August 19, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Local Affiliate Highlight – Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers

Affiliate Mentorship ProgramMontana Stockgrowers has a diverse group of Local Affiliate members spread across the state. Throughout the year, we hope to feature these groups and their involvement with Montana’s ranching communities. If your Local Affiliate organization has yet to be featured, contact Ryan Goodman at the MSGA office, [email protected]

This month, we feature the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association, led by President, Matt Cremer of Melville. Matt can be contacted by email at [email protected].

The Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers has been busy to kick of 2014 and still has several activities planned through the Fall months. Earlier in the year, the group hosted a series of educational workshops, with the great help of their local Extension agent, Mark King.

Marty Rupt from Allied Genetics discussed EPDs (expected progeny differences) with the group, Marty helped ranchers to understand how to read the numbers and understand their application to breeding and genetics in the cowherd.

Dr. Andy Roberts from Fort Keogh led an active discussion on managing and developing replacement heifers and gave the group a good overview of the work being done at the Fort Keogh Research Laboratory. The local veterinarian, Dr. Katie Peters, also worked with ranchers in a workshop, covering the dos and don’ts of calving season.

There are always great adventures discussed around these topics when you get a good group of ranchers gathered. There will be more educational meetings this fall and winter for anyone in the area who wishes to continue their learning.

The Crazy Mountain group has been active in discussions on wildlife and environmental issues important to local ranchers. The group has been active in Yellowstone Basin Watershed meetings and Bison Discussion groups, making sure ranchers’ voices were include in the comments.

Fun activities are also on the calendar for the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers with a golf scramble coming up in August. They are also holding a fundraiser raffle for a youth elk hunt, donated by Chuck Rein at Anchor Outfitting. If you are interested in more information on these events or others with the local affiliate, please contact Matt Cremer.

May 15, 2014 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Participate in Spring Legislative Session

Montana Coffee Washington VisitWhile Capitol Hill may be on the opposite side of the country, many laws and regulations passed by policy makers affect our industry on a regular basis. Earlier this month, MSGA leadership and staff continued out commitment to representing our members and the Montana ranching community by making a trip to Washington D.C. for the Spring Legislative Conferences for both the Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). During the visit, MSGA leaders had the opportunity to meet with congressional representatives and discuss important issues that are important to Montana’s ranching families.

Our Association was represented by MSGA Executive Vice President, Errol Rice; MSGA Director of Natural Resources, Jay Bodner; current MSGA President, Tucker Hughes of Stanford; current MSGA 1st Vice President, Gene Curry of Valier; Montana CattleWomen’s President, Wanda Pinnow of Baker; and MSGA Past Presidents, Watty Taylor of Busby and Tom Hougen of Melstone.

The MSGA delegation attended the NCBA Issues Briefing on Tuesday afternoon. During the briefing session, NCBA Staff provided detailed information on several issues of great importance to the cattle and beef industries.

  • Changes to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines from the USDA
  • Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and the push for full and free market access and elimination of tariffs.
  • Important trade issues, regulation changes and negotiations currently active with Japan, China, EU, Brazil
  • EPA proposed rule to expand their jurisdiction over all types of waters.
  • APHIS proposed rule for fresh Brazilian beef importation
  • Updates from the Public Lands Council on the Grazing Improvement Bill and impacts on grazing rights

It was apparent from the Issues Briefing that PLC and NCBA are continually meeting with D.C. policy makers on these important issues, including the volatile trade talks. In order to support their efforts, it is important that state and local organizations stay in contact with congressional delegates to reinforce the importance of these issues to the ranching community.

MSGA leadership joined Montana’s congressional delegation for their regular Montana Coffee event on Wednesday morning. Throughout the day, they had opportunity to meet with Senators Jon Tester, John Walsh and Congressman Steve Daines. During the visits, MSGA thanked the delegation for inclusion of disaster assistance in the Farm Bill, opposition to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) office closures and our shared concerns over the significant impacts the USDA proposal to import Brazilian beef could have on the U.S. cattle industry. MSGA has submitted comments to USDA APHIS asking that the proposed rule be withdrawn.

