Email: [email protected]

Hometown: Martinsdale

Elected: 2018

Industry Involvement: Grande Ranch Co. is a commercial cow//calf operation near Martinsdale, running on deeded land and private leases as well as Forest Service, BLM, and DNRC Trust land. We strive to optimally manage our resources – environmental and human, for long-term goals.  We generally finish our calves in custom lots and sell directly to a packer, so balancing our cowherd for maternal efficiency, feedlot performance, and customer satisfaction is the goal.  My great-grandfather settled in this valley in 1877 and we have benefited from our family legacy so continuing to  sustain all resources for our successors is a must.

Leadership Service: I have served locally on the White Sulphur Springs School board and decades on the Trinity Lutheran Church Council.  I serve on several committees at Montana State University including the Cameron Endowed  Chair Advisory Committee and the Department of Economics and Ag Economics Advisory Committee.  In addition to being a director and officer of MSGA, I was the chair of the Marketing Committee and served as trustee and Chair of the Montana Stockgrowers Foundation.  I have served various roles for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, including serving on the Evaluation committee, serving on the Resolution Committee including two years as chair, and serving on several issues-specific task forces including the Beef Industry Planning Group.

Challenges Facing the Beef Industry: Our major challenges include remaining relevant with our consumers and the public, and battling an overbearing government.  On some level these are the same issue, as the more consumers we have wanting to buy our products, and the more the public understands what we are doing to benefit the environment, the economy, and our society, then the more they can help us in dealing with the government.  Constant pressures through regulations from the Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, IRS, and others continue to threaten our financial stability and even our ability to care for the natural resources properly.