May 1, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Legislative Review, Agriculture Research Funding, CSKT Water Compact | Podcast

PodcastOn this week’s Stockgrowers Podcast, Ryan Goodman and Jay Bodner begin reviewing the 64th Montana Legislative Session, which adjourned on Tuesday, April 28. This week Ryan and Jay discuss major funding for agriculture research in the state (HB 403 with $2.4 million for infrastructure; $15 million from budgets go to research initiatives) and we give an outlook for the CSKT Water Compact as it heads to Congress.

Also, we provide a look at this year’s MidYear Meeting, which takes place in Bozeman, June 4-6. Find MidYear information and registration on our events page.

April 15, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Calving Season Photos On Our Facebook Page

Have you been following our calving season photos on Facebook?

During the past few months, ranchers across Montana have been sending us photos from their ranches during calving season. Many of the photos feature the next generation of Montana ranchers had at work and learning about ranch life from their mentors and parents. We’d love to see these photos continue as the seasons and tasks change throughout the year!

Below are a few of our favorite posts from the season. Be sure to Like our Facebook page, share these posts with your friends and send us your photos and videos that document tasks during the changing seasons in Montana ranch life. This is a great way to share your hard work with folks who may not always have an opportunity to experience what it takes to bring beef to our plates.

Post your photos and video clips on our Facebook page or email them to [email protected]. Include some background on what’s happening in the photos so we can help others learn more about your work on the ranch. And be sure to follow our posts on Instagram and Twitter as well!





Do you have photos or video clips to share from #ranchlife this season? Be sure to send them our way so we can share Montana ranching with folks across the country to help them learn more about the families behind our beef supply!

March 20, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Know Ranch Employee Needs to Improve People Management

In this video, Casey Risinger, DVM, Risinger Veterinary Hospital, Terrell, Texas, says you have to change yourself to help your team succeed. “I wasn’t sure if this program was something that would work in a veterinary clinic or if it was specifically for a feedyard or dairy. And it wasn’t at all. It was all about if you manage people.” Learn more at GrowPeopleFirst.com.

In this video, Casey Risinger, DVM, Risinger Veterinary Hospital, Terrell, Texas, says you have to change yourself to help your team succeed. “I wasn’t sure if this program was something that would work in a veterinary clinic or if it was specifically for a feedyard or dairy. And it wasn’t at all. It was all about if you manage people.” Learn more at GrowPeopleFirst.com.

Dr. Casey Risinger is a veterinarian. But he is also a manager of people.

Until now, Dr. Risinger had never given a review to any of his team members. He didn’t know how much he, his staff and business needed it.

“I’ve been told by other people, yes, you need to do this, but I had put it off and put it off,” said Dr. Risinger, of Risinger Veterinary Hospital in Terrell, Texas. “I just think everybody knows what’s going on and what to do. I know what I expect and surely everybody reads my mind. But I realize they don’t.”

Learning how to communicate in new ways with staff helped him see how much he could support his team.

“The reviews really helped me have a better understanding of what was expected of me and what they thought I was expecting out of them,” Dr. Risinger said. “They want to know how they can get better, where I think they can get better, and then they want to be able to express what I can do to help them.”

It even made him aware of issues he had never considered before.

“I would realize there was a problem, but I really didn’t understand where it was coming from,” he said. “I never thought about that, and I think that was one of the key things, is just understanding where people are at and where I can help them. Now I’ve got the tools to do that.”

The only way your business gets bigger and better is through your ability to manage people, he continued.

“I have to change first,” Dr. Risinger said. “The better I get, the better I should be able to help staff, help new employees, help existing people find out the needs they have. I can help the staff, and the more they know, and the more they’ve been trained, the more they can help the customer.

“Encouragement is always the best motivator, and when clients give comments and feedback, this gets everybody excited about trying to do a better job.”

In this video, hear more from Dr. Risinger about how you can learn to help your team. For help identifying ways to build a better team and veterinary clinic, operation or business, contact your local Zoetis representative or visit GrowPeopleFirst.com.

This is part of a series on rancher continuing education articles and provided by Zoetis. To see more rancher education posts, click here.

