Montana Stockgrowers AssociationFeatured Ranchers Archives - Page 2 of 10

March 12, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Ag Day Big Sky Boots Montana Ranching

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Contest: Why are you Proud to be a part of Montana Ranching?

instagram photo Why are you proud to be a part of the Montana ranching community? Big Sky Country has so many amazing things to offer! Our ranching and cattle communities are a huge part of the state’s heritage and tradition and we want to see why you are proud to be a part of that community! With National Agriculture Day being celebrated on March 18, there is no better time to share these stories.

Montana Stockgrowers Association is giving away THREE (3) copies of our book, Big Sky Boots (value of $45 each)! This coffee-table-style book makes a great gift for friends or a new addition to your home. Big Sky Boots is part of the Montana Family Ranching Series through the Research and Education Endowment Foundation, and takes the reader on a journey through a year in the life of Montana’s cowboys – through calving, branding, and shipping, and everything in between. Throughout pages of the book is an interactive experience with QR codes, which take the reader to videos of the featured ranchers with a quick scan of a smartphone.

Here is how to enter:

Submit your perspective of why you are proud to be a part of the Montana ranching community. Maybe it is preserving family traditions, celebrating your heritage, or making things better for future generations. You decide what that means to you!

There are three ways to enter the contest (pick one):

photos with a 50-word description,
video clips, at least 120 seconds long, or
a written story, 100 word minimum.

Montana Stockgrowers Association will select a winner in each category after the contest closes, and each winner will receive a copy of Big Sky Boots! (Don’t forget to buy an extra copy for your friends and family at Easter!)

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@MTstockgrowers) and Instagram (@MTstockgrowers) for more great ideas and to see many of the entries from the contest!

Entries must be emailed to [email protected] no later than March 31, 2015, 11:59 p.m. MT.

Employees of Montana Stockgrowers Association are not eligible to win. MSGA reserves the right to utilize all submissions in future promotional marketing or promotional materials. For questions, please contact Ryan Goodman, MSGA Manager of Communications by emailing [email protected].

February 26, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

American Fork Ranch Environmental stewardship Jed Evjene Two Dot

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Meet the American Fork Ranch | Environmental Stewardship Award Winners

Montana’s ranchers depend on the land and its resources to be successful business enterprises. As such, it is imperative to be good stewards of their environment and its resources, implementing practices that promote sustainability and conservation. Since its inception in 1991, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) has honored ranchers across the United States who implement these practices and are great examples of being stewards of their resources.

For the past 25 years, Montana Stockgrowers Association has proudly sponsored the Montana ESAP program, and with support of the Montana Beef Council, recognize this year’s Montana recipient, the American Fork Ranch of Two Dot, as a ranch going above and beyond to implement good stewardship practices for their land, resources, wildlife and community.

The American Fork Ranch (Facebook), a commercial cow-calf operation in Wheatland and Sweet Grass counties, is owned by the Stevens Family and is managed by Jed and Annie Evjene. Jed is a long-time active member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association and currently serves as Director of the South Central district for the Association.

“The Stevens family, Annie and I, along with all of our crew could not be more proud to receive this recognition,” says Jed Evjene. “Over the past 17 years, we’ve worked hard to preserve the legacy of this ranch, improve its pastures, croplands and cattle. Making a ranch like this work while being conscious of the environment around us takes a good team and we’re honored to be Environmental Stewardship Award recipients.”

The ranch, established in 1882 as a sheep operation, was purchase by Colonel Wallis Huidekoper and designated “The American Ranch”. An idealistic soldier, Huidekoper built a series of whitewashed and red-roof structures along a plumb line, to form an orderly village that still stands today. In 1945, Col. Robert T. Stevens purchased the operation and renamed it as “The American Fork Ranch”. Steven’s vision was that the ranch would remain as a consistent and economically viable unit in the community, rather than a vacation or leisure home for future generations of the family.

As current ranch managers, Jed and Annie Evjene, joined the ranch in 1998, a consensus among the owners had already began to refocus the ranch’s efforts to be better stewards of the land, conserve their natural resources and ensure the ranch’s economic and environmental sustainability. The changes focused on the principles of utilizing the best available scientific knowledge and business practices, enhancing stewardship values with long-term perspectives to invest in the land and environment, and to preserve the ranch’s historic value and beauty.

