October 14, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Ranching Roots – What is a cowgirl?

By Book Author, Lauren Chase, Montana Family Ranching Project – You can read more stories about Montana ranch women in the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s new digital photo book, “Ladies and Livestock: Life on the Ranch,” which is available for download on the Apple store for $14.99. Be sure to flip through the pages to watch video interviews with some of the ladies and follow MSGA’s social media sites for daily updates about Montana ranchers.

The shadow of a cowgirl

The shadow of a cowgirl

What is a cowgirl? What is a rancher?

These are questions that kept running through my mind while collecting stories of Montana ranching women for the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s digital book, “Ladies and Livestock. I had one idea, which was a woman in a cowgirl hat, hair blowing in the wind as she gallops across an open field to seek out her herd. While that image may have some clout, I have since learned that being a cowgirl and being a rancher is so much more.

Since the days of homesteading, women have had to fill many roles on the ranch…everything thing from cooking and child rearing to fixing fence and roping calves. While all of that work still needs to be done, today’s ranch woman sometimes finds herself elsewhere. Whether it’s for economic reasons, ranch size, insurance purposes, or a passion for a certain type of skill, some ladies take jobs in town.

Heather Malcolm at her desk - Bank of the Rockies - Livingston, Montana.

Heather Malcolm at her desk – Bank of the Rockies – Livingston, Montana.

“As the vice president of agriculture lending, I have the opportunity to work with my fellow farmers and ranchers across Montana. I am blessed to have a flexible schedule so I can help on the ranch as much as needed,” said Heather Malcolm of Livingston, Montana.

Other ladies, like Haylie Shipp, work to help inform ranchers of the latest news in communication jobs. Haylie grew up on a ranch near Glasgow, Mont. and now is a farm broadcaster for Northern Ag Network. Linda Grosskopf’s family ranch is near Billings, Mont., making it convenient for her the edit of the Western Ag Reporter, published from town.

There are women who lobby at the Montana state capitol during the legislature, working on behalf of ranchers…and others who spend their weekdays teaching college students about beef production at Montana State University and their weekends at home on the ranch, like Dr. Rachel Endecott of McAllister, Mont.

“I was really lucky that Rachel could spend a lot of time home this spring helping me because I could have never done it without her,” said Janet Goggins-Endecott, Rachel’s mother and full-time rancher.

These positions off of the ranch are just a fraction of what makes a modern day Montana rancher…and modern day Montana cowgirl.

At MSGA, we appreciate all the work these ladies do to help the ranches run smoothly and to help produce healthy, wholesome, nutritious beef to the world.

Ladies and Livestock coverYou can read more stories about Montana ranch women in the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s new digital photo book, “Ladies and Livestock: Life on the Ranch,” which is available for download on the Apple store for $14.99. Be sure to flip through the pages to watch video interviews with some of the ladies and follow MSGA’s social media sites for daily updates about Montana ranchers.

April 9, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSGA brings back the Top Hand Club with Frontline Ag Sponsorship

Affiliate Mentorship ProgramHelena, Mont. – The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is excited to announce its first year partnership with  Frontline Ag. Frontline Ag is an “Official Affiliate Top Hand Club Sponsor” of the Montana Stockgrowers Association and they have been instrumental in helping MSGA to implement the Affiliate Top Hand Club for 2014. This year’s top prize will be a John Deere Gator sponsored by Frontline Ag.

The Top Hand Club is a part of Stockgrowers’ Affiliate Mentorship Program, announced earlier this year, as a renewed effort to strengthen local affiliate members across the state.

“We have been hard at work this year making plans to bring back our Top Hand Club to our membership. We could not have accomplished this without the very generous support of Frontline Ag” said Tucker Hughes, Montana Stockgrowers Association President. “John Deere makes a great, dependable product that holds up on our Montana ranches. We appreciate the commitment Frontline Ag has made to our membership and the Montana Stockgrowers Association!”