March 13, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

A Different Age of Managing Ranch Employees

In this video, Jason Gerstberger, yard manager at Pioneer Feedyard in Oakley, Kansas, shares why managers need to better understand employees. Learn more at GrowPeopleFirst.com.

In this video, Jason Gerstberger, yard manager at Pioneer Feedyard in Oakley, Kansas, shares why managers need to better understand employees. Learn more at GrowPeopleFirst.com.

Every employee has a different way of working, thinking and communicating, especially when it comes to different generations. It’s easy to see those differences and challenges, but it’s not as simple to manage.

Rather than just trying to change the team or individuals, it’s important that managers learn how to recognize generational differences and adapt. For Pioneer Feedyard near Oakley, Kansas, this required a different way to manage.

“There’s always challenges with age, race, even males and females in the industry,” said Jason Gerstberger, yard manager at Pioneer Feedyard. “The biggest one was learning to deal with different generational gaps and how to get one generation to understand another generation without causing too many problems or issues. In the older generation, they didn’t ask why, they just went ahead and did the work. But with the younger generation, they want to know why before they go do it.”

Gerstberger understands that to overcome this challenge and get the most out of each employee, managers and supervisors need to take the time to understand each person — and what keeps him or her motivated. It means taking time to understand how to best communicate with people as individuals.

To better learn how to do this, Pioneer Feedyard sent managers through the PeopleFirst™ Supervisory Certificate Program from Zoetis.

“PeopleFirst — we invested in it to get the benefits that we could, to get the most potential out of our employees that we could, not only by work, but by understanding what they’re doing,” Gerstberger said. “And in doing those things, get more out of our people.”

“What it allowed us to do is push our foremen a little bit more,” he continued.

“It helps to tell the older generation, ‘explain to these guys why you’re doing it, and they’ll be able to get it done a lot better and be able to do it with you,’” Gerstberger said. “The foremen are probably more engaged with the individuals they are working with. They can understand how we’re doing it and why we’re doing it. They understand what they’re seeing, what the problems are and help them to fix and increase their profitability on their issues.”

Gerstberger knows that adapting your management style can go a long way.

“Individuals, if they can learn to react a little different to certain situations, they’ll get more respect from the people working under them and, therefore, we’ll get more benefit out of it here at this yard,” Gerstberger said. “You’re going to get more profitability, which they can put back into the cattle.”

In this video, hear more from Gerstberger about what you can do to help your team understand the value of their role to the company’s success. For help identifying ways to invest in and strengthen your employees, contact your local Zoetis representative or visit GrowPeopleFirst.com.

This is part of a series on rancher continuing education articles and provided by Zoetis. To see more rancher education posts, click here.

January 22, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

$1,000 Educational Heritage Scholarship Application Due April 1

reefLogoMontana Stockgrowers Association’s Research & Education Endowment Foundation (REEF) is offering an Educational Heritage Scholarship in the amount of $1,000. This annual scholarship is awarded to a MSGA student member.

Last year’s scholarship recipient was Ariel Overstreet Adkins of Big Timber, MT. Upon receiving the 2014 award, Ariel, a student at the University of Montana School of Law said, “this scholarship means a tremendous amount to my family and I as we work to pay for school. Scholarships allow students like me to graduate with less debt, which is significant because it means that I am going to be able to work on issues for the people I care about.”

To be eligible for the Educational Heritage Scholarship, students must currently be enrolled in college and have completed at least one semester of coursework, be a member of Montana Stockgrowers Association, and demonstrate a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

Applicants must complete the application form (mtbeef.org/educational-heritage-scholarship), include a copy of their current transcript, write a 500-word essay discussing their educational pursuits and what they hope to do with their education, and include two letters of recommendation.

Applications must be completed and postmarked or mailed no later than April 1, 2015.

For more information on these scholarships and to apply online, visit the MSGA website at mtbeef.org. For questions, please email Jesse Gill at [email protected]. If you are interested in these scholarships but are not currently a member of MSGA, join today. Student memberships start at just $20.

The Research and Education Endowment Foundation (REEF) of the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to provide resources for education and research that supports the Montana Stockgrowers Association in enhancing the Montana ranching community, as excellent environmental stewards, in their production of healthy beef for the world.