Over the past 17 years, the Stevens and Evjenes families have focused on establishing relationships among all key aspects of the ranch: rangeland, water, crop production, cattle herd, wildlife, cottonwood forests, employees, family, community and the beef industry to integrate a model of sustainability. These cooperative efforts have led to relationships and projects in coordination with professionals from numerous universities, state and federal agencies, area and state Stockgrower organizations, and several youth programs.

The Evjenes have a knack for intensive record management, allowing them to use that information to tract what works and what does not when managing the ranches resources. The results have been implementing grazing practices, with the use of more than 25 miles of interior fencing, 15,500 feet of stock water pipeline, spring water development, and weed control to develop grazing systems that better utilize resources in a manner that complements the landscape and environment.

The cowherd at the American Fork has been managed to adapt to its environment over the past two decades. Reducing cow size, along with management of grazing and water systems, has allowed for better and more uniform utilization of forage supplies, increased calf weaning weights, minimized cow inputs and overall improvements in cow efficiency and operation sustainability. The calves are raised and marketed without the use of artificial hormones or supplements, and have shown consistent adaptations to market demands using improved herd genetics. A severe drought in 2012 threatened feed supplies for the herd, but thanks for foresight in grazing management and temporary herd reduction, the ranch survived the drought period with minimal negative impacts.

Today, the American Fork Ranch is home to a diverse population of plant species and managed wildlife populations. Intensive record keeping, over a decade of range monitoring, water development projects and weed management have led to pasture conditions that promote diverse plant species and thick stands of stockpiled forage for year-round grazing. A heavy focus on riparian area management has allowed for recovery of plant species, Cottonwood forest regrowth, improved water quality and enhanced wildlife habitat, even in the presence of livestock grazing.

“Even though the Stevens family may not live here year round, they are all involved in the ranching operation,” says Annie Evjene. “Especially the third and fourth generations of the Stevens family know a lot about the ranching business and are trying to carry on to the next generation.”

“The Stevens kids are like our own. When they come to the ranch, they jump right in with the crew, can run any piece of equipment, move cattle and are excited about sharing the experience of this ranch with others. It’s an all-around team effort,” says Jed.

As recipient of this year’s Montana ESAP recognition, the American Fork will submit an application this month for the regional ESAP awards, to be announced in July 2015. Throughout 2015, Montana Stockgrowers will continue to share more about the American Fork Ranch, the Stevens and Evjene families, and their work as examples of Environmental Stewardship within the Montana ranching community.

To learn more about the Montana Environmental Stewardship Award program, click here. The Montana ESAP program is partially sponsored by the Montana Beef Checkoff programs.

February 19, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Beef Council Cattle Industry Convention Krisitn Larson Sidney Montana

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Montana Producer Elected to Beef Promotion Operating Committee

Sidney-Area Rancher and Business Woman Elected to Serve on National Beef Checkoff Committee

kristin larson sidney rancher Kristin Larson, a Sidney cattle producer and businesswoman who has a lifetime of experience in the cattle industry, has been elected to the national Beef Promotion Operating Committee, representing the Federation of State Beef Councils. The Beef Promotion Operating Committee was created by the Beef Promotion Research Act to help coordinate state and national beef checkoff programs. The 20-person committee includes 10 members elected from the Federation and 10 members elected from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

Larson currently serves on the state level as the vice president for the Montana Beef Council as well as chair of the budget committee. During her term on the council she has held other leadership positions on various standing committees and continues to encourage others to engage. Her dedication to serving on the board and representing Montana beef producers has been unwavering.

In addition to her local and state level posts representing Montana beef producers, she has also served on the national level as a Federation Director for Montana. Through the Federation, Larson is able to provide the necessary grassroots ownership of the checkoff, particularly through her service on national joint committees where she is an active participant. During her many levels of service, she is continually aware of her fiduciary responsibility and applies that respect when making decisions on behalf of Montana beef producers for the Beef Checkoff Program.

Kristin at work with the family in Sidney

“The success of a strong state and national partnership comes, in part, through the foresight of choosing qualified individuals to enable the partnership to grow,” says Chaley Harney, executive director of the Montana Beef Council. “Kristin is a balanced leader who will not only bring solutions to the table, but will also encourage the team to engage and use all resources at their disposal to make informed decisions. Kristin’s background in livestock and Montana agriculture has surrounded her in a lifetime of serving the beef community, whether it be through church, civic organizations or business enterprises. Her lifelong experience and devotion to the beef community coupled with her pragmatic solutions and fiscally responsible senses make her an excellent asset to the Montana Beef Council and the Beef Promotion Operating Committee.”