The Affiliate Top Hand Club is the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s “member-recruit-a-member” program, which has been developed to recognize those Local Affiliate Associations and members who continually give their time and effort to help increase the strength of their state organization, the Montana Stockgrowers Association.Frontline Logo

The Top Prize for the Affiliate Top Hand, a John Deere Gator from Frontline Ag, will be awarded to the Local Affiliate Association that recruits the highest number of new memberships for MSGA within the current recruitment year. The winner will be announced at MSGA’s Annual Convention to be held Dec. 11-13, 2014 in Billings at the Holiday Inn Grand Montana.

To learn more about MSGA’s 2014 Affiliate Top Hand Club and to find information on the individual membership top hand prizes please visit www.mtbeef.org.

Listen to this post as a podcast on SoundCloud! Click HERE – bit.ly/MSGATopHandFrontline

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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.

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January 28, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers’ Goodman Honored with Agricultural Advocate Award

There is a lot of excitement at the Montana Stockgrowers Association this year…and it’s only just January! One new announcement is that MSGA’s manager of communications, Ryan Goodman, has been selected as recipient of the “I Love Farmers, They Feed My Soul” Agricultural Advocates of the Year Award, along with Malorie Bankhead of California and three other honorable mention winners. 46010_10151864677557051_170998017_n

In an effort to recognize and reward young people who volunteer their time advocating for American family farmers and rancher ILF established the Agriculture Advocate of the Year Award in honor of the late Gus Settrini, a cattle rancher from Salinas, Calif. who enjoyed helping young people in agriculture. Winners were selected based on their advocacy efforts online in social media channels and at various public events in 2013. Goodman and Bankhead will receive custom silver buckles and a cash award.

“Hardworking, dedicated and extremely humble are words that come to mind when thinking of my dad,” said Celeste Settrini, daughter of the late Gus Settrini. “His efforts of agriculture advocacy over the years were quiet yet ever so powerful as he encouraged young people to engage in agriculture. My family is truly honored to be a part of such a tremendous program and congratulate those young people who are following their passions to reach out and communicate what we all truly love. These young people are a true testament of what my dad was all about and through them his legacy of his love for his industry can live on.”

Gus Settrini

Gus Settrini

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized with this award, but I couldn’t do it without America’s farmers and ranchers. They are the story and the foundation of my work. I am just glad to be able to use my talents to to amplify their message,” said Goodman. “It’s is humbling that the award is given in honor of Mr. Settrini. He was a great example in the ranching community and someone who greatly supported younger generations.”

​ILF is an all-volunteer movement among young people who are passionate about creating conversations about agriculture with their non-agriculture peers.

Megan Silcott, ILF President said, “We are excited to identify and reward a strong group of young advocates for our inaugural Agricultural Advocate of the Year program. Each winner is an outstanding model for others to follow in advocating for agriculture.”

 

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October 30, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Foundation on Social Media

Montana Stockgrowers Foundation LogoHelp Tell the Story of Montana Family Ranching

If you have been browsing Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest lately, you may have seen our newly launched Foundation social media accounts. MSGA’s Research, Education and Endowment Foundation is vital to helping our ranch community thrive…through scholarship opportunities, grants, avenues of public outreach and much more.

Members of MSGA can appreciate the philanthropy of REEF, but we don’t want to stop there. This is why we have created a social media platform for all the Foundation’s work. Having these outreach tools like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest allows for us to have a much broader reach, connect with other foundations and nonprofits and explore even more ways we can help Montana and the world.

Like the development of the MSGA social media platform, REEF will build its network and create innovate ways to promote Montana ranchers. Even though we are one state association, the products we produce ultimately go beyond our borders and feed the world. REEF is here to help make sure this continues to happen. By using public relations strategies, we can bring in more people, organizations and foundations to help with educational programs and philanthropic endeavors.

Screen Shot 2013-10-08 at 11.18.26 AMWe can’t do it alone!

If you have any ideas or information to share, please contact Lauren Chase: [email protected]. If you are interested in donating to REEF, please visit: www.mtbeef.org. Together we can help educate the future of Montana ranchers, help keep our legacy growing strong and help the feed world.

