September 2, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSGA Member Selected for CME Working Group

Heather Fryer 2In 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.

MSGA is proud to announce that Jim has been selected to serve on the working group. He is an excellent representative of Montana Stockgrowers and we are thrilled that he will be representing Montana’s cattle industry on this working group. 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.

August 30, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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2016 T-Bone Classic Gala and Golf Scramble

Ranchers and leaders from Montana’s business communities had a great time at Big Sky last week for the 2016 T-Bone Classic. The event included a gala dinner and golf tournament, Calcutta auction and a day of great golf on the Big Sky Golf Course with great views below Lone Peak.

The event benefits Montana Stockgrowers’ Research & Education Endowment Foundation and provides an opportunity for networking among leaders of Montana’s leading businesses and industries. The T-Bone Classic is the second largest tournament held at the Big Sky Golf Course.

This year’s winners included first place finisher – Tilleman Ag Equipment, second place – Erickson Financial Strategies and third place – Showdown. The calcutta winners were as follows: 1st place – Tilleman Ag Equipment, 2nd place – Bill Donald and 3rd place – Holden Herefords.

Teams getting ready!

The teams getting ready to tee off!

Thursday night’s gala dinner featured specialty cut T-Bone Steaks from cattle raised by Fred Wacker’s Cross Four Ranch in Miles City and provided by Open Prairie Natural Angus Beef.

A Calcutta auction raised $16,075 with prize money being paid out to the top three teams. The remaining dollars go to support MSGA’s Foundation programs in the areas of youth, education and leadership in Montana’s ranching communities.

Friday morning kicked off with a Welcome Brunch, teams then teed off for a shotgun start and played all 18 holes at the Big Sky Golf Course. An awards reception concluded the day’s events recognizing tournament and calcutta winners.

Montana Stockgrowers’ Research and Education Endowment Foundation wants to thank all sponsors and teams who showed up in support of this year’s T-Bone Classic. Pencil in the 2017 T-Bone Classic, August 2017 in Big Sky! To reserve your team’s spot in next year’s tournament, fill out the form provided below or click here to open the form in a new window.

2016 T-Bone Classic tournament winners - Tilleman Ag Equipment

2016 T-Bone Classic Tournament winners – Tilleman Ag Equipment

To view photos of this year’s T-Bone Classic events and golf teams, visit the Montana Stockgrowers Association Facebook and Flickr pages.

A big thank you to the sponsors that made this year’s T-Bone Classic a success: Timeless Spirits, Rabo AgriFinance, Montana Natural Poultry, LLC, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Erickson Financial Strategies, Waddell and Reed, Northwest Farm Credit Farm Services, Ehlke Herefords, Loomix, Gorgeous Vodka, Pure West – Christie’s International Real Estate, BNSF, Wipfli LLP, and Grande Ranch!

August 23, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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2016 Montana’s Young Ag Leadership Conference

September 30 – October 2 ♦ Holiday Inn ♦ Great Falls

Once again, we are proud to present Montana’s Young Ag Leadership Conference! This is a one-of-a-kind event, packed with everything relevant to being a young[ish] person in today’s exciting, changing world of agriculture. With workshops on marketing, finance issues, crop and livestock programs, emerging technologies, leadership development and more, there is something here for everyone.

A committee of your peers from Montana’s leading ag organizations planned this conference to create a unique experience and you won’t find a better opportunity to network with other young
leaders and industry leaders as you gather new insight on improving and promoting agriculture in our state. We hope you choose to be a part of this event, as well as take an active role in Montana’s agriculture…it’s your industry and your way of life. See you in September!
2016 YALC Planning Committee

Schedule of Events

Friday, September 30

12:30-5:30 PM  – Area Ag Tour – Tentative stops include Frontline Ag, Giant Springs Fish Hatchery, McKamey West Ranch, Sponsored by Great Falls Chamber of Commerce Ag Committee
4:00-7:30 PM  – Registration Open
6:00 PM  – Social
6:30 PM – Dinner & Keynote Four “Musts” for Nailing Your Unique Brand of Leadership (And Why It Matters, Even if You Never Want to be “The Boss”) – Sarah Bohnenkamp, Millennial
Leadership Coach, Sponsored by Independence Bank, Monsanto, & Farmers Business Network