Kristin grew up on the family ranch in Big Timber and obtained her degree in agriculture business and economics from Montana State University, Bozeman. Kristin and her husband, Tim, own cows and yearlings, but Kristin also works with Tim and their partners at Prewitt & Company, LLC which is involved in nearly every segment of the beef industry, as they have cow/calf pairs and yearlings, feed cattle and operate Sidney Livestock Market Center. The majority of the business is buying and selling cattle. Kristin and Tim live in Sidney, Mont., where they raise their four children.

In addition to Larson, Federation of State Beef Council members elected to the 2015 BPOC Operating Committee include: Vice Chairman Jennifer Houston, Tennessee; Austin Brown, Texas; Clay Burtrum, Oklahoma; Dawn Caldwell, Nebraska; Terri Carstensen, Iowa; Jerry Effertz, North Dakota; Steve Hanson, Nebraska; Cevin Jones, Idaho; and Scott McGregor, Iowa. CBB members elected to the committee include: Chairman Jimmy Maxey, California; Anne Anderson, Texas; Secretary/Treasurer Brett Morris, Oklahoma; Marty Andersen, Wisconsin; Jeanne Harland, Illinois; Brittany Howell, Kansas; Joe Guthrie, Virginia; Chuck Kiker, Texas; Stacy McClintock, Kansas; and Joan Ruskamp, Nebraska.

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 program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

February 2, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Bev Fryer Cattlewomen Ranching Woman of the Year White Sulphur Springs

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Meet Bev Fryer of White Sulphur Springs | Montana Ranching Woman of the Year

Each year, Montana Stockgrowers recognizes someone who has made great contributions to the ranching community and goes above and beyond to help family and friends. This Ranching Woman of the Year award is a great opportunity to honor the women who are often the backbone of Montana’s ranching communities. These women often go well beyond what is asked of them to support their immediate family members and pitch in whenever the need arises in their communities. This year’s honor recipient is no exception.

Bev Fryer, of White Sulphur Springs was recognized as Ranching Woman of the Year during Montana Stockgrowers’ 130th Annual Convention in December. Bev and husband Ed operate the Castle Mountain Ranch, where Bev pitches in on almost every task from long nights of calving heifers, breaking young colts, coordinating annual elk hunts, and making sure everyone is well fed when events bring crowds to visit the ranch.

As her brother, Tim, wrote, Bev is truly a ranch woman who exemplifies the personal family and community attributes of Ranching Woman of the year. Her involvement and commitment to agriculture, love for family and animals began at an early age, and her positive contributions to Montana agriculture have continued ever since as she and husband, Ed, have been operating large cattle ranches for the past forty years.

Early Life and Marriage

Bev grew up on a family farm in Fishtail, Montana with her parents, Jake and Agnes Schaff, and six siblings. There was plenty of work to go around, milking dairy cows, feeding pigs, along with taking care of cattle, horses, sheep and the families hay ground and custom farming operation. This work surely instilled a strong work ethic for Bev, her brothers and sisters at an early age.

Bev received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Montana State University. Through her college career, Bev continued a heavy work schedule, as if it was not a job, but rather a way of life. Afterward, she committed to teaching grade school in a rural community until she realized her time and efforts were more important to her family and helping on the ranch.

Ed and Bev married in June of 1973, while he was working as a cowboy on the Flying D ranch. Bev worked at a laundry and helped around the ranch. They spent several weeks in a tent camp, pushing cattle near the forest boundary, packing salt and sawing trails. From the very start, Bev was heavily involved in calving season, sorting pairs, feeding calves, and any other chores that needed to be done. She pitched in on brandings too and even became a good roper.

Through the late seventies, the couple worked on ranches in the region. Bev became heavily involved in large-scale AI projects, tasked with heat detection, pitching in for every task on the ranch and taught children at rural schools.

Starting a Family

As their two boys came along, Bev brought them along for the ride, rather than letting them slow her down. Last year’s Ranching Woman of the Year recipient, Glenna Stucky, is a longtime friend of the Fryers, having known Bev and Ed since they worked at the Flying D in the early seventies. One story Glenna loves about Bev shares her dedication to ranch work.

