with their state’s local agriculture and that meals provided at lunch are high in nutrients for optimum growth and development.”

Joel Schumacher, co-principal investigator of the Montana Beef to School Project and MSU Extension economics specialist, said the case studies are designed to highlight the needs of all key stakeholders in the beef to school process and inform strategies to make it easier to offer local beef to Montana schools. The partnerships represented in the case study span six school districts (Dillon, Hinsdale, Kalispell, Livingston, Somers Lakeside, Whitefish) that include 28 schools and 11,149 students, two producers (Lazy SR Ranch and Muddy Creek Ranch), two processors (Lower Valley Processing and Ranchland Packing) and one integrated producer and processor (Bear Paw Meats).

“Producers and processors seem very open to working with schools and expressed pride in the quality of products and services they could offer,” said Tommy Bass, co-principal investigator of the Montana Beef to School Project and MSU Extension livestock environment associate specialist. “While a variety of local beef supply chain models were documented in the case study, all included community values, trust and economic potential as key to beef to school partnerships.”

The Montana Beef to School Project is a three-year collaborative project between several Montana beef producers and processors, schools and many stakeholders represented in the Montana Beef to School Coalition. It is funded by a $220,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

The case study report was authored by Byker Shanks and Janet Gamble at MSU Food and Health Lab in the College of Education, Health and Human Development’s Department of Health and Human Development, Bass and Schumacher of MSU Extension, Aubree Roth of Montana Farm to School, and Demetrius Fassas and Mallory Stefan of National Center for Appropriate Technology. An additional list of report reviewers and contributors is listed on page two of the case study report.

The report, “Moooooving Forward Together: Strategies for Montana Beef to School,” can be downloaded at http://www.montana.edu/mtfarmtoschool/beeftoschool.html.

For more information, contact Byker Shanks at [email protected].

Contact: Carmen Byker Shanks, (406) 994-1952 or [email protected]

Source: MSU News Service

conservation applications
October 29, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Producers in 14 Montana Counties Eligible for 2016 Livestock Forage Disaster Program

Livestock producers in 14 Montana counties have until Jan. 30, 2017 to enroll in the 2016 Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)

Eligible 2016 LFP counties include Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers in qualifying counties for drought on dryland pasture. Eligible livestock producers must own or lease dryland pasture physically located in a qualifying county and eligible livestock must use this ground during the normal grazing period for the county. The following 14 counties have met the qualifying drought criteria for 2016 in Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Livestock eligible for LFP include alpacas, beef cattle over 500 lbs, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the county’s grazing period.

Eligible land includes dryland native pasture, improved pasture, and small grains, annual ryegrass and forage sorghum planted specifically for grazing.   Irrigated acres used for grazing or aftermath grazing are not eligible under this program.

If all eligibility requirements are met, livestock producers in Carter County will receive for four monthly payments; livestock producers in the following 13 counties will receive one monthly payment: Big Horn, Carbon, Fallon, Flathead, Granite, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, Park, Powder River, Powell, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Teton.

Livestock producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA office with any questions regarding eligibility.

Producers must complete an application and provide supporting documentation for 2016 losses by Jan. 30, 2017. Please contact the local FSA office ASAP to schedule an appointment to begin the application process and for questions on FSA programs.  For more information, visit Montana FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/mt and www.usda.gov/disaster.

LFP Factsheet (pdf)

Source:  Northern Ag Network

October 28, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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CME Working Group Update

Jim Fryer

Written by Jim Fryer | Hobson, MT

Our cattle industry is going through one of the most dramatic price declines in decades. Similar events are also occurring across many different commodities, from wheat to oil. Several years of record high prices building upon momentum from the previous decade have led to a surge in supplies. At the same time, macroeconomic conditions throughout the world face challenges we have yet to fully grasp. We know full well, in our industry, that it takes longer for our biological process to ramp production. This has left many reeling from overall deflation while the expansion of the cowherd has only just begun.

Lying in the middle of this malaise are the futures markets where a variety of firms anticipate forward prices for our commodity products. Price volatility is running higher than the last 30-40 years and many cattle buyers struggle with 5-10% price changes, both up and down, in short timeframes. Price bids in the country reflect the same uncertainty. This action incited the NCBA to expand their Cattle Marketing and International Trade Committee to identify problems and advocate changes with the CME’s live cattle futures contract. The NCBA accepted Montana Stockgrowers’ recommendation that I join the CME Working Group. It is an honor to be chosen to represent our industry in such a significant endeavor.