Saturday, October 1

7:30 AM-5:00 PM – Registration & Trade Show Open
8:00-9:00 AM  – Breakfast & Opening Session – Going Global with Beef Genetics, Darrell Stevenson, Stevenson Angus, Sponsored By Torgersons, LLC & Crop Production Services
9:15-10:30 AM  – Workshops – Sponsored by CHS, Inc and Agriclear

  • UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) In Agriculture, Brandon Ewen, Ag Data Source, PC
  • Planting the Seeds of Success: Financial Management Basics, Damon Alm, Northwest Farm Credit
  • The Veterinary Feed Directive Rule: Changes in the Use of Feed-Grade Antibiotics for Livestock, Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Specialist

10:30-11:00 AM  – Coffee Break and Trade Show, Sponsored by CHS Nutrition  
11:00-12:15 AM – Workshops:

  • Agriculturalists & Meteorologists-Deciphering the Weather, Megan Vandenheuval, National Weather Service
  • Sustainability and Stewardship Practices to Benefit Your Bottom Line, Leon LaSalle, LaSalle Ranch, Inc
  • Generation Elvis to Bieber: Generational Differences in the Workplace and How to Succeed Among All Age Groups, Jaime Edmundson, Montana FFA Foundation

12:30-1:45 PM – Lunch – Our Leadership Journey, Dan Manella, Cherry Creek Radio – Sponsored by Montana Farm Bureau Foundation
1:45-3:00 PM – Workshops:

  • Food For Thought? Discussion Panel, Carrie Mess AKA Dairy Carrie & Ryan Goodman
  • How the Organic Movement Effects Our Business, Bob Quinn, President of Kamut International
  • Estate Planning: Keeping the Ground in the Family, John Heyneman, Plank Stewardship Initiative

3:00-3:30 PM – Coffee Break and Trade Show, Sponsored by MT Livestock Ag Credit
3:30-5:00 PM – Entrepreneur Spotlights: Sponsored by Montana Land Reliance

3:30-4:00: Prairie Heritage Farm w/ Electric City Coffee
4:00-4:30: Parker’s Hangover Tonic
4:30-5:00: PinkSpurs & Co.

5:30 PM – Buses Depart for Centene Stadium
6:00 PM – Social, Sponsored by Northwest Farm Credit
6:30 PM – Dinner and Dance at Centene Stadium, Sponsored by Montana Beef Council, Stockman Bank & Farmers Union Insurance

Sunday, October 2

9:00-10:30AM – Closing Breakfast, “What Do Our Customers Really Want From Us?”, Carrie Mess, AKA Dairy Carrie, Sponsored by Mountain West Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.

 

To REGISTER head to the Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s website or download the form HERE. Register before September 23rd to take advantage of early bird pricing!

August 17, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame announces 2016 inductions

Today the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) announced the ninth class of inductions into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The inductees were chosen from a field of candidates nominated by the general public. Inductees are honored for their notable contributions to the history and culture of Montana.

 

“Our volunteer trustees around Montana vote on nominations that come from the district in which they reside,” said Jeff Bolstad, Helena State Farm agent and MCHF&WHC President. “It gives the local communities a strong voice in who will represent them in the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame exists to honor those who have made an impact in their part of the state and represent Montana’s authentic heritage for future generations.”

 

The MCHF & WHC board of directors has designated 12 trustee districts across the state from which up to 20 trustees may be appointed. Nomination criteria established by the board for the Class of 2016 inductions allowed the election of up to one Living Inductee and two Legacy Inductees from each of the 12 districts.

 

The 2016 inductees into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame are:

 

