Highlights and notes from March Board of Livestock meeting

Highlights and notes from March Board of Livestock meeting

The Montana Board of Livestock (BOL) met March 15 & 16 in Helena. Two of the highlights of the meeting were a continuation of the discussion on a proposal for mandatory statewide official calfhood vaccination (OCV) for brucellosis, and a visit from Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock.

In February, the Department of Livestock (DOL) held several information gathering sessions across the state on the proposed OCV rule, Dr. Zaluski, Montana State Veterinarian, told the board. The proposal would require OCV for all sexually intact female cattle and bison not destined for slaughter. (The proposal is available here.) He said it seems there is almost universal agreement from ranchers across the state that Montana needs to vaccinate its breeding herd, but there is no agreement as to how to go about it. Board member Stan Boone said that ranchers’ concerns at the Miles City meeting, which he attended, were mostly economical. He said that he thought ranchers would be more likely to agree to mandatory OCV if it wouldn’t cost them anything. The board did not take any action on the proposal at this meeting. This issue will likely be voted on in May. Dr. Zaluski said that a “yes” vote in May will not mean implementation of the rule, it will simply be a vote to proceed on a second draft and allow more comment from ranchers.

Errol Rice, Executive Vice President of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, addressed the board during the producer organization updates on the OCV issue. He asked that the board consider the risk of brucellosis across the state before deciding whether mandatory statewide OCV is warranted.

Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock spoke to the board about the U.S. Department of Justice/U.S. Department of Agriculture Joint Workshop on Competition in Agriculture that he attended in Ankeny, Iowa on March 12. He said that competition in agriculture has been discussed many times in the past, with little or no action taken. However, this year, he said he feels confident it will be different. First, 800 farmers and ranchers attended the first meeting in Iowa, surprising the officials from both the USDA and the DOJ and demonstrating that the issue is important. Second, as he said Senator Grassley from Iowa pointed out, there has never before been this level of coordination between the USDA and the DOJ. (A press release from Bullock with his full testimony from this meeting is available here.)

Bullock also told the BOL that the MT AG’s office has a new consumer protection position relating to agriculture, which is held by Chuck Munson. Munson has been working hard on this issue both statewide and nationally.

Other board actions and notes:

-The board passed a motion to continue meeting with the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

-John Grainger, head of the DOL’s Brands Enforcement Division, said his division will be drafting a new grazing permit rule in the next weeks to clear up some confusions. The Board will review the new rule at their May meeting.

-The Legislative Audit Committee completed an audit of DOL’s brand rerecord system after a legislator proposed staggering rerecord throughout a ten year period instead of doing all 55,000 brands once every ten years. The board was presented with the report of the committee’s findings which included 10 recommendations to improve efficiency of the process, though it recommended that the Department continue with its current schedule. The board passed a motion for the staff to proceed in reviewing the audit and bringing a new rule for brands procedure to the May meeting.

-During public comment time on Monday, a rancher from Choteau County asked the Board to provide some assistance on resolving a conflict he and other neighbors are having with cattle trespassing on their property, tearing down fencing and destroying crops and hay. The local authorities were not dealing with the problem or following state law in the matter, the rancher said. After much discussion of jurisdictional authority—because Choteau County has its own Livestock Protection Association and the local brand inspector is employed by the county—the Board unanimously approved a motion that the state Brands Division investigate the matter.

-The BOL turns 125 years old this year. The Department is working on holding an event in Miles City on June 10. There was also talk of a potential tour of the Historical Society’s archives or a party for all past BOL members.

The BOL’s next meeting will be May 17 & 18 in Bozeman. The board will invite the new MSU president and possibly tour some of the bison operations outside of Yellowstone National Park.