HELENA, Mont. (December 14, 2023) – Montana Stockgrowers Foundation’s (MSF) Cattle Drive Program has completed its most successful program year yet. With a record number of donated steers and a new focus on bringing Montana beef to Montana consumers, through the Montanan’s Feeding Montana Initiative, this program continues to raise funds to invest in Montana’s ranching community and ensure the future of Montana’s cattle industry.
The Cattle Drive program allows ranchers to donate a calf directly or donate the market value of a steer calf. Donors can also partner with friends or neighbors to participate.
This year, the Cattle Drive program and the Montanan’s Feeding Montana Initiative was able to raise over $190,000. These funds will be used to invest into the future of ranching in Montana by supporting educational programs and scholarships, leadership development and conservation programs through MSF.
In order to ensure the highest quality beef to program purchasers, each steer was harvested when they were at their optimum weight. All steers were placed on contest on March 6, 2023, with an entry weight and then weighed again on their harvest date. Average Daily Gain was calculated based on the number of days between those dates.
The top 3 steers in Average Daily Gain go to:
- First Place: Dan Moore, Willow Creek Cattle Co., Miles City
- Second Place: Monty Lesh, Lesh Cattle Co., Miles City
- Third Place: Jeff Hockett, Hockett Farms, Havre
Also new this year, instead of using ultrasounds for carcass data, the program brought in Marc King, MSU Extension Agent in Sweet Grass County, to inspect every carcass after slaughter, often bringing along FFA and 4H teams to assist in judging as well. Once the data was received, it was submitted to Mike Schuldt and Megan Van Emon in the Miles City Extension office who used the Steer of Merit program evaluation process to determine the top three steers in Carcass Value.
The top 3 steers in Carcass Value go to:
- First Place: Jeff Hockett, Hockett Farms, Havre
- Second Place: Russell Nemetz and Lane Nordlund, Western Ag Network
- Third Place: Steve Uffelman, Woody Creek Cattle and Grain
The Montana Stockgrowers Foundation and MSGA would once again like to thank all who donated to the 2022 Cattle Drive Program. The 2023 Cattle Drive is accepting donations until December 15, 2023. To donate this year, contact MSF at [email protected] or (406) 461-0642.
The Montana Stockgrowers Foundation (MSF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and was established to ensure the future of Montana’s cattle industry through producer and public education, and promotion of MSGA programs. The Foundation supports the next generation by offering educational programs, academic scholarships and providing leadership opportunities.
CONTACT:
Keni Reese
Director of Marketing & Communications
406-442-3420
[email protected]
To view more MSGA news, visit https://mtbeef.org/news/