  • District 1 (Daniels, Phillips, Roosevelt, Sheridan, & Valley Counties): Living Award – Edgar Richardson, Scobey. Legacy Award – Fire Bear – William Standing, Oswego and Tande Ranch, Scobey.
  • District 2 (Dawson, Garfield, McCone, Prairie, Richland, & Wibaux Counties): Living Award – Lawrence C. “Buck” Roberts, Wibaux. Legacy Award – William James “Bill” Brown, Sr., Sand Springs and Paul Kasten, Brockway.
  • District 3 (Carter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River, Rosebud, & Treasure Counties): Living Award – William Jr. “Chuck” Hubing, Miles City. Legacy Award – Gary Grant Gatlin, Broadus and Johnny Morris, Broadus.
  • District 4 (Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, & Liberty Counties): Living Award – Aaron “Duke” Pursley, Big Sandy. Legacy Award – Gordon Charles “Buck” Boyce, Havre.
  • District 5 (Cascade, Glacier, Pondera, Teton, & Toole Counties): Living Award – Donald Patrick Hogan, Great Falls. Legacy Award – Hattie Maria (Webb) Dear, Cascade and Jules Klint “Duke” Gustafson, Great Falls.
  • District 6 (Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum, & Wheatland Counties): Living Award – Clinton H. “Clint” & Sharon E. (Henderson) Martin, Lewistown. Legacy Award – George R. “Sonny” Smith, Grass Range and William “Bill” Skelton, Stanford.
  • District 7 (Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, & Yellowstone Counties): Living Award – Henry & Lorraine Valgamore, Big Timber. Legacy Award – Ella Maude (Daylong) Huntington, Billings and High Bird – Dr. Joseph “Joe” Medicine Crow, Crow Agency.
  • District 8 (Broadwater, Jefferson, & Lewis and Clark Counties): Living Award – Jack Leroy “Doc” Rea, Helena. Legacy Award – Frank James “Gary” Cooper, Helena and Robert F. “Bob” Morgan, Helena.
  • District 9 (Gallatin, Meagher, & Park Counties): Living Award – James Earl “Jimmy” Sarrazin, Wilsall. Legacy Award – Gerard “Bud” Story Burkhart, Bozeman and “Indian Jack” Hart, Livingston.
  • District 10 (Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, & Sanders Counties): Legacy Award – Lester P. “Les” Baldwin, Polson and The Park Saddle Horse Company, Glacier National Park.
  • District 11 (Mineral, Missoula, & Ravalli Counties): Living Award – Arnold D. “Smoke” Elser, Missoula. Legacy Award – Charles James “Charlie” Yerian, Corvallis and Elton Vanleir Brechbill, Stevensville.
  • District 12 (Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Silver Bow, Granite, Madison, & Powell Counties): Living Award – Paul Irving Greany, Drummond. Legacy Award – Donald Philip “Don” Harrington, Dillon and Samuel Russel “Sam” McDowell, Wisdom.

Since the initial round of inductions to the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2008, including this year’s inductions, 274 inductees have been honored. Full biographies for past inductees are available on the MCHF & WHC’s website, http://www.montanacowboyfame.org.

 

For more information about the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center, or for more details on the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees, please contact Christy Stensland by calling (406) 653-3800, emailing [email protected], or visiting http://www.montanacowboyfame.org.

 

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The mission of the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center is to “honor our cowboy way of life, American Indian cultures and collective Montana Western heritage.” We exist to serve as a resource to all who wish to see this way of life passed forward to the next generation. Our vision is “to be the state’s premier destination attraction that celebrates and passes forward Montana’s unique western culture and heritage.”

August 16, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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National Cattlemen’s Foundation Accepting Applications for W.D. Farr Scholarships

The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is now accepting applications for the W.D. Farr Scholarships for the 2016-17 school year. The scholarship was established by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation to honor the successful career of the late W. D. Farr. Two annual $12,000 grants will be awarded to outstanding graduate students that demonstrate superior achievement in academics and leadership and will allow the students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry.

To apply for the scholarship, graduate students planning to pursue a career in the beef industry should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a description of applicant’s goals and experience, a statement of belief in the industry as well as a review of the applicant’s graduate research and three letters of recommendation. Applications close on August 31, 2016

Qualifications

  • Applicant must be enrolled as a graduate student in a Master’s or PhD program.
  • Applicant must attend an accredited institution of higher learning for the 2015-2016 academic year.
  • Applicant must demonstrate a commitment to a career in the beef industry through classes, internships or life experience.

For more information or to apply please visit the National Cattlemen’s Foundation website.

August 6, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Young Ag Leadership Conference is heading to Great Falls

GREAT FALLS—Mark your calendar! Montana’s thirteenth annual Young Ag Leadership Conference (YALC) is set to take place September 30-October 2 at the Holiday Inn in Great Falls, MT. Young people involved and interested in agriculture, aged 18-40, are invited to attend this one-of-a-kind conference where leadership, personal development, education and networking take center stage.