 

January 6, 2015 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

2015 Montana Legislative Session Podcast – Week 1

The 64th Montana Legislative Session convened this week, on Monday, January 5th, in Helena. MSGA expects this to be yet another busy session, representing the interests of our members on a number of bills that will affect Montana ranchers and land owners. Each week during the session, MSGA Director of Natural Resources, Jay Bodner, and MSGA Manager of Communications will discuss what has taken place during the session and what legislative activity we can expect in the days ahead.

Stay tuned to our website as we will provide regular updates and member-exclusive information on activity during the legislative session. Just go to the Policies & Issues page under the About tab and log-in with your membership information.

Be sure to follow Montana Stockgrowers Association on social media for more information or contact our office in Helena with any questions at 442-3420.

For this week’s podcast, Jay Bodner and Ryan Goodman discuss MSGA’s role working with leadership during the legislative session and how you can track legislative activity through the state’s website.

Annual Convention and Trade Show 2014
December 17, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Montana Stockgrowers Convention Brings Ranchers to Billings

The 130th Montana Stockgrowers Association Convention and Trade Show, held at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings, December 11-13, drew strong crowds from ranching communities across the state.

The three-day convention featured a large number of speakers to help ranchers learn more about available management tools, as well as outlook on the current status of cattle markets, industry trends, environmental and wildlife issues. Governor Steve Bullock highlighted Opening General Session with a supportive message for Montana’s ranching communities. Members had the opportunity to discuss and vote on resolutions that guide policy activity for the Stockgrowers Association leading into the 2015 legislative session.

Saturday’s Grand Finale Banquet featured almost $100,000 in prizes thanks to generous sponsors and included live music from Wylie and the Wild West. The annual Cattle Directory auction raised record amounts thanks to strong support from Seedstock, Commercial and Industry partners.

Convention coverage, photos, videos and information about membership programs can be found on the Montana Stockgrowers Association Facebook page or website, mtbeef.org. Be sure to join MSGA for their 2015 Mid-Year event, held in Bozeman in early June.

The following are highlights in recognitions and awards during the Convention:

-Elections were held to fill positions on the Board of Directors due to expiring terms. Gene Curry of Valier was elected as President and Bryan Mussard of Dillon as first Vice President. Fred Wacker of Miles City was elected to the position of second Vice President and Jess Drange of Ismay will fill his position as Director representing Southeastern Montana. Race King of Dillon was elected to represent the Western District. Outgoing Board members include President Tucker Hughes of Stanford and Western District representative Ray Marxer of Twin Bridges.

-Travis Brown of Sand Springs was elected as Chairman of the Young Stockgrowers committee. He fills the position previously held by Lacey Sutherlin of Stevensville. Lacey Ehlke of Townsend was elected as Vice-Chair. Brown and Ehlke will represent the Young Stockgrowers on the MSGA Board of Directors.

-The 2014 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award (ESAP) was presented to Jed and Annie Evjene of the American Fork Ranch. The American Fork is a commercial cow/calf operation near Two Dot, which exemplifies the qualities of ranchers focused on environmental stewardship, sustainability and conservation. As Montana ESAP winners, the American Fork will compete at the regional level for the national ESAP recognition.

-Bev Fryer of White Sulfur Springs was recognized as the Ranching Woman of the Year. Fryer and her husband, Ed, raise cattle at the Castle Mountain Ranch, where Bev takes charge of calving more than 300 heifers each spring and training horses, alongside raising a family. Bev is active in area youth and CattleWomen’s activities, ranch rodeos, and guides hunters looking for elk each year.

-16 Cattlemen’s College workshops offered attendees several great opportunities for interactive learning about the tools available to improve management and record keeping on their ranches. Topics covered included cattle marketing, estate planning, nutrition, reproduction, cattle health, and leadership training.

-Montana Ford Stores continued their sponsorship for the sixth year to give one lucky MSGA member a 2014 Ford Super Duty pickup. This year’s winner was Paula Bischoff. Paula and her husband, Gary, ranch at the 99 Bar Cattle Company near Alzada.

-Montana Massey Ferguson dealers donated a tractor lease, which was raffled on Saturday evening. Tom and Lilian Ostendorf of Powderville won the 8-month/200-hour lease on the 130-hp tractor and loader. NutraLix donated a saddle, which went to Sam Obrecht of Turner.

