Last week as part of the 2024 Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) Annual Convention and Trade Show, members of the organization elected new leadership who will direct the organization for the next two years. Lesley Robinson, Turk Stovall, and Monty Lesh were elected as president, first vice president, and second vice president, respectively. Robinson will be the first female to serve in the role of president in the organization’s 140-year history.
“I look forward to continuing to further advance the work MSGA has done around producer profitability,” shared Robinson. “The producer profitability initiative was launched this past year and as we move into 2025, I am eager to build on this ongoing strategy to find ways to keep agricultural lands in production and work to remove barriers for new ranchers.”
Newly elected officers and directors include:
- President – Lesley Robinson, Dodson
- Lesley and her husband Jim have been married for 39 years and have ranched their entire lives. They own and operate the Lazy JD Cattle Co., a commercial cow-calf and yearling operation. The family-run ranch has been in the Robinson family since moving from the Miles City area in 1958.
- First Vice President – Turk Stovall, Billings
- Turk Stovall is a fifth generation Montana Rancher. Stovall Ranches LLC is a diversified ranch in Yellowstone and Big Horn counties on the Crow Indian Reservation operating as a cow-calf, hay production and backgrounding to grass operation. Before returning home to the ranch, Stovall has held management positions with Certified Angus Beef LLC, North Platte Feeders, Inc., and ORIgen, Inc.
- Second Vice President – Monty Lesh, Miles City
- Monty Lesh runs an Angus commercial cow herd selling NHTC program feeder cattle after the calves have been backgrounded. They also develop and breed heifers, selling bred heifers or 3 year old cows. As opportunity presents itself, they will purchase feeder cattle to background, run on grass and sometimes feed to finish. Operation is native range, owned and leased. The ranch also has irrigated pasture for hay.
- Northeastern District Director – Chance Wilson, Scobey
- Chance Wilson is the decision maker and operator of a cow-calf operation in Daniels County. Wilson has been back on the ranch full-time since 2014.
- South Central District Director – Ian Glennie, Judith Gap
- Ian Glennie moved back to his family’s farm and ranch in the summer of 2020. He is a fifth generation rancher but the first generation to live on the ranch full-time. Glennie runs 500 head of commercial Black Angus cattle, farms 6,000 acres, and sells hay. Glennie manages the day-to-day operations and has started leasing his own places, adding to the family operation.
- Southeastern District Director – Cory Schultz, Billings
- Corey Schultz was born and raised in Kansas on a farm and ranch. There, he met his wife and in 2015 moved to Montana to work for Joe Goggins and family. Since then, Schultz has started his own commercial cow herd of 300 head, backgrounds 500-1000 head, and runs around 300 yearlings each year. On the business side he manages day-to-day operations of Public Auction Yards, and oversees the budget and finances of Vermilion Ranch Corporation.
- Western District Director – Jim Garrison, Glen
- Jim Garrison operates a family-owned ranch that has been in the Garrison family for over 100 years. His dad Bill is a past president of MSGA. The Garrisons run about 280 spring calvers, 160 fall calvers, and 100 yearlings.
The MSGA board of directors consists of 13 members; two directors from each district and three elected officers.
The 2025 Board of Directors include:
- President – Lesley Robinson, Dodson
- 1st Vice President – Turk Stovall, Billings
- 2nd Vice President – Monty Lesh, Miles City
- North Central Director – Rich Roth, Big Sandy
- North Central Director – Dean Lerum, Galata
- Northeastern Director – Keith Dynneson, Sidney
- Northeastern – Chance Wilson, Scobey
- Western Director – John Hagenbarth, Dillon
- South Central – Kirk Donsbach, Roy
- Southeastern – Ty Jones, Miles City
Representatives from the Young Stockgrowers and Montana CattleWomen also hold non-voting seats on the MSGA board. Representatives include:
- Young Stockgrowers Chair – Rocky Forseth, Fairfield
- Montana CattleWomen President – Vikki Taylor, Miles City
To learn more about the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the organization’s work on behalf of Montana ranchers, please visit www.mtbeef.org.
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is a grassroots membership organization and is the trusted voice of cattle ranchers. With 140-years of history, MSGA advocates and ensures cattle ranching remains relevant, safe and a sustainable way of life for generations to come.
MSGA MEDIA CONTACT:
Cheyenne Leach
Communications and Program Coordinator
406-442-3420
To view more MSGA news, visit https://mtbeef.org/news/