This year’s agenda boasts top-notch speakers, including the well-known advocate for agriculture, Dairy Carrie. There will be cutting-edge workshops, exciting entertainment and new this year, an Entrepreneur Spotlight of local businesses. YALC’s action-packed program is put together specifically with young agriculturalists in mind by representatives from each of these organizations: Montana Agri-Business Association, Montana 4-H Foundation, Montana Wool Growers Association, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni, Montana FFA Foundation, Montana State University College of Agriculture and the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

Look for more conference details, including registration information, to be released shortly. For questions regarding the 2016 Young Ag Leadership Conference, contact Jesse Wallewein at (406) 450-3429 or [email protected].

August 6, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Tester Skewers Administration’s Brazilian Beef Decision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2016

 

Marneé Banks | 202.604.5521

Dave Kuntz     | 202.224.8544

Luke Jackson  | 406.702.5484

 

Tester Skewers Administration’s Brazilian Beef Decision

Senator Stands Up for Montana Agriculture Producers and Consumers

 

(Big Sandy, MT) – Senator Jon Tester called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase transparency and address safety concerns regarding the importation of Brazilian beef.

 

This week USDA announced a policy change allowing Brazil to send raw beef to the United States.  Tester sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack on behalf of Montana consumers and hard-working cattlemen and women outlining his concerns about Brazil’s food safety standards and its meat industry’s recent history of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).  Tester pushed the USDA for answers on what the Administration has done to improve the emergency response to an animal disease outbreak such as FMD.  Additionally, he called for more transparency in how this decision was made and how these food safety standards would be verified in the future.

 

“Montana cattle producers have the best beef around, and they are held to the highest food safety standards,” Tester wrote.  “We should expect no less from Brazilian producers.”

 

In light of this decision, Brazil is expected to send 60,000 tons of beef to the United States this year.

 

“Montana ranchers cannot afford to jeopardize our state’s world renowned cattle herds to possible Foot and Mouth Disease exposure as a result of USDA’s recent announcement to import fresh chilled or frozen beef from Brazil,” said Errol Rice of the Montana Stockgrowers.  “We appreciate Senator Tester’s urgent inquiry into USDA’s decision and we look forward to working together to ensure that all possible risks to FMD have been thoroughly analyzed and addressed with rigorous scientific protocol by USDA.”

 

“USDA’s announcement falls in line with the number of obligations currently directed by agreements within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to the US.  The problem is that too often Brazil adheres to a “do as I say- not as I do” type of policy.  Brazil has a lengthy history of WTO violations that continue to undercut all sectors of US production agriculture.  Despite this, Brazil is the first to leverage the WTO when it works in their favor,” said Leo McDonnell, Director Emeritus of the US Cattleman’s Association.  “Senator Tester’s letter and ongoing efforts to combat such abuses ensures that both Montana and US cattle producers will not be run roughshod over by a country that continues to fail on every level in living up to international commitments.”

 

Tester’s letter to Secretary Vilsack can be found HERE.

August 5, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Guest Column: U.S. Senator Steve Daines

Senator Daines

One of the greatest privileges I have in the U.S. Senate is standing up every day on behalf of Montana’s farmers and ranchers. There are more than 25,000 farms and ranches across Montana which are the foundation of our economy, and make up our number one industry: agriculture.

But agriculture is more than just an economic driver of our state, it’s a way of life for thousands of Montana families and supports tens of thousands of jobs throughout our state. In Montana, we have about two-and-a-half times as many cattle as we do people – that’s over two and a half million cattle – which helps to provide a safe, reliable and affordable food supply not only for our nation but for the world.

Over the past several weeks and months, I’ve heard directly from farmers and ranchers about your strong concerns with a Vermont-style food labeling law that would have wide-ranging impacts on jobs in Montana, agriculture research, and the price we all pay to feed our families.

I’m outraged by defenders of this fringe law who have embraced a radical ideology and ignore the very real hardships that it will inflict on agricultural jobs and family incomes, and have been outspoken in the Senate on this issue. Make no mistake, the Vermont-style law is an attack on the heart of Montana’s way of life. It’s an attack on Montana farm and ranch operations, and I won’t stand for it.

That’s why I supported a bipartisan compromise in the U.S. Senate to head off this disastrous law and provide a nationwide standard that will protect Montana jobs, prevent baseless discrimination against Montana agriculture goods and avoid higher prices in the grocery line. The nationwide standard includes an important provision to exempt meat, poultry and egg products from labeling regulations if the animal may have consumed bioengineered feed.