-Top Hand recognitions were awarded to Southeastern Montana Livestock Association from Miles City, which received a John Deere Gator from Frontline Ag, and Kyle Middlemist of Dixon, who received a paid trip to San Antonio, Texas for the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention.

-Attendees received encouraging and informative messages from many speakers throughout the 3-day convention. Governor Steve Bullock addressed the crowd during Friday’s Opening General Session and was very encouraging about supporting Montana’s ranching industry, natural resources and continued opportunities for trade and marketing of cattle and beef products. Greg Hanes, Assistant Vice President of International Marketing with U.S. Meat Export Federation, provided attendees with a great overview of international marketing opportunities for U.S. beef and insight on how Checkoff dollars contribute to promotion in those markets. Lois Olmstead gave attendees encouragement and motivation during Saturday’s Inspirational breakfast.

-Policy meetings offered opportunity for attendees to hear updates on several issues affecting ranches, environmental and agricultural policy issues in the state. Representatives from Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Department of Livestock, Public Lands Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association were on hand to provide updates and insight on current events. Topics of high interest included sage grouse, CSKT Water Compact, Department of Livestock, markets and animal health.

November 18, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Changes Impacts Ranchers and Water Quality

4 orgs logos

On Friday November 14th, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA), Montana Association of State Grazing Districts (MASGD), Montana CattleWomen (MCW) and the Montana Public Lands Council (MPLC), submitted comments to EPA regarding the Proposed Rule regarding the definition of “Waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act .

Montana has long been known as an agricultural state. Farming and Ranching contribute billions to the state’s economy as Montana’s largest business sector. In fact, there are 2.5 cattle for every Montana resident. Over 28,000 farms and ranches are in Montana today, each working every day to conserve and sustain the environment we all call home.

One of the most pressing issues for our members in 2014 has been proposed changes to the Clean Water Act from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA wants to broaden their definition of “Waters of the U.S.” which would increase their jurisdiction to regulate, not only more water, but also potentially, much of the land surrounding those waterways.

Ranchers rely on clean water for their crops and livestock and are often at the front line of maintaining and improving water quality to sustain and conserve our environment. Irrigation plays a critical role in farming and ranching in Montana, whether it is for growing forages or crops. EPA’s proposed rule could change the agency’s jurisdiction when it comes to regulating both land and water that Montana farmers and ranchers depend on for a living.

As organizations representing farmers and ranchers, who have cared for the land for many generations, we believe our members do a great job of conserving and sustaining a clean water supply, not only for their land, but also for everyone downstream, including water supplies for many wildlife and Montana communities.

Due to the complexity of the issue, there has been a large degree of confusion and uncertainty from the people directly affected by this proposed rule change. In our comments, we requested EPA to drop the proposed rule changes to the Clean Water Act. If the proposed rule cannot be dropped, we provided specific concerns and recommendations for EPA to address.

Our comments included the following:

  1. Remove the expansion of the Clean Water Act to intermittent and ephemeral non-navigable streams, which are defined as tributaries and per se jurisdictional under the proposed rule.
  2. Remove the inclusion of ditches in the definition of tributary.
  3. Remove the provision that would make isolated wetlands, ponds and other open waters per se jurisdictional if they are located within a riparian area or floodplain.
  4. The exclusions and exemptions provided under the proposed rule are unclear and too narrow to provide protections for landowners. Clarification is needed prior to moving forward with a rule.
  5. Due to inadequate input from landowners, we request the agency to immediately withdraw the Interpretive Rule that limits the Sec. 404 “normal farming, silviculture and ranching” exemption to 56 NRCS practices.
  6. The proposed rule usurps states’ rights to manage waters and land use activity. This proposed rule is an overreach that makes all waters federal, violating the Commerce Clause of the Constitution and the plain language of the Clean Water Act.
  7. Due to the proposed rule ambiguities and uncertainty, we request the agencies withdraw the rule.
  8. We would encourage the agencies to engage in meaningful discussions with the states to better define the areas, if there are any, that states feel are deficient in meeting water quality standards.

Montana’s water laws are very comprehensive, do a good job of regulating the quantity of water used by agriculture, and ensure that water quality remains a priority when it comes to impacts on our environment, wildlife and surrounding communities.