Our group assembled in early August with 26 members including Craig Uden, NCBA President-elect, as the chair. We divided into three subgroups: 1) Contract Specifications, 2) Price Discovery and 3) Price Volatility. Each subgroup conferenced several times to organize and prioritize issues within each component. I joined the Price Volatility subcommittee tasked with evaluating short-term price change and identifying pitfalls.
Following remote efforts and teleconferencing, our entire working group met in Washington D.C. during the first week of October. Our goal was to present our concerns and requests to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. The CFTC is the self-regulating agency supervising the CME while the Committee on Agriculture oversees the CFTC. The CME also traveled to D.C. to present price action data and information that the NCBA requested earlier this year.

Intention is one major theme that my subcommittee and I carried to D.C. Of the approximate 50,000 semi loads of fat cattle that trade daily in Chicago, there are many more bids to buy and offers to sell (quotes). The intention of honoring that specific bid or offer at that precise price is unknown.
Often, the bid-offer will disappear in microseconds. We want a clear answer from the CME that each bid-offer has the intention to fulfill true price discovery. Lack of intention (spoofing) is an illegal practice used by malign entities to disrupt real prices. I agree the CME must effectively enforce current spoofing rules and increase the punishment for illegal actions.

The contract specifications group is working to balance quality grades of the futures contract with industry standards. Evolution in feeding practices and technology in general has slowly pushed beef production into more choice grade carcasses. This group will be working with the CME to increase the number of choice cattle per semi load while advocating for a dynamic contract that will further reflect industry changes in a more timely fashion.

Another major component of our economic condition is price discovery. This theme runs in every current of our beef and cattle industries. The subcommittee tasked with this topic is pushing for more transparency and frequency of negotiated cash trade. As more cattle go on formula and industry average base contracts, the number of cattle setting the price foundation is dwindling. Several key players throughout the Midwest will be listing their cattle on Superior Livestock’s new Fed Cattle Exchange. This venue allows sellers of fat cattle to interact real-time with packers bidding on showlists in a public domain.

Currently, the auction is held mid morning on Wednesday to avoid a last minute rush to price cattle late on Friday after the futures market is closed for the week. As participation increases, it is likely another auction will be held on Tuesday or Thursday. That threshold is within reach following this week’s record participation.

From our meeting in Washington D.C., it is clear that our industry is getting attention. The CFTC stated our comments reflect similar conversations with other industries and that we should continue pushing for resolve with the CME. It is also encouraging to see more fat cattle going on a transparent showlist that has active packer bids. This is perhaps the single greatest opportunity. Let’s ensure we are setting the best price possible for all our formula and base contracts. We must dedicate more volume to the price setting process. At the same time, we will keep pressure on the CME to ensure malignant participants cannot place orders with no intention of honoring. I will have more information on our progress in the coming months.

In response to the recent market volatility, MSGA nominated Jim Fryer of Hobson, MT to serve on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) / Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) working group. This working group has been tasked with investigating inconsistencies in the cash cattle market and ensuring a level playing field for all market participants. Jim Fryer lives in Hobson, MT with his wife, Heather, and their three children. Jim has decades of experience working in cattle and beef cash markets. For five years he handled global trading for Cargill including direct interaction with major hedge funds and exchanges. He has years of risk management and futures trading experience which makes him a key asset to discovering the cause behind the market volatility. For any questions about the NCBA/CME working group, please contact the MSGA office.

October 12, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Association Opposes Initiative I-77

I-177 is an initiative that will appear on the ballot this November. The measure bans the use of traps for preventing the spread of disease and controlling dangerous predators on public lands in Montana. The Montana Stockgrowers Association’s (MSGA) vision is to exemplify leading innovation in ranching while preserving Montana’s complex natural landscape, history, economy, ethics and social values. I-177 fails to embody the vision of Montana’s ranching sector.

I-177 does not allow today’s advanced and ethical methods of trapping, to occur until after all non-lethal methods have been tried and found unsuccessful to prevent killing of cattle, thus deteriorating a rancher’s means to invest in environmental stewardship.

MSGA has worked proactively with the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and other stakeholders to evaluate trapping season structures, quotas and establish setbacks on public lands to avoid conflicts. Our system has worked and continues to work for Montana.

