Communication Key For Association Policies

Communication Key For Association Policies

MSGA has taken the lead on several issues this year and has done a lot of promotion for the beef industry in Montana. Our directors are well informed on current issues at hand. Please feel free to contact any of them in your area, if you have any concerns or if there is something going on in your area that needs to be brought to their attention.

With that said, communication is the key to the livestock industry’s success in the future. We started AMP (Affiliate Mentorship Program) this year to communicate more often and to stay better informed as Montana’s premier beef cattle association.

If you have resolutions you are considering presenting at the annual convention, it is imperative that you share it now with as many folks as possible. This will do several things. First, you will find out if MSGA already has policy on the issue you are concerned with. Second, it can be considered among fellow members to test the merit of it and possibly change some of the wording, if needed. The last and best thing this accomplishes is that by the time it is presented at convention, more people are aware of it and understand the issue. The resolution then has a better chance of becoming MSGA policy and the board can take action on it.

This is the type of communication that makes a better organization. When we communicate effectively, fewer assumptions are made, better outcomes are achieved and we become a stronger voice to promote our product and preserve our heritage.

One issue to think about is the possibility of the USDA stepping into the Beef Check-off as business partners. This is a result of the lack of congruency among the industry organizations. Secretary Vilsack feels compelled to write his own check off program to run alongside of our current one. It is a classic example of how governments will control people who can’t seem to get along and find their own solutions. It is time to set aside our minor differences about the check off and stand together as an industry or we are going to be paying a much higher rate in the future with less results than we had prior to the check off’s beginning in 1985.

I am adamantly opposed to the USDA having more control over our check off program and I am adamantly committed to meeting with key industry leaders to help stifle this move. MSGA’s leadership is already at work on this issue. Please take time to discuss this issue at your local affiliate meeting and we will have a good discussion about it at convention. We need to know where our membership stands on this issue, now.

Remember, the world is run by those who show up, but it is ultimately shaped by those who speak up.

Enjoy the rest of this historical fall in the Beef business and have a Gorgeous day!

–Bryan Mussard, Dillon, MSGA 2nd Vice President