MSGA offers several educational opportunities for ranchers throughout the year from Cattlemen’s Colleges at our Annual Convention to Beef Quality Assurance Trainings to opportunities specifically for our Young Stockgrowers:
Montana ranchers depend on the land and its resources for their livelihood. Therefore, good management demands that they care for the environment for their own well-being as well as for future generations. Ranchers, as individuals and as an industry, are actively working to protect and improve the environment because they know environmental stewardship and good business go hand-in-hand.
Environmental Stewardship Award winners are prime examples of how environmental management benefits both the rancher’s bottom line and the resources in their care. That’s why the Montana Stockgrowers Association sponsors the Montana Environmental Stewardship Award Program. Montana ranchers have an outstanding reputation for their protection, care and enhancement of the natural resources that not only make our state beautiful, but make it ideal for raising top-quality cattle.
The goal of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program is to acknowledge producers who go the extra mile when it comes to preserving and enhancing the resources on their land. While the program highlights industry stewardship, it also provides cattlemen with examples and ideas which may be useful on their own farms and ranching operations. Established in 1991 by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, LLC, the national Environmental Stewardship Award Program provides an opportunity for the beef industry to showcase the stewardship and business practices that exist together on progressive farms and ranches.Young Ag Leadership Conference – MSGA’s Young Stockgrowers was one of six leading agricultural organizations in Montana to establish the Young Ag Leadership Conference (YALC). YALC was designed to bring young producers together from across commodity lines and enhance leadership skills and networking opportunities. YALC is held in the fall and offers workshops, discussion sessions, and notable keynote speakers.
NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference – Every year, MSGA’s Research and Education Endowment Foundation (REEF) selects one Young Stockgrowers member to represent Montana at the Young Cattlemen’s Conference. This 12-day conference, sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, takes participants on a nationwide tour of the cattle industry—starting in Denver at NCBA headquarters, stopping in feedlots and packing plants in Colorado, visiting the Chicago Board of Trade, and ending up in Washington, D.C., to visit with legislators and tour the nation’s capital.
Young Stockgrowers Conference – Held every other year during the Montana Legislative session, this two-day conference—for YSG members only—provides attendees a chance to meet with their local elected legislators, get updated on current bills, and learn how to play a more active role in their industry!
Young Ag Couples Conference – Hosted by the Montana Department of Agriculture in Helena, the goal of this four-day conference is to assist in the development of leaders of Montana’s agriculture industry and to help young couples work together to strengthen a successful future in agriculture. To qualify, couples must be actively engaged in agriculture or agribusiness and be nominated by an agricultural organization.
Annual Convention and Mid-Year Meeting – The highlights of the year for all MSGA members, these two gatherings include much more than just policy development! YSG members are encouraged to join in workshops, socials, and organizational meetings.
MSGA Educational Heritage Scholarship – this $1,000 scholarship is available for students currently enrolled in college (having completed at least one semester), with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and who is a member, or has at least one parent who is a member, of MSGA.