“When Bev was pregnant with one of the boys, they lived at the Home Ranch, which was probably five miles and several wire gates from a county road on the way to Bozeman. As one of the boys was about to arrive, Ed was driving Bev to town. When they came to a gate, he would ask, “Bev, are you having a contraction – can you get the gate?” And she always managed to get the gates!” Talk about patience and dedication!

Bev continued being a crucial part of operating ranches where she and Ed worked in Montana and Wyoming. Not only did she hone her skills in the calving shed, Bev also worked to develop early individual identification systems to track individual animals, managed the budgets, payroll and accounting for multiple ranches, and grew large gardens that fed entire working crews on the ranches.

As their boys, Jim and David, grew up, Bev made sure they were involved in ranch work and several 4-H activities. The family took several market steers and horses to the county and state fairs, competed in shooting sports, and worked in many community events.

Move to Castle Mountain

In 1998, Ed and Bev moved to White Sulphur Springs to the Castle Mountain Ranch, where Bev continued her heavy involvement in operations of the ranch. Over the past 17 years, Bev has been the main calver for the ranch, watching over 300 heifers each year, assisting any new mothers or calves who need help to get a good start, and riding through the mature cows several times a day until turned out to a larger pasture.

No starving, weak calf is too hopeless for her to nurse back to health. Bev will send the newborns and their mothers off, but only after confirming a good match with plenty of milk. She always tells the men she expects to see the calf doing well at branding. They know she will recognize them, with or without their tags.

Bev breaks all the baby colts on the ranch to lead and stand tied in the barn. The guys may have to rope a honky one for her once in a while, but most of them she gets by herself. Almost all of the Castle Mountain horses have had the benefit of Bev’s first winter’s training and grain.

At Castle Mountain Ranch, Bev manages a special cow elk hunt, developed to disburse and reduce a local concentration of elk. She takes all reservations on a single day for around 150 hunters to spread over the entire season. Bev meets ten or twelve of those hunters at the ranch office an hour before sunrise every day during the season, collects their personal and vehicle identification, conducts a short orientation, assigns maps and hunting areas, and doles out a few tips along the way. Most hunters are amazed at her detailed knowledge of both the country and elk. Most hunters have success, with 50-75% of them getting elk exactly where Bev says they will be.

Taking Care of Friends and Community

According to her husband Ed, one of the things Bev always does well is cook for large groups of guests and ranch crews with few supplies and hardly an extra trip to town. She may be short an ingredient, but it never seems to matter much as everyone will be fed. Ed describes one such event:

“Years ago, after dark one night before a big shipping, Bev discovered I had no lunch plans for the crew the next day, in an area 50 miles out from any kind of services. With a bit of bustling around, Bev had hot stew and coffee for a dozen of us, plus 25 truckers. All this was prepared on a camp stove, while she helped weigh cattle on what turned out to be a very squally day.”

For several years, Bev has hosted prime rib Christmas parties for 25 people at a time, and served up lunches for the crew at brandings, while pitching in herself, and feeding a family of growing boys and all the challenges ranch life may bring.

Through the years, Bev has been heavily involved in the local and state CattleWomen organizations. In White Sulphur Springs, she leads a group feeding two-day breakfasts for over 1,000 attendees of the annual Red Ants Pants music festival. However, Bev’s love for sharing food, beef in particular, does not stop at the kitchen. She has worked through the CattleWomen to participate in several beef education programs and has served terms as local and state President. She has participated in the National Beef Cook-off several years and works hard to help others learn the importance of beef as part of a healthy diet.

Somehow, Bev also finds time to participate in several community events, including several local ranch rodeo teams through the years. Putting those ranch skills to good use, Bev has contributed to winning teams and helps to host a local ranch rodeo for the past several years.

Importance of Family

Family is incredibly important to Bev, as she has raised her two sons, and now enjoys taking care of five grandchildren. Both her sons were raised as a big part of the ranches where the family worked, and each now works on cattle operations in Montana. Bev makes sure to nurture her extended family with equal energy.

Jim’s wife, Heather, remembers wondering when she first met Bev, “Where does all this energy come from?” and now, Heather says she’s never met a harder working woman. Bev asked Heather to help on a three-day project once and they worked every day, non-stop. At the end, Heather was exhausted, but Bev, on the other hand, was fine and even wanted to go to the Hot Springs for a soak at the end of the day.