Montana’s universities have top-tier agriculture research programs that have used technology and bioscience to help farmers across our state increase crop yield, minimize waste and help keep Montana livestock disease-free – all necessary to helping our farmers and ranchers meet growing global food demand. I will continue supporting agriculture research and bioscience programs and encourage federal government agencies to stick to the science, not marketing campaigns, when mandating regulations on food labeling.

Representatives from the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have both publically admitted to me that there are no material, scientific differences between foods grown using biotechnology and that there is no scientific evidence that mandatory labeling is necessary or beneficial. Our government should make decisions on food safety based only on sound science, not on marketing efforts that have no bearing on health, food safety or nutrition.

I will stand up for Montana and continue to fight to ensure that Montana’s agricultural products are not unfairly and arbitrarily discriminated against. I’m honored, as always, to stand with Montana’s farmers, ranchers and agricultural industry.

 

Thank you to Senator Daines for standing up for Montana’s farmers and ranchers in Washington D.C.!

July 25, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Cherry Creek Ranch wins regional award from national cattlemen’s beef association

MSGA members, Lon and Vicki Reukauf, discuss winning NCBA’s Environmental Stewardship Award with Northern Ag Network’s Lane Nordlund

This commercial cow-calf operation, located in eastern Montana, is one of the few remaining original homesteads, a fact that instills pride in Lon and Vicki Reukauf, the third generation to operate the ranch. That legacy also drives the management philosophy for the Reukauf’s, who place a strong emphasis on rotational grazing as a way to manage pastures and maintain soil health.

Cherry Creek Ranch, Terry, Mont., was honored last week as one of six regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program winners. The award, which is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, is presented to farmers and ranchers who are working hard to protect America’s natural resources.

Recently the Northern Ag Networks Lane Nordlund spoke with the Reukauf’s on their award!

Click the video above!

Source: Northern Ag Network

July 15, 2016 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana’s Cherry Creek Ranch Receives Regional Environmental Stewardship Award

Montana Stockgrowers Association members win Regional Environmental Stewardship Award

DENVER (July 15, 2016) – Cherry Creek Ranch, Terry, Mont., was honored this week as one of six regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program winners. The award, which is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, is presented to farmers and ranchers who are working hard to protect America’s natural resources.

The commercial cow-calf operation, located in eastern Montana, is one of the few remaining original homesteads, a fact that instills pride in Lon and Vicki Reukauf, the third generation to operate the ranch. That legacy also drives the management philosophy for the Reukauf’s, who place a strong emphasis on rotational grazing as a way to manage pastures and maintain soil health.

“For three generations we wake up every morning with the intention to get out of bed and have great intentions to improving the land and the landscape for our cattle and always putting their needs ahead of our own,” said Vicki Reukauf, who explained that the region’s silt soils mean the family needs to pay special attention to building root mass to help improve the soil and improve the water-holding capacity of the ground.

With an annual average rainfall of about 12.5 inches, keeping water on the land is a priority. One way they do that is by employing a rotational grazing system to help improve water infiltration into the soil. In 1983, Lon instituted a rotational grazing system and today rotates herds through multiple pastures to ensure grazing pressure is optimally distributed while also allowing a stockpile of forage for dry years.

“We felt that by having cattle on land for less time and giving it longer rest periods, we accomplished an increase in both species diversity and grass production and especially root depth on the plants that existed,” said Lon Reukaf. “I think by increasing the organic root depth of the plants you increase the organic matter in the soil. And I think it increases your water holding capacity in your soil and also having significant litter and good root mass in the ground makes the plants more efficiently utilize the moisture that you’ve got and lose less of that moisture to evaporation.”

Water distribution across the ranch also contributes to the successful implementation of stewardship practices of the Reukaufs. In fact, the family has installed 15 wells in strategic locations to provide the cattle with clean, fresh, consistent water, and they are slowly converting the wells to run off solar energy. So far, they have four done and plan to complete two more each year until they are all solar-powered. These tanks also help to pull animals away from lower riparian areas,” Lon said. “Putting this water in less sensitive areas is one of the single best factors in having a lot of species biodiversity in our plant community.”

Regional award recipients will now compete for the national Environmental Stewardship Award. The winner of the national award will be announced during the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn., in February, 2017.

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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy.  As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef.  Efforts are made possible through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 1-866-BEEF-USA or [email protected].