October 9, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana CattleWomen growing and plan Fall education events

Montana CattleWomen LogoMontana CattleWomen is excited to announce the addition of two new local groups who will be joining us for the New Year. If any CattleWomen from Cascade and Custer County are interested in joining them, contact MCW. The Montana Beef Council granted our project funding requests for 2015 and with their financial support, we will be able to continue with our educational and promotional activities.

MCW will take part in the NILE education days in Billings, October 15-18. We will have seven minutes with each group of students to present information on grazing practices, importance of minerals and vaccinations, and we go through the cheeseburger, ZIP and beef by products kits. I realize this seems like a lot of info in such a small time, but the students do learn and enjoy the sessions.

The Beef Education packets will be mailed to the Family & Consumer Science Teachers soon. Remember to ask your local teacher if they use or order the material offered to them and encourage them to utilize this year’s information. The cost of this project is covered by the $0.50 of your beef check off dollars that stay in state.

If you ever have any questions concerning MCW, just contact me, Wanda Pinnow, 406.978.3521.

Errol Rice Montana Stockgrowers Association Executive Vice President
December 18, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Convention draws ranching crowd to Billings

Errol Rice Montana Stockgrowers Association Executive Vice PresidentView all Convention 2013 coverage by clicking here.

The 129th Montana Stockgrowers Association Convention and Trade Show, held at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana in Billings, December 12-14, drew record crowds from the ranching community from across the state.

The three-day convention featured a number of speakers to help ranchers learn more about available management tools, as well as outlooks on the current status of cattle markets, industry trends, environmental and wildlife issues. Members also had the opportunity to discuss and vote on resolutions that guide policy activity for the Stockgrowers Association.

Here are some of the highlights:

-Elections were held to fill three positions on the Board of Directors due to expiring terms. Wayne Slaght of Ovando was elected to represent the Western district. Lee Cornwell of Glasgow was elected to represent the Northeastern district. Jack Holden of Valier was elected to represent the North Central district. Slaght, Cornwell and Holden are all cow-calf ranchers on family operations. Heath Martinell of Dell, Mick Denowh of Sidney and Mark Harrison of Belt are the outgoing Board members.

-Lacey Sutherlin of Stevensville was elected as Chairwoman of the Young Stockgrowers. She fills the position previously held by Collin Gibbs from Miles City. Travis Brown of Sand Springs was elected as Vice-Chair. Sutherlin and Brown will represent the Young Stockgrowers on the MSGA Board of Directors.

-The 2013 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award was presented to the Leon LaSalle family of Havre. Leon is president of LaSalle Ranch, a family corporation that includes his father Robert L., his mother Jenny, and his brother Robert W, along with his wife Shannon. LaSalle Ranch is a cow/calf and yearling operation, mostly located within the boundaries of the Rocky Boys Indian reservation. Leon is also an engineering technician with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Havre.

-Glenna Stucky of Avon was recognized as the Ranching Woman of the Year. Glenna, who lives in Avon with her husband Earl, has dedicated years of hard work to her family, ranch, and community. Close friends describer Glenna as a “ranch woman pioneer, passing down the legacy to her kids and grandkids with grace and love.”

-Zoetis Cattlemen’s College offered attendees several great opportunities for interactive learning about the tools available to improve management and record keeping on their ranches. Oklahoma State University Livestock Economist, Dr. Darrell Peel, offered great insight into the current market situations and an outlook on what we may expect in the long-term cattle numbers.

-Montana Ford Stores continued their sponsorship to give one luck MSGA member a new Ford Super Duty pickup. This year’s winner was Jim Steinbeisser of Sidney. Steinbeisser, along with his two brothers and two cousins, owns and operates VS Inc., a diversified farm raising several cash crops, feed for their feedlot and wintering cows. His father and uncle still participate on the family operation. Steinbeisser has been involved with the family operation full-time for 30 years. Jim and his wife, May Ann, have three children: Corbin (6), Liam (5), and Claire (4).

-Attendees heard encouraging and informative messages from many speakers throughout the 3-day convention. Sarah Calhoun of White Sulphur Springs, founder of Red Ants Pants, was the featured speaker at Opening General Session. American National Cattlewomen’s Association President, Barbara Jackson was on hand for several events including the Inspirational Breakfast and the Cattlewomen’s meetings.

-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 Association were on hand to provide updates and insight on current events.

Convention coverage, photos and videos can be found on the Montana Stockgrowers Association Facebook page or blog (www.mtstockgrowersblog.com).

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The Montana Stockgrowers Association, a non-profit organization representing nearly 2,500 members, strives to serve, protect and advance the economic, political, environmental and cultural interests of cattle producers, the largest sector of Montana’s number one industry – agriculture.
January 17, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Applications to attend Young Cattlemen’s Conference due Feb. 15

Montana Young Cattlemens ConferenceMSGA’s Research, Education, and Endowment Foundation (REEF) is accepting applications to send one participant to the Young Cattlemen’s Conference tour, held June 2-9. The tour exposes young cattlemen to all areas of the cattle industry ranging from industry structure to issues management, from production research to marketing, and is designed to develop leadership qualities. Many past attendees from Montana have described this tour as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.” (Including last year’s participant, Tater Erickson who is pictured at right with Melville, MT rancher and NCBA President-elect, Bill Donald, left, and John Goggins with the Western Ag Reporter out of Billings, MT, center.) REEF will pay the full cost of the tuition (approximately $2,700) and will provide $500 for travel costs.

The tour will host 45 participants from across the country and will begin in Denver with a comprehensive overview of the industry. The group will take an in-depth look at many of the issues affecting the cattle industry and what NCBA is doing to address these issues on behalf of its members, plus receive a comprehensive view of market information from Cattle-Fax. The group will then travel to JBS Five Rivers’ Kuner Feedyard, one of the nation’s largest cattle feeding operations, a one-time capacity of over 100,000 head located in Northern Colorado. The group will then tour the JBS Greeley facility, one of the nation’s largest beef packing and processing plants. JBS will host the group and will share their views of the beef industry from a processor standpoint. Chicago is the next destination where the group will visit the Chicago Board of Trade & OSI, Inc. one of the nation’s premiere beef patty manufacturers. The participants will then travel to the nation’s Capitol where they will get a chance to meet with their respective congressmen and senators. In addition, the group will visit with a number of regulatory agencies that make decisions affecting agriculture.

2011 will be the 32nd year the Young Cattlemen’s Conference tour has been conducted. Over 1,000 cattlemen and women have graduated from the YCC program since its inception in 1980. For an individual to participate in the YCC, he or she must be nominated by one of NCBA’s affiliate members, be between the ages of 25 to 50 and be an NCBA member. Participants will need to arrive in Denver on June 1 and may depart from Washington, D.C. on June 10. To apply, visit MSGA’s website and download the application form. If you have any questions, please contact Ariel at [email protected] or at the MSGA office, (406) 442-3420.