Bev continually supports her family as Ed’s right hand man for more than 40 years of working together. She has helped her family through several projects, adventures, long-distance moves, and several newborn babies. Bev’s mother is 93 years old and still lives alone. Bev frequently makes the trip to Fishtail to help her mother to doctor appointments, with spring and fall cleaning, and the occasional exploration trip.

Bev Fryer is described time and again by family and friends as a true example of a woman who is the backbone of the ranching operation and her family, a true positive role model in her communities and a complete inspiration to be around. As a woman who exemplifies all the characteristics of a person who makes a truly positive contribution to ranching, Montana Stockgrowers is proud to recognize Bev Fryer as this year’s Ranching Woman of the Year recipient.

To nominate a role model in your life for next year’s Ranching Woman of the Year award, contact the Montana Stockgrowers Association in Helena at (406) 442-3420 or email [email protected]. The nomination process will begin in September 2015.

January 30, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

DNRC NRCS Range

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Sidney rancher, Bozeman NRCS employee honored with Range Leader awards

MSGA member and rancher from Sidney, Duane Ullman

By Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

The Governor’s Rangeland Resources Executive Committee (RREC) announced today that rancher Duane Ullman of Sidney and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employee Matt Ricketts of Bozeman have been chosen as recipients of the 2014 Range Leader of the Year awards.

“Duane Ullman and Matt Ricketts are genuine leaders in the field of range management,” said Les Gilman, Rangeland Resources Executive Committee Chairman from Alder, Mont. “Their commitment to education and the principles of stewardship represents the best of Montana agriculture.”

Mr. Ullman was a supervisor on the Richland County Conservation District board for 15 years and was nominated to this award for his progressive style of managing his family farm and ranch near Sidney, Mont.

Duane has made many improvements to his ranch including seeding farmland to pasture, cross fencing, stockwater pipelines and stock tanks, and a prescribed grazing plan. He has worked with both the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks to make improvements on his ranch. Those improvements are beneficial to the cattle, land and wildlife.

Duane has also opened up his ranch to public tours, pasture walks and demonstrations. He has showcased his grazing plan, rangeland chiseling project, equipment and monitoring sites.

Matt Ricketts is currently the Rangeland Management Specialist in the Bozeman Area Office and has over 32 years of service with the NRCS and is a life member of the Society for Range Management. He was nominated for his dedication to rangeland across Montana.

NRCS employee Matt Rickets of Bozeman

Matt has many accomplishments in the field of range science and has worked with multiple ranchers in the state. He has worked on many range inventories and other data collections. He has done extensive work on grazing management in sage grouse habitat areas and assists producers with the Nutrient Balance program. He has also assisted in ecological site descriptions.

Matt is also very passionate about teaching. He has taught at the Wheatland County Range Ride and Montana Range Days for many years. He has conducted many workshops for producers and also teaches at NRCS personnel courses. Matt continues to improve himself by continually researching and publishing papers.

Duane Ullman and Matt Ricketts received their awards last week in Billings during the 2015 Winter Grazing Seminar sponsored by the Yellowstone Conservation District, Rangeland Resources Executive Committee and the Montana DNRC.

For more information on the Rangeland Resources Program, the Range Leader of the Year Award, or other grazing and range management efforts sponsored by DNRC, contact Heidi Crum at (406) 444-6619, or visit the DNRC Web site.

January 29, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Featured Ranchers Jess Drange Southeastern

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Meet New Southeastern Director, Jess Drange of Ismay

Jess Drange Greetings from southeastern Montana where the new year has brought plenty of snow and cold. I keep telling myself that the calender says January, not July, but it is not helping a whole lot to ease my mind. As I write this it is 10 below with wind chill at around 40 below. I guess that keeps the mosquitos out of your ears and the flies off the cattle.

For those who are not aware, when Fred Wacker was elected to the executive board as 2nd Vice President at the convention in December, it left his seat as a director from the southeast district open. I was then nominated and approved as his replacement by the board of directors at the conclusion of convention. I will serve as a director for the next year at which time a normal election will be held.

Ismay, Montana is where I call home, which is between Miles City and Baker. We run a family owned and operated, commercial cow/calf and yearling operation in Fallon and Custer counties. There is no farming done so, with the exception of dryland haying, it is pretty much a grass and cattle outfit. My great, great uncle homesteaded here in 1906, which makes me 4th generation. My wife and son, dad and mom, and sister and brother in law are all here and active in the day-to-day operations.

