Young Ag Leaders Tour Billings Area Businesses

Montana Young Ag Leadership Conference Farm Tour OrigenMembers of several Montana agricultural organizations met in Billings this past weekend for the 2015 Young Ag Leadership Conference this past weekend. The annual meeting offers a variety of workshops, discussion groups and guest speakers to young farmers and ranchers who want to learn more about their respective industries. This year’s meeting had approximately 175 young agriculturalists attend from all corners of the state.

Trailhead Spirits Billings Montana Young Ag LeadershipThe conference kicked off on Friday afternoon with a tour of three area businesses from different sectors of agriculture. Participants visited Trailhead Spirits in downtown Billings, where they learned about the distilling process from local business owner, Casey McGowan. Trailhead’s primary grain source for its products is McGowan’s family farm in the Highwood area of North Central Montana, making the distillery’s products truly Montana Made.

Montana Origen Jared MurninNext stop on the tour was Origen, a Breeder to Breeder Genetics Service located in Huntley. Origen offers a number of genetics services to livestock owners in the region, including bull stud, semen collection, handling, shipping and storage, as well as embryo harvesting and in vitro fertilization. General Manager, Jared Murnin, and Origen staff walked tour participants through each step of their processes and explained how their services provide area ranchers with tools to improve genetics in their cattle herds.

Montana Sugar Beet Young Ag Leadership ConferneceThe final stop on Friday’s YALC tour featured Diamond X Farms, also near Huntley. Tour participants learned about growing sugar beet crops in southern Montana and much of the work involved in the process. The farmers explained how beneficial biotechnology has been to their business by increasing yields and reducing the number of inputs required to grow the crop in the region.

The Young Ag Leadership Conference continued with workshops and speakers on Saturday and Sunday at the Crowne Plaza, with a dinner and live music event with local food trucks at ZooMontana.

A special Thank You to Montana agriculture organizations and businesses who sponsored the event. To learn more, contact your local agriculture organization and look for details of the 2016 Young Ag Leadership Conference, which will take place in October.

View photos from the 2015 Young Ag Leadership Conference by visiting the Montana Stockgrowers Association Facebook page.