In addition, MSGA discussed concerns over the significant impacts of a sage grouse listing on MT producers and the EPA proposal to expand their jurisdiction over all types of waters. MSGA also visited with the MT Delegation on the effects of bovine brucellosis on Montana’s livestock, the possibility of using federal funds to research the disease in cattle and ensuring a strong working relationship with APHIS to address this issue. Also discussed, were concerns of ranchers in Southeastern Montana about proposed expansion of the Powder River Training Complex based at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

Montana Stockgrowers continues work to build relationships and collaborate with state, government and industry leaders and congressional staff to develop innovative solutions to the issues Montana’s ranching community confronts, while preserving Montana’s complex natural landscape, history, economy, ethics and social values. This follows our mission to protect and enhance Montana ranch families’ ability to grow and deliver safe, healthy, environmentally wholesome beef to the world.

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Montana Stockgrowers Big Sky Boots Rancher Christmas Gift Ideas
December 10, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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5 Reasons Why Big Sky Boots is the Perfect Christmas Present

Montana Stockgrowers Big Sky Boots Book Rancher Christmas Gift IdeasWondering what to get Dad for Christmas? Why not get him something he will enjoy for years to come! The Montana Stockgrowers Association’s Big Sky Boots makes the perfect Christmas present and here’s why:

1. CAN’T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF IT—There are nearly 200 pages of  picturesque Montana ranches, great cattle and hard-working cowboys. Spend hours curled up in your favorite chair and flip through the pages, learning all about what it takes to run a Montana family ranch.

2. ENGAGING WITH CONSUMERS—Big Sky Boots is not just for your family involved in agriculture. This book can help teach the public about where their beef comes from…and what better gift for your New York City friend than something that showcases Montana family ranching!

3. SUPPORT THE STOCKGROWERS—Help support the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s Research, Education and Endowment Foundation, as well as keeping the Montana Family Ranching Series going strong through your purchases of the book.

Montana Stockgrowers Big Sky Boots Book Rancher Christmas Gift Ideas4. SPECIAL OFFER — Buy Big Sky Boots between now and December 15 and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Atlas Blizzard Rancher Relief Fund.

5. NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED—Big Sky Boots will arrive to you in a pre-assembled box. All you will need to do it put the wrapping paper and a bow on it and place it under the tree! It’s that easy!

Purchase your copy of Big Sky Boots from the Montana Stockgrowers Association’s online store.

 

ranchers relief fund heifers for south dakota
November 26, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana ranchers donate cattle to South Dakota following deadly blizzard

(Associated Press) GREAT FALLS, Montana — Montana ranchers have donated 45 head of cattle for breeding stock to their South Dakota counterparts who lost thousands of cattle in a freak blizzard in October.

The Great Falls Tribune reports (http://gftrib.com/1aYWoQr ) that the cattle shipped Friday.

Montana ranchers Rene Brown and Alisha Burcham decided they wanted to do something and began gathering cattle donations from Montana’s Hi-Line area in the northern part of the state.

“Twelve hours this way with that storm and that could have been us,” said Brown, a Chinook-area rancher.

ranchers relief fund heifers for south dakota

Rene Brown locks up a cattle delivery at the J S Livestock yard in Havre, Montana Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. Brown collected cattle donations from area ranchers to send to the South Dakota Ranchers whose cattle was ravaged by the October blizzard. (AP Photo/Havre Daily News, Lindsay Brown)

South Dakota officials say the Oct. 4 blizzard dumped up to 4 feet of snow in the western part of the state, killing about 14,000 cattle, 1,257 sheep, 287 horses and 40 bison.

Brown and Burcham used social media and word-of-mouth to gather cattle donations. Brown’s brother-in-law, Earl Brown, started moving the cattle Friday.

“I told him I wanted to get a pot load of cattle together to send to South Dakota,” Rene Brown said. “He told me I couldn’t do it and that if I did, he would drive them there. We’ll, we did and even have donations for the fuel, so he’s donating his time for the drive.”

The organization Heifers for South Dakota accepted nominations for the donated cattle. The group chose family ranches that had herds of about 160 head, but lost 50 to 60 percent of them in the storm, Brown said.

She said many small producers don’t have insurance because of the cost.