As we look at the upcoming year, I see many positives in this part of the state. We still have great markets, leftover grass, and should have soil moisture to start more in the spring. I am sure there will be challenges that we will face as they arrive, that is just part of the job.

MSGA is coming off another great convention last December that was well attended and enjoyed by all. I would highly recommend that anyone who has not attended before do so. It is a great time to see your membership at work, meet others from across the state, help to set policy, and become involved. The more input there is from the members, the clearer the path becomes for the leadership. Remember, this is a member driven organization so your opinion matters. Be sure to contact the director from your area with any concerns or comments.

The legislature is in session and MSGA will be monitoring several topics as it moves along. Be sure to stay updated and aware of what is happening as important ag issues may be at stake. We are all guilty sometimes of concerning ourselves with our own interests and forgetting the big picture. Montana is a big state and we need to stay not only involved but also informed on what is going around it. Let us be proactive instead of reactive, let us play offense instead of defense. Let us make sure our way of life is protected for the future.

I look forward to working with the other directors and staff of MSGA throughout the year as well as producers from across the state. Feel free to contact me with questions and comments. Have a great year.

January 13, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Board of Directors Ray Marxer Twin Bridges

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Ray Marxer of Twin Bridges completes term on Montana Stockgrowers Board of Directors

Ray Marxer of Twin Bridges has completed two terms on the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) Board of Directors representing the Western District. Marxer was honored for his service at MSGA’s 130^th Annual Convention and Trade Show at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings last month.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to serve on the MSGA Board of Directors and Executive Board over the past four years,” said Ray Marxer in his final address at the Annual Convention. “Being able to serve others in an organization such as MSGA is the biggest blessing and I encourage everyone to do the same in setting a positive example for others.”

Ray has many years of experience in managing business and dealing with other interests including government agencies, environmental groups, and wildlife groups. He grew up on a diversified family farm south of Great Falls, attended college for two years then went to work for the Matador Cattle Co. in Dillon where he worked in every phase from cowboy to manager.

After 37 years, Ray retired from the company in 2011. During his tenure, the Matador became a very large diverse operation and an innovator in natural resource management, livestock production and business management, focusing on sustainable business and resources.

“Ray has earned the respect from all on the MSGA Board with his quiet, thoughtful demeanor,” says Tucker Hughes of Stanford, MSGA outgoing President. “He has that ability to listen to all points of view on issues that can be contentious and then work toward a solution. Ray has assisted in providing positive direction for MSGA as a director and on the executive committee for the past four years. I know he and his wife, Sue, will stay involved so we are not losing a resource, but gaining seasoned professionals!”

Ray and his wife Susan have three grown children: Clayton, who is married to Kristine and has two children; and daughters, Kristy, and Anna who left the United States in 2012 to work with missionaries in Moldova establishing and managing the Hannah House, a home for teen-age orphan girls.

Currently Ray and Sue work on their own small acreage and continue to serve the livestock industry as independent contractors in several different capacities, including A.I., herd work, and consulting. Ray also currently serves on Montana’s Elk Brucellosis Committee.

Marxer was elected by MSGA members to the 13-member board in 2010 and re-elected in 2012.

January 12, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Gene Curry

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New President Looks Forward to 2015

By Gene Curry, Valier, MSGA President

First, I want to thank you all for the confidence and trust you have placed in me to lead this great organization. The process we just went through to set the policy and direction this organization will take gives all of us in leadership a mandate to go to the legislature as your advocates. It also guides us in our daily business with members, government officials or others who want to know our stance on a particular policy or issue. You have drawn up the blueprint; all we need to do is follow it!

I will lead this organization in a way that will make you all proud to say you are members of MSGA. If you have any questions or concerns, my phone line is always open and I am willing to listen. This is your organization.

What timing! What a time to take over as president of the Montana Stockgrowers!

I have always thought timing in life is what takes us down the road we follow. Timing, a little luck, a lot of perseverance, maybe some work ethic instilled by our parents or other mentors, and the grace of God brought us all where we are today.