Social media sites:

***Help spread the word! Share these sites with all of your family friends! 

Lauren Chase Madison Martin Ryan Goodman #SocialBeef Social Media Training
October 21, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Social Media Training and Workshop – Tennessee Beef Industry Council – #SocialBeef

Social media is an important tool for the beef industry, for marketing cattle, educating consumers and sharing farm & ranch stories. On Oct. 17, 2013, the Tennessee Beef Industry Council invited speakers, Ryan Goodman and Lauren Chase of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, to teach a social media overview and workshop for Tennessee beef producers. These cattlemen and women learned how to utilize Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Instagram and Pinterest for their farms and ranches. They also heard from Pamela Bartholomew from the TN Dept. of Ag about the “Pick TN Products” program.

Goodman and Chase encouraged participants to use the hashtag “#socialbeef” in their future posts to create a community of beef producers using social media. Feel free to contact them at:

@AgProudRyan
@LaurenMSea
@TNBeefCouncil
@MTStockgrowers

Lauren Chase Madison Martin Ryan Goodman #SocialBeef Social Media Training

April 15, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSGA works to ensure ranchers’ voices are heard on bison management

Helena – On April 14, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) attended an open house in Gardiner, Mont. hosted by the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners to discuss their “adaptive management adjustments” that would allow bison to roam freely outside of Yellowstone National Park in the Gardiner basin. A formal agreement on the adjustments was finalized by the partners with no input from the local citizens or area ranchers who would be affected. MSGA’s Executive Vice President, Errol Rice, and chairman of MSGA’s Cattle Health Committee, Dr. Dick Raths, attended the open house to ensure Montana ranchers’ voices were heard on the issue. Several area ranchers joined with many local concerned citizens to voice their disapproval of the plan.
Rice toured the Gardiner area earlier in the day to see first-hand the effect of the bison.
“What we really saw was chaos on the ground with a tremendous amount of bison out in the greater Gardiner basin area and what appeared to be a real lack of leadership by the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners,” Rice said.
Rice said further that although MSGA understands the IBMP partners’ desire to adapt their management, their lack of transparency leaves ranchers very concerned. While the partners hosted an open house, they did not release the plan prior to the meeting or give a forum for public comment on the plan.
“They are really on shaky ground because they have no support from Montana ranchers or the ranching community at this point, due to their lack of transparency and accountability to our concerns with the issue,” Rice said. “Montana ranchers do have a lot at stake with the brucellosis issue and we’ve sacrificed a lot already.”
Rice said that based on viewing the situation first-hand and attending the open house, MSGA is opposed to the adjustments for the Gardiner basin.
“We are not only asking the IBMP partners to revoke this Gardiner basin adaptive management plan, but to also demonstrate leadership and ensure ranchers voices are being heard on this,” Rice said. 

March 11, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Stevenson Angus Bull Sale 2011

Stevenson Angus Ranch held its spring production sale on March 10, 2011 in Hobson, MT. Darrell Stevenson was back from Russia, where he took cattle herds to establish American-style ranching. MSGA’s executive vice president, Errol Rice, attended the sale and was interviewed by Bloomberg TV about Montana beef and the future of international markets. To see photos from the Stevenson Angus Ranch, check out MSGA’s Facebook page: click here. 

March 11, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Sitz Angus Ranch Bull Sale 2011

Sitz Angus Ranch in Dillon & Harrison, Montana had their 9th annual bull sale on March 9, 2011. It was the ranch’s best sale on record, with the top bull selling for more than $50,000. Check out the Montana Stockgrowers Association‘s Facebook page for photos: click here.


March 7, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Reminisce Angus Ranch Production Sale 2011

AUDIO SLIDE SHOW: Watch and hear Angus bulls being sold at the Mussard Family sale in Dillon, Montana. There is also a speech from NCBA president, Bill Donald and some dancing at the end of the night, after a great sale. To see photos from the sale, head over to the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s Facebook page: click here.

March 2, 2011 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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A Visit to Cayuse Livestock Co.

cayuse livestock montana bill donald

Yesterday, Lauren Chase had the opportunity to spend the day at Bill Donald’s Montana ranch, Cayuse Livestock Co. Bill is the current president of theNational Cattlemen’s Beef Association, past-president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association and founder of the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association. He runs a ranch near Melville with his wife Betsy, sons, and grandchildren. On this visit, the crew was freeze branding in the calving shed. His grandson William helped him feed cows later in the day. To see more photos click here and to see an audio slide show click here.