The EPA’s proposed actions on this rule making process are a strong reminder to ranchers and members of the agriculture community of the need to remain actively involved in the policymaking processes, working to keep state and federal agencies aware of the continual improvements taking place, so that we may continue being good stewards of our environment and resources.

Montana Stockgrowers Association encourages, you as members, to remain active in your communities, and be engaged in conversations surrounding these critical issues that affect our ability to produce food, fiber and fuel products for Montanans and a growing global population.  As this rule making process moves forward, MSGA will provide any updates as they become available.  We would also like to thank the members who provided additional comments on this very important issue.For further questions, please contact Jay Bodner at the MSGA office at (406) 442-3420. A complete copy of the comments submitted can be viewed by visiting http://bit.ly/WOTUScomments.

Peterson Farm Brothers I'm So Farmer Parody Video
October 30, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

Peterson Farm Brothers Continue Advocacy with ‘I’m so Farmer’ Parody Melody

Peterson Farm Brothers I'm So Farmer Parody Video

Image via Peterson Farm Brothers Facebook

The Peterson Farm Brothers of Kansas have risen to online fame over the past few years with a series of YouTube videos to parody popular songs found on radio stations across the globe. Their work involves taking the melodies from celebrity artists and creating lyrics that describe farm and ranch life. The results are catchy earworms that connect with urban consumers with messages that reflect the work of modern farm families in the heart of the country.

This week, Greg, Nathan and Kendal Peterson took on a new challenge, mixing the melodies of five popular songs and putting them to the tune of fall work on the farm and ranch in Kansas. ‘I’m So Farmer includes pieces of the songs Turn Down For What (DJ Snake). Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo), All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor), Fancy (Iggy Azalea), and Let it Go (Frozen).

I’ll be honest, after listening to the Peterson’s twist on popular lyrics, I can’t help but put a farm twist when I hear the original versions on the radio. What are your favorite lines in their parody melody this go-round? Are there any other chart-topping songs you’d love to take on an agriculture advocacy message? Be sure to watch all of the videos on the Peterson Farm Brothers’ YouTube channel.

Outside of videos, Greg, Nathan and Kendal have taken to utilizing their Facebook page to continue to the conversation with their audience, sharing farm-related memes and promoting their videos. Greg also has several blog entries which go more in-depth on several hot topic issues related to agriculture and their videos, including animal welfare, sustainability, genetically modified crops, and Chipotle Mexican Grill’s choice to oppose modern farming practices. Some of these posts have been shared on the popular online news site, Huffington Post.

The Petersons are a great example of utilizing your skills and interests to find a mutual connection that shares the message of farming and ranching with a general audience. More folks from the agriculture community should look for these opportunities to advocate. Whether it be online or in your communities, each person that share their story of agriculture makes a difference.

September 10, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
Share:

MSGA Comments Following Establishment of Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program

sage grouse signing executive order bullock montana habitat conservationOn Tuesday, September 9, Governor Steve Bullock signed an executive order establishing the Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program. The program has been in the works for some time with several Montana groups having opportunity to provide input on maintaining state management of the Sage Grouse species and its habitat in the state of Montana.

The Montana Stockgrowers Association has been involved in this process from the earliest stages, representing the interests our ranching family members and property owners across the state. During the development process of this plan, we recognized a few important principles

  • to keep the management of this species in our state,
  • to develop a plan with Montana priorities and values
  • and most importantly, to have a plan that works for Montana

We appreciate the work of the Advisory Council and the process in which they deployed in making recommendations. The series of meetings provided a platform in which all stakeholders could participate and provide science based information for the Council to consider. The Montana Stockgrowers Association along with our colleagues from other important Ag groups, like the Montana Farm Bureau, were able to express our interests in a fair and transparent way.

Stockgrowers feels that in-state management of the sage grouse is critical as 64% of the species’ Montana habitat is in private ownership and livestock grazing is the most common land-use activity across the sagebrush spectrum.

Even though the plan is finished, we know there is a considerable amount of work to be done. We look forward to continuing our work with Governor Bullock and his team to put forth Sage Grouse solutions that work for Montana and minimize the impact to Montana ranching families and livestock grazing.