Last week, the House Agriculture Committee heard what was arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation to agriculturalists in Montana this session. Senate Bill 155 – the “seed bill” –- aims to provide consistency in our state’s seed laws and protect the private property rights of Montana’s family farmers and ranchers. This is a piece of legislation written as a result of collaboration among Montana’s leading agricultural organizations and their grassroots memberships.

We’ve seen several western states, including Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii and California, deal with municipalities or counties that have passed haphazard and onerous local laws in recent years that prohibit or regulate the use of certain types of seed. For farmers and ranchers who own or lease land in multiple counties, you can imagine the economic burden and emotional frustration that creates. We can’t add chasing down every county commission or city council meeting to our to-do list just to know what we can plant where each season.

Montana’s seed bill is a proactive measure to keep seed regulation decisions in the state’s hands so that local farmers and ranchers know exactly where to look for guidance, just like they do with fertilizer laws.

Farmers in our state grow crops based on upon a few key principals: one of those is, what market demand exists for that product and secondly, what crops make the best use of their specific climate, soil condition and other available natural resources. When it comes to regulatory authority, the sole focus should be on maintaining a level playing field, preventing unnecessary financial and regulatory burdens and allowing farmers and ranchers to make the best market-driven business decisions they know how.

Jillien Streit testifying on behalf of Montana Senate Bill 155 in the House Agriculture Committee last week.

In the House Agriculture Committee hearing on the bill last week, Chester, Montana farmer and co-owner of Stricks Ag, LLC,  Jillien Streit testified in favor of the bill.

“We own and lease land in three counties and grow convention and organic products, plus handle conventional and organic products. Senate Bill 155 would protect our operation in many ways. We need the flexibility to make the best decision based on our farms and our business needs,” Streit said.

Don Steinbeisser Jr., a farmer from Sidney, Montana, testified on behalf of Senate Bill 155, the seed bill, last week.

Don Steinbeisser Jr., a Sidney, Montana farmer, also testified on behalf of the bill: “Having consistent ag production laws in Montana is very important to me. Many of us farm fields in more than one county. Having different rules in each county would make management a nightmare and add costs to the crops that we simply do not need and nor can we afford,” Steinbeisser said. “Being free to make cropping decision on my farm that make economic sense is very important for the future of my farm and agriculture in Montana.”

We commend these and other Farm Bureau members who took the time to come to Helena and share why this bill matters to them. Your voice matters, too. One of the great challenges of passing good, pro-agriculture legislation is the fact that there is a very small number of Legislators who are actually engaged in production agriculture. That number is particularly small in the House Agriculture Committee. Please reach out to your urban Legislators especially to share why the regulatory consistency offered in the seed bill is important to you.

House Bill 342: Revise business laws related to liability and agritourism

Sponsored by Rep. Ross Fitzgerald (R) HD-17, Fairfield. Heard in Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, March 9.

This bill adds a definition of agri-tourism to the list of Montana recreational activities in which participants assume the liability for the inherent risks of those activities. Montana Farm Bureau member policy supports this addition, as it offers the potential for farmers and ranchers to reach out to our communities with less liability risk.

Most people in our country are three or four generations removed from the farm or ranch, and less than 2 percent of our nation’s population is engaged in production agriculture. But there is a growing interest in where America’s food comes from. Agri-tourism has become a popular way to diversify farm income and make a connection with consumers who want to know more about agriculture.

While House Bill 342 doesn’t remove all liability, it does limits the liability farmers and ranchers might be exposed to based upon the inherent risks of participating in a farming or ranching activity. This bill would offer a little more peace of mind to farmers and ranchers who want to “open the barn doors” to tours, activities, ranch visits and more.

Senate Bill 327: Reduce the Montana business equipment tax

Sponsored by Sen. Roger Webb (R) SD-23, Billings. Heard in Senate Taxation Committee Thursday, March 9.

This bill would increase the class eight business equipment tax exemption levels. Class eight equipment includes all agricultural implements and equipment that are not exempt under other exemption titles, in addition to mining, manufacturing, some medical equipment, communication equipment and a few other items.

Currently, the first $100,000 of market value class eight property of a person or business entity is exempt from taxation. This bill would amend that to $350,000, while providing for a reimbursement to local governments for the missed tax dollars. This is a win-win for equipment-heavy agriculturalists. The bill also provides a back fill to county governments from the General fund, making them whole in lieu of that tax revenue. Montana Farm Bureau member policy supports this tax relief bill.

Chelcie Cargill is Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s Director of State Affairs and a fifth-generation rancher from Melville, Montana. Chelcie can be contacted at (406) 930-2299 or chelciec@mfbf.org. Nicole is the Director of National Affairs and also a rancher from Miles City, Montana. Nicole can be contacted at (406) 951-2429 or nicoler@mfbf.org. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization that represents 22,000 member families in Montana. 

We’re barreling down on the transmittal deadline, so bills are flying around the Capitol like cotton in June. The Senate is planning to conclude their work on Saturday, Feb. 25, while the House will likely hold floor sessions through March 1 before heading out of town for a transmittal break.

The transmittal deadline is when all general bills (bills that don’t have an appropriation with them) must be transferred to the second house. For example, if a bill started in the Senate, it must be transmitted to the House by the transmittal deadline; otherwise the bill is dead.

Senate Bill 155 – the “seed bill” – did pass Senate approval with a 33-17 vote. That’s good news for Montana’s farmers and ranchers. It’s important that we now follow up and thank those Senators for their support. Voting records on each bill can be found at www.mt.gov/leg by navigating to the “LAWS” section and searching by bill number.