Perseverance is something all of us in this industry have and we see the fruits of this in the cattle market today. Perseverance also is a quality my wife Cheryl has in volumes along with many other attributes that have kept her by my side for 46+ years. She took care of the family and the cattle while I was off trucking and later took on a full time, off-farm job, to help pay for the ranch. When she went to work full time, someone else had to fill in. That is where all our kids did their part in keeping hay put up, cows fed, fences mended and all the other work around the ranch.

We all know without family most of us would not be where we are today, and for me that goes 10 fold! Cheryl and I are very fortunate that Jeremy decided to come back to the ranch and that there is room for him. He and his family, along with our hired help, are the reason I have the time to take on this commitment. Cheryl and I, Jeremy and Shannon, and the rest of our family have been working on a transition plan for about 9 years and without this help, I don’t think Cheryl’s and my dream of a multigenerational family ranch would be where it is today.

With the prices and optimism in the cattle industry, there is a tremendous opportunity for the next generation to come back to the ranch. It was so encouraging to see the number of young people at the annual convention and local meetings I have attended. When it is time to bring that next generation back I would just like to ask you all to

Have a plan
Make sure everyone involved knows what the plan is
Most importantly, have the plan written down because life is fleeting

There is a Vince Lombardi quote I think is very fitting. “Individual commitment to a group effort; that is what makes a team work, a society work, and civilization work.”

I would also like to add that this is what makes MSGA such an effective organization — “individual commitment to a group effort”. It just stands to reason that the more committed individuals you have the more effective your organization will be!

Therefore, I have one request for each and every MSGA member: Go out and find one neighbor, friend, or family member who is not a member of MSGA and sign them up!

Thank you all for being members and a special thanks to those of you who had the time and made the effort to attend what I thought was a wonderful convention. For me it was the best ever because of the opportunity you have given me to lead this remarkable organization!

I also want to take this opportunity give a special thank you to my predecessor, Tucker Hughes for his dedicated service to the MSGA.

Thanks again. – Gene

October 27, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

Cowboy Poetry Montana Poem Ranching

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It’s Just Ranching – By Scott Wiley

I have had one of the most wonderful of my many days,
It was one of the best, in oh so many ways.
Went out to do some fencing, a job that I abhor
Just got to do what you have to do, it tests you to the core.

The elk can do some damage, I forgive them for that,
The things that they make me do, that is where it’s at.
I get to see them, wild and free in and on the run,
Reminds me of me, free and easy is how life should be done.

My lunch time was spent, sitting with my wife on a big ole rock,
We eat our lunch when we want to, we don’t have to punch any time clock.
I could of sat there all day, listening to the sounds and things that I hear,
Spending time with the things I love, things that I hold dear.

Can see so much of God’s land that I am blessed to take care of
Can see so much of this great land, I have so learned to love.
Can hear the peepers and toads, singing their mating song,
Almost makes me to want to join in, and make me sing along.

There are some crocuses, some buttercups, and an occasional shooting star
You could smell spring was in the air, no matter where you are.
Almost makes a job that no one wants, to be a big part of
End up being a thing that reminds you, of the real job that you love.

The life that we live asks us to give, and then give a little more of us,
I have that tidbit to say, that we should not make up any fuss.
We have what most people would want, if they could be a part of our way of life
They have no reality of our daily strains, nor do they know of our daily strife.

Living the life that I love, forty miles from the nearest town or store
Makes me appreciate the solitude, even love it even more.
People who do not live this life will probably never understand
The things that we do, those of us who take care of God’s land.
Spending the hours and the sacrifice, the things that we go through

The only reward we get, is feeding the rest of you.
Saving that baby calf, when the temperatures are sub zero cold
Putting up with the droughts and floods, can get really old.
But we all do it, for the satisfaction that it can bring
That is why the days like this one, can make you want to sing.

I get to do with my life the thing that I love the most
And God and Mother Earth, they are my gracious host.

–Scott Wiley, Rancher from Musselshell, Montana

October 20, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association

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Fall 2014 Weaning and Gathering Cattle on Montana Ranches

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and that’s an important part of sharing our stories of ranch life in Montana with those who want to learn more about where their beef comes from!

Over the past few weeks, we have been seeing several reports from ranchers bringing cattle home for the Fall, weaning calves and shipping! It’s a busy and rewarding season for ranchers across the state and we want to share a few of those scenes with you. Have photo of Montana ranch life to share with us? Include a brief description of what’s happening and send them to [email protected]. We love to share them with everyone!

(Click the photos below to enlarge)