“Congress may approve some disaster aid, but that’s not a sure thing and they can’t even pass a Farm Bill,” she said. “This donation will make a big difference to ranchers in South Dakota. I knew the Hi-Line would come through, but it is humbling to see this come together.”

Learn more about disaster relief efforts and the Ranchers Relief Fund following the devastating Atlas Blizzard, by clicking here. Also, consider purchasing a copy of Big Sky Boots from MSGA’s Foundation – a portion of the proceeds from every sale through December 14th, goes toward the Ranchers Relief Fund.

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Montana Stockgrowers 2013 Film Festival Logo
November 25, 2013 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Voting is Now OPEN! – Film Festival 2013

Montana Stockgrowers 2013 Film Festival Logo

At the Montana Stockgrowers Association, we are passionate about sharing the family ranching story! And what gets us even more excited is when our members get out their cameras and start clicking away!

As part of the Montana Family Ranching Project, MSGA is hosting the 2nd annual Film Festival at the convention in December. The festival is open to all MSGA members and the entry topics range from cattle to life on the ranch. The convention attendees will vote for their favorite and the winner will be announced at the grand finale dinner on Saturday night.

However, we want you to help select the winner, also! Watch each of the entries embedded below. Then, place a vote for your favorite in the poll at the bottom. The video with the most online votes will receive an extra vote added to their overall score.

We would like to thank Northwest Farm Credit Services for sponsoring the dorm-size TV prize for the winner!

Please share this blog link with all of your family and friends to help receive more views and votes!

“Cows and Plows” – submitted by Danika Quenemoen

“Life of Reggie” – submitted by Larisa Mehlhoff

“Ridin’ the Ruby” – submitted by Sue Marxer

“Life on the Ehlke Hereford Ranch” – submitted by Jane’a Ehlke

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. 

November 23, 2010 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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MSGA intern completes honors video project on Montana ranchers

During the summer of 2010, MSGA was fortunate to have Lauren Chase from the University of Iowa as our multimedia communications intern. Lauren spent the summer traveling to ranches across the state and putting together short video profiles of ranchers and informative issues-oriented features. This video is Lauren’s honor’s project for her broadcast journalism and anthropology majors. It highlights family ranches in Montana with interviews and footage of summer ranching life. The ranchers discuss their desire to pass the ranch on to the next generation, and the environmental and economic issues they deal with on a day-to-day basis. Also, a wildlife biologist from the USDA’s NRCS, discusses the importance of ranchers for supporting biodiversity on rangeland in Montana. Congratulations to Lauren for completing this culminating project from a fantastic summer. Thanks to MSGA’s Research, Education, and Endowment Foundation for funding the internship. Below are Parts 1 and 2. (If you can’t see the full width of the vidoes, click on the titles to watch them on our YouTube channel.)

November 8, 2010 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Stockgrowers Association actively pursuing congressional wolf delisting solution

Helena – The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) recently announced its support of several congressional bills seeking to remove the gray wolf from the list of endangered species and return management to the state of Montana.

“The bottom line for us is to get wolves off the endangered species list so ranchers can have more tools to deal with increasing wolf populations and livestock depredations,” said Errol Rice, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. “We feel this is the opportune time for Congress to gain momentum on this important issue, now and into the next Congress.”

In late October, MSGA joined thirteen livestock groups in writing a letter of support for H.R. 6028 sponsored by Congressman Edwards D-TX, with 14 co-sponsors including Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg, and S. 3919 sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch R-UT along with four co-sponsors, which seek to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. Other signatories on the letters of support include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Public Lands Council, the American Sheep Industry Association as well as the Montana Public Lands Council, the Montana Association of State Grazing Districts and Montana’s neighboring Idaho Cattle Association and Wyoming Stock Growers Association. (To see the letters, go to www.mtbeef.org/content/images/HR6028Support.pdf and www.mtbeef.org/content/images/S3919Support.pdf)

MSGA has also offered support to a bill drafted by Montana Senator Max Baucus, S. 3864 “Restoring State Wildlife Management Act of 2010.” The bill, co-sponsored by Montana Senator Jon Tester, would remove the Rocky Mountain gray wolf from the endangered species list once Montana’s state management plan is approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

