It’s a busy November for MSGA – Convention will be here before you know it

It’s a busy November for MSGA – Convention will be here before you know it

November has already shaped up to be a very busy month here at the MSGA office. With the election come and gone, we are hard at work attending important industry meetings, putting the finishing touches on planning and preparation for our 124th Annual Convention and Trade Show, and looking ahead to the upcoming legislative session.

On November 5 & 6 Errol and I attended the 5th meeting of the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners. They are holding series of meetings, open to the public for observation, to decide on “Adaptive Management” changes to the plan for the upcoming management season. MSGA has been keeping a close eye on these discussions as the partners push to allow for more and more tolerance for bison outside Yellowstone National Park. So far, the partners have agreed to allow untested bison to be outside of the park in various areas of Hebgen basin, near West Yellowstone, during most of the year. On the North side, after the completion of the buyout of the Royal Teton Ranch grazing rights (owned by the Church Universal Triumphant), 25 head of seronegative bison will be allowed to travel north of the park through this corridor. This is explicitly outlined in the IBMP, though partners had earlier discussed allowing an unlimited number of untested bison in this area. Stay tuned as the next and final meeting will be held Dec. 17 & 18.

Many of our local affiliates will be holding their annual meetings this month. The Choteau County Livestock Protection Association meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m. in Big Sandy. The Sheridan County Stockmen’s Association meeting will be on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. in the Sheridan Room of the Montana State Bank in Plentywood. The Southwest Stockmen will meet at 5 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Elk’s Lodge in Dillon. On Nov. 19, the MonDak Area Stockgrowers will hold their meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Triangle Nite Club in Sidney. The Phillips County Livestock Association will hold their meeting at 2 p.m. at the First State Bank of Malta. On Nov. 21 the Fergus County Livestock Association will meet in Lewistown and the North Central Montana Stockgrowers Association will meet at the Duck Inn in Havre. Nov. 22, the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers will hold their meeting at 2 p.m. at the Masonic Hall in Big Timber with a Happy Hour at 5 p.m. followed by a prime rib and lamb dinner upstairs at the American Legion. Montana Rose will provide entertainment. Also on Nov. 22, the Musselshell Valley Stockgrowers will hold their meeting along with a dinner and dance beginning at 6 p.m. tentatively located at the Riverside Hall, four miles south of Roundup. The Southeastern Montana Livestock Association will meet on Nov. 28 in Miles City. On Nov. 29 the Big Horn Livestock Association will meet at 12 p.m. at Bud’s Catering in Hardin for a no-host lunch and general membership meeting to follow.

The Montana Board of Livestock will meet in Helena at the Department of Livestock on Monday and Tuesday Nov. 17 and 18. We’re still waiting to hear who Governor Schweitzer will appoint to fill the positions left vacant by the resignations of Meg Smith and George Hammond in September. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday and resume at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Dr. Zaluski will discuss the Brucellosis Action Plan, the IBMP Adaptive Management Plan and other brucellosis-related things on Tuesday morning. To see a full agenda for this meeting, click here.

Convention is just around the corner! If you haven’t signed up yet for our 124th Annual Trade Show and Convention to be held Dec. 11-13 at the Billings Holiday Inn Grand Montana, give us a call today (406) 442-3420. Registration is $150 until Nov. 28 and $175 after. Be sure to reserve your room with the MSGA room block before Nov. 28! To download a registration form, click here.