We’ve also been following Senate Bill 203, the animal confiscation bill. It passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, after being amended. While the amendments did improve the bill, it still poses a threat to Montana’s livestock industry. It was defeated on the Senate floor 23-27 on the evening of Feb. 23, and a subsequent motion to indefinitely postpose was passed, which would kill the bill. However, there are rumors the sponsor will move for reconsideration. We will continue to follow this bill.

Here’s what was new this week:

Senate Bill 281: Revising use of fire suppression account funds

Sponsored by Sen. Chas Vincent, (R) SD 1, Libby. Heard in Senate Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 20

Sen. Vincent’s bill allows for extra fire suppression monies to be used to more proactively manage the state’s timber resources. This would hopefully prevent some of the massive and devastating wildfires we’ve become accustomed to in Montana.

Senate Bill 281 doesn’t appropriate any new money, but it does revise the use of the state’s fire suppression account funds. It would require the state spend $5 million for these preventative uses if the fund balance exceed $40 million at the end of each odd-numbered fiscal year. The bill adds new criteria for how the money should be spent including; fuel reduction and mitigation, forest restoration, forest management projects on federal land and litigation support for local governments related to federal forest projects and more.

Montana Farm Bureau Federation policy supports this bill, because we support the responsible management of our state’s natural resources.

Senate Bill 247: Prohibiting the outdoor use of neonicotinoid insecticides

Sponsored by Sen. Mike Phillips (D) SD 31, Bozeman. Heard in the Senate Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation Committee Tuesday, Feb. 21, heavily amended Thursday, Feb. 23 and passed out of committee for Senate consideration. 

Senate Bill 247 proposes to ban the use of a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids (neonics) in Montana. Neonics are common and very effective when used to treat seeds. Spring wheat, canola and field peas commonly rely on the use of neonics to control harmful insects.

Proponents to Senate Bill 247 will assert that neonics are responsible for Colony Collapse Disorder and the disappearance of pollinators around the world. However, there are a variety of other factors that negatively impact pollinators, including habitat loss, pathogens, viruses and beekeeping practices.

While Colony Collapse Disorder is a serious concern, the USDA has data stemming from the 1880’s of documented, inexplicable disappearances of hives. In the 1980s, the varroa mite made its way to the U.S. It’s a nasty little parasite that has arguably had the largest detrimental impact on pollinators in recent history. Neonics have only been available for use in the U.S. since the 1990s.

A May 2016 survey released by the USDA showed slightly fewer honey bee colonies than the previous year (down to 2.59 mil down from 2.82 mil).  Beekeepers with more than five colonies reported varroa mites as the leading stressor affective colonies.

It’s important to note there is not conclusive scientific evidence that a ban on neonicotinoids will solve problems associated with the disappearance of bee hives and such a ban could mean dramatic crop losses for Montana agriculture.

Montana Farm Bureau member policy does not support the prohibition of this useful insecticide. We believe that cooperative efforts among federal and state regulators, beekeepers and other agriculturalists, coupled with ongoing research by USDA, offers the most promising means of finding an answer to this problem.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, the bill was heavily amended in the Senate Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock committee. The amendments to the bill removed language referencing a ban on the use of neonics in Montana, which is a step in the right direction. However, the bill does still call for the Department of Agriculture to conduct a state-wide pollinator report, which would be costly. Stay tuned to Montana Farm Bureau’s Facebook page for updates.

Senate Bill 262: An act prohibiting the restriction of public access on certain roads or rights of way used by the public.

Sponsored by Sen. Eddie McClafferty (D) SD 38, Butte. Heard in Senate Highways and Transportation Committee Tuesday, Feb. 21, tabled (effectively dead) by committee Feb. 22.  

Senate Bill 262 was a repeat of a bill that was killed in committee during the last session. There were very few changes to the 2017 version, and it looks like it will meet a similar end.

As it was presented, this bill would allow any non-designated road or right-of-way that is used by the public and “appears” to meet the conditions of a prescriptive easement or public road to automatically be considered open to the public.

The true road owner would not be able to install any type of barrier to prevent the public from accessing and using the road unless they first went to the county commissioners and declared their intention to do so. They would have to appear before the county commissioners in a public hearing and provide documentation proving that the road is indeed private. The county commission would be required to obtain an opinion from the county attorney and collect evidence of their own, before making a determination that the road is private or public.

This, in essence, would shift the burden of proof from the person or people who wish to use to road onto the landowner. It would also set up the county commissioners as a judge and jury as to the proper designation of the road.

Current law governs how the determination of a road’s legal status is to be determined, giving due process to all interested parties and protecting landowner rights. Senate Bill 262 is not only harmful to private road owners and landowners, but it’s also unnecessary. With strong opposition from the state’s agricultural organizations and county governments, this bill was tabled in the committee and is now effectively dead.

Chelcie Cargill is Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s Director of State Affairs and a fifth-generation rancher from Melville, Montana. Chelcie can be contacted at (406) 930-2299 or chelciec@mfbf.org. Nicole is the Director of National Affairs and also a rancher from Miles City, Montana. Nicole can be contacted at (406) 951-2429 or nicoler@mfbf.org. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization that represents 22,000 member families in Montana.

Tips from Dennis Anderson, Executive Producer of Insurance Radio News, as presented in his workshop at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show.

Most of us know the challenging side of doing business with family but it IS possible to make a business thrive working along side members of your family tree.

The two most contentious issues in family business:

1. Amount of time put in by each member
2. Amount of money drawn out by each member

Anderson suggests taking these head on by finding a balance among work and family. He also said any business, especially family run businesses should have regular and open discussions at a scheduled time (monthly).

This blog post was based on a workshop held at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show in January 2017. Become a Montana Farm Bureau member today to