We cannot afford to limit Montana’s ability to manage public landscapes. MSGA encourages you to vote “no” on I-177.

Gene Curry
President
Montana Stockgrowers Association

October 5, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSU to honor Jim Hagenbarth as Outstanding Agricultural Leader

BOZEMAN — Jim Hagenbarth of Hagenbarth Livestock in Dillon has been named the 2016 Outstanding Agricultural Leader on behalf of Montana State University’s College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. The public is invited to congratulate Hagenbarth at a Montana-made breakfast to be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, in MSU’s South Gym of the Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center during the college’s annual Celebrate Agriculture event scheduled for Nov. 11-12 at MSU.

MSU Vice President of Agriculture Charles Boyer said Hagenbarth is a successful and respected agriculture leader for Montana and a great example for current university agriculture students.

“Jim Hagenbarth represents some of the very best of Montana agriculture: commitment to the stewardship of land, resources and people and an impressive dedication to public service,” Boyer said. “We’re pleased to honor Jim with this award, not only for his family’s successful livestock and ranching business, but because he has worked tirelessly to engage in difficult conversations and processes at local and national levels, to find common ground among diverse voices and agendas. In agriculture, that is not easy.”

The award is given annually to individuals or couples who are engaged and well-respected in the state’s agricultural community. Recipients are those who have impacted many with their accomplishments, have a lifetime of achievement in agriculture, are industry leaders or innovative producers and are actively involved in the agricultural community.

Hagenbarth exhibits outstanding leadership in agricultural and public service to Montana and MSU, according to members of the selection committee. The Montana Stockgrowers Association and the MSU Department of Animal and Range Sciences nominated Hagenbarth for the award. Letters of support for his nomination were received from the United States Department of Agriculture, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Department of Natural Resource Conservation and a host of Montana ranchers.

Nominators said Hagenbarth is well-respected among livestock ranchers, wildlife and fisheries biologists, government agencies, special interest groups and watershed groups. They add that he has been an exemplary, composed leader in contentious and high-stakes natural resource discussions and as a farm and ranch policy advocate for Montana producers. He has also successfully forged private and public partnerships in species management protection and for natural resources at state and national levels.

Perhaps Hagenbarth’s most notable influence, according to support letters, is his work with the Montana citizens working group for the Interagency Bison Management Plan, a cooperative, multi-agency effort that guides the management of bison and brucellosis in and around Yellowstone National Park. His work with this effort led him to testify before the U.S. Congress regarding Montana’s cattle and bison interactions, particularly surrounding the brucellosis disease. Additionally, Hagenbarth has lobbied in Washington, D.C. for the Big Hole Watershed Committee, of which he was a founding member and currently serves as vice president. His dedication to the Upper Snake Sage-Grouse Local Working Group resulted in a 38-page plan drafted between citizen ranchers and state and federal agencies to increase sage-grouse populations in the upper Snake River region of Idaho. He has also been an invited speaker to numerous national conventions, including National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the First National Bison Symposium.

Hagenbarth is a volunteer on the Montana Board of Livestock, National Cattlemen’s Association and the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research lab in Logan, Utah. He has served as a research advisory council member of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and is active in the Knights of Columbus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Montana Stockgrowers Association and the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

Hagenbarth’s family history in Montana’s sheep and cattle industries dates back to statehood, when Hagenbarth’ s grandfather managed 150,000 sheep and 500,000 cattle on nearly two million acres of range. Hagenbarth’s family still owns and manages the 120 year-old cattle ranch today.

Hagenbarth received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Notre Dame before returning to work on his family’s ranch.

Hagenbarth and his wife, Laurie, have three adult children: Mark, John and Kate.

The selection committee for the Outstanding Agricultural Leader award is comprised of three Montana agriculture representatives, a College of Agriculture faculty member and an MSU student. MSU’s College of Agriculture has presented Outstanding Agricultural Leader awards since 1999.