MSGA has been active representing ranchers on the wolf issue for nearly 20 years.
· In 1991, MSGA filed as interveners in the case when the Defenders of Wildlife were seeking to force the federal government to introduce wolves into Yellowstone before completion of an Environmental Impact Statement. The complaint was dismissed.
· On February 1, 1996, the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA), Beartooth Stock Association and Vernon Keller filed a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order against the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Park Service trying to halt the release of the additional wolves into the park.
· Once wolves were re-introduced, MSGA began to actively participate in a series of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks State Wolf Management Plan meetings to provide extensive comments detailing livestock concerns. MSGA also worked with the Wolf Advisory Council on the development of the plan.
· In 2008, MSGA intervened in a federal lawsuit filed by environmental groups to block wolf delisting.
· MSGA participated in the development of Montana’s wolf livestock loss and mitigation program to reimburse livestock producers for livestock losses due to wolves. In 2009, MSGA worked with Montana Senator Jon Tester on his Federal Wolf Livestock Loss Demonstration Project, better known as the Wolf Kill Bill, which allowed the federal government to approve a 50-percent cost share of funds for repayment for depredation and proactive incentives, up to $1 million per year.

“MSGA has been extremely active standing up for Montana’s family ranchers on all fronts of the wolf issue,” Rice said. “We will continue to work hard to ensure that ranchers can protect their livestock. Our best option right now is for Congress to support one of these bills, or a compromise between them, so wolves can be delisted finally and permanently.”

September 1, 2010 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Registration now open for the 7th Annual Young Ag Leadership Conference

Young Agriculture Leadership Conference Montana

Register now for the 2010 Young Ag Leadership Conference (YALC) October 1-3 at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge. This unique conference—a partnership between seven of Montana’s primary agricultural groups—allows young producers from throughout the state to come together across organization and commodity lines for hands-on workshops, discussion groups and networking.

The conference is designed for anyone ages 18-40 who is involved with or concerned about Montana’s agricultural industry. Conference hosts include Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Montana 4-H Foundation, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Montana FFA Foundation, Montana Grain Growers Association, Montana State University College of Agriculture, and the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

“This conference is a great opportunity to showcase agricultural groups in Montana working toward the same goal of developing the industry’s next generation of leaders,” said Todd Smith, YALC planning committee chair. “We hope attendees walk away with a greater understanding of how important it is to get involved – for their industry and their future.”

The conference begins Friday, October 1 with registration beginning at 4 p.m. at the Rock Creek Resort, followed by a social, dinner and entertainment. Saturday will offer participants a selection of six different workshops, featuring presenters from the Cattle-Fax, the Center for Ag & Rural Banking, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the University of Nebraska and more. Workshops will include topics such as using social media to tell agriculture’s story, family communications/estate planning, a cattle industry outlook, utilizing “precision agriculture” technology, and tracking the activist to name a few. In addition, discussion groups led by organizational staff, state leaders and Congressional offices representatives will allow attendees to ask the tough questions about issues facing their industry. Dinner, entertainment by hypnotist Dr. Al Snyder and live music at the Bear Creek Saloon will round out Saturday’s events. Attendees are in for a real treat on Sunday morning as nationally-known speaker Trent Loos, will wrap up the conference with a can’t-miss keynote on the importance of being a champion for agriculture.

Cost of registration for the YALC is only $25, with all meals provided. The registration deadline is September 24. To register for the YALC go to http://www.mfbf.org/ or contact Sue Ann Streufert at (406) 587-3153 or [email protected] to receive a registration form.

August 13, 2010 Comments are off Montana Stockgrowers Association
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Montana Rancher Profile: Mannix Brothers Ranch

MSGA’s manager of communications Ariel Overstreet and multimedia intern Lauren Chase interviewed the multi-generational Mannix Family in Helmville, Montana. It takes most of the members of three-brother ranch to gather cattle, operate balers, manage irrigation, prepare meals, and all other ranch tasks. Even though there is always work to be done, David Mannix says that doing it as a family is priceless. This video is brought to you by MSGA’s Research, Education, and Endowment Foundation.