Contact: Susan Fraser, 994-3601, [email protected]

October 3, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Low-stress stockmanship clinic planned Oct. 7, Miles City

(MILES CITY, Mont.) – Ranchers and students of effective livestock handling have the opportunity to learn from low-stress
stockmanship expert Whit Hibbard on Friday, Oct. 7 in Miles City. Hibbard will present a day-long seminar on stockmanship,
which improves animal productivity, economic performance and human and animal safety. The clinic is hosted by the
Montana Beef Quality Assurance program. The classroom style program will run from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Miles City
Livestock Commission. Cost is $30, which includes lunch.
Trained in the style of legendary livestock handler Bud Williams, Hibbard shares his experience as a working cattleman and
lifelong scholar of animal handling in his clinics. Hibbard is a fourth-generation Montana cattle and sheep rancher and
former national park mounted ranger, and a student of low-stress livestock handling, natural horsemanship, ranch roping,
and facilities design. He believes strongly in the importance and value of stockmanship and is committed to its serious study
and promotion.
Hibbard participated in a major paradigm shift on his family’s ranch, Sieben Live Stock Co. in Adel, Mont., from conventional
to low-stress livestock handling. He was the director of a highly successful two-year project to round up trespass livestock
from Mexico in Big Bend National Park which used a stockmanship approach and similarly walked in wild horses at
Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Hibbard is the publisher and editor of Stockmanship Journal, authors a bi-monthly guest
editorial for Drovers magazine on stockmanship, and teaches clinics on low-stress livestock handling.
More information is available on the event Facebook page. Participants can register at Eventbrite or by calling Bill Pelton at
406.671.5100.

September 29, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSU to host agricultural outlook conference Nov. 11

BOZEMAN – The Montana State University Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics and MSU Extension will host an agricultural economics conference, “Agricultural Production Trends and Changing Food Systems,” on Nov. 11. The Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics is a joint department of the MSU College of Agriculture and MSU College of Letters and Science.

At the conference, MSU agricultural economics and Extension faculty will speak about topics tailored to the Montana agricultural industry, including grain and cattle markets, banking regulation, crop viruses, farm bill updates, Montana poverty statistics and agricultural profitability under the statewide agricultural production research grant with the Montana Research and Economic Development Initiative.

“The annual conference is an opportunity for university economists and specialists to share their research findings and value with our state’s stakeholders,” said Joel Schumacher, MSU agricultural economics Extension specialist. “We look forward to the conference each year because it’s a chance for us to connect and talk with public supporters, who ultimately guide and direct our research priorities.”

The conference’s guest M.L. Wilson Speaker this year is Jayson Lusk, who will discuss “The Future of Food.” A Regents Professor and Willard Sparks Endowed Chair in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, Lusk is often cited as one of the country’s most prolific commenters on food policy and marketing and agricultural marketing topics related to consumer behavior. He is a fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and six books, including “Unnaturally Delicious” and “The Food Police.” He has also published editorials in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Thursday’s conference speakers include Joe Janzen, MSU assistant professor of agricultural economics, who will speak about grain market fundamentals, and Eric Belasco, MSU associate professor of agricultural economics, who will speak on cattle market fundamentals. Gary Brester, MSU agricultural economics professor, will address the impacts of emerging bank regulations on agricultural loan competition. Conference registration includes a hosted a lunch with comments from Vincent Smith, MSU professor of agricultural economics, on MSU’s new Center for Regulatory and Applied Economic Analysis.

After lunch, two in-depth breakout session will be offered. One will feature a selection of ongoing research featuring MSU Agricultural Economics Extension Specialist Kate Fuller and Nina Zidack, director of the MSU Montana Seed Potato Certification Program, who will speak on the economics of disease screening in the Montana seed potato industry. Schumacher will share Montana poverty statistics, followed by a second session that will feature faculty involved with the Montana Research and Economic Development Grant, aimed at increasing general agricultural profitability across Montana. Speakers include Anton Bekkerman, MSU associate professor of agricultural economics; George Haynes, MSU Extension agricultural policy specialist; Bruce Maxwell, MSU professor of ecology; and Colter Ellis, MSU assistant professor of sociology.

The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The morning session will be held in the Procrastinator Theater in MSU’s Strand Union Building. Conference registration is $25. Participants should call 994-3511 to register. A full schedule is available at http://www.ampc.montana.edu/fallconference.html.

The 10th annual conference is part of MSU’s larger Celebrate Agriculture weekend, set for Nov. 10-12 and hosted by the MSU College of Agriculture. More information about Celebrate Agriculture is available at http://www.montana.edu/news/16409/msu-to-host-annual-celebrate-agriculture-event-nov-10-12.

September 26, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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CATTLE CRAWL – PROGRESSIVE BEEF DINNER IN BILLINGS, OCTOBER 9

Experience a night of culinary fusion, Montana style! Meet local chefs and local beef producers as they bring you their latest creations during a walking tour of three premiere downtown Billings restaurants. Registration is open for the 2016 Cattle Crawl, taking place in downtown Billings on Sunday, October 9, beginning at 5:00 p.m.

The Cattle Crawl is an opportunity to acquaint urban consumers with area ranchers to feature beef in a creative way. The tour kicks off at Stacked a lively tavern with a contemporary vibe for an opportunity for diners to enjoy beef appetizers. The dinner tour then continues with stops at Noodles O’Brien at Thirsty Street Brewing before finishing the crawl at TEN at The Northern.

The annual Cattle Crawl is made possible by Montana beef producers and their Checkoff dollars. Proceeds benefit leadership and education programs for young ranchers involved with the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

Tickets are $65 per person and include food, drinks and a commemorative Montana Cattle Crawl pint glass. This event is limited to 50 participants, so be sure to register early to attend this fun evening of beef dishes and fun in downtown Billings.

2016-cattle-crawl

September 23, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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China Lifts Ban on U.S. Beef

After 13 years of closed access, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) welcomed the news of the Chinese government lifting the ban on the import of U.S. beef. As one of the largest importers of beef, exports to China will open up new opportunities for Montana ranchers.

China’s imports have risen dramatically, reaching a record $2.3 billion in 2015. USDA forecasts that China will surpass Japan as the second-largest beef importer with imports estimated at 825,000 tons in 2016. Rapidly rising demand for beef has made China the fastest-growing beef market in the world.

Montana Stockgrowers President, Gene Curry of Valier notes, “This news comes at a time when the markets are at the top of mind for every cattle producer. China is home to one-fifth of the global population and a major importer of protein, we look forward to providing China with high quality beef. On behalf of our membership, I would like to personally thank Senator Daines and Ambassador Baucus for their work in opening this exciting new market.”

This past May, MSGA sent a letter to Vice-Premier Zhang that was hand delivered by U.S. Senator Steve Daines. The letter promoted Montana beef’s quality and encouraged lifting the ban on U.S. beef.

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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit organization representing nearly 2,500 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.

September 21, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Seeking Applicants for Year Two of Leadership Series

The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is excited to announce the second year of a leadership program for young leaders in the ranching industry. The Stockgrowers Leadership Series is designed to provide training and skills to future leaders of MSGA and Montana’s ranching communities. The 12-month class kicks off in January 2017 in Helena. Applications are due October 31.

“We are excited to launch the second year of MSGA’s Leadership Series,” says Errol Rice, MSGA Executive Vice President. “Investing in leadership is a core strategy of MSGA’s long-range plan and our industry’s success will rely on our ability to develop a pipeline of leaders who are disciplined, well trained and inspired by the future of ranching.”

The Leadership Series is a 12-month program where participants will take part in a number of workshops and sessions exposing them to different aspects of the ranching business today. These topics include policy work, banking and finance, management, business relationships, awareness of industry topics, media training, and beef consumer concerns.

Program participants will also work with a designated leadership coach to build upon their strengths and skills. Sarah Bohnenkamp, former Executive Director for the Denver based, American National CattleWomen, will coach the class in a series of workshops, webinars and at-home tasks throughout the year. Bohnenkamp has more than 14 years’ experience with leadership development and is familiar with topics faced by the ranching industry, having trained youth for the National Beef Ambassador program for many years.

The Leadership Series class will meet in several locations across Montana over the course of 12 months. Sessions will allow participants to travel on a summer ranch tour, network with industry leaders, gain valuable skills for their careers and be given further opportunities to be engaged in leadership positions upon completion of the course.

Applicants for the Stockgrowers Leadership Series should be between the ages of 25 and 40, be involved in the Montana ranching industry and have a strong interest in improving their leadership and business skills. Both ranchers and Allied Industry members are encouraged to apply.

For more information, contact the Montana Stockgrowers Association at (406) 442-3420 or email Kori Anderson at [email protected]. Applications are available at mtbeef.org/leadership-series. All submissions should be postmarked no later than October 31, 2016.

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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit organization representing nearly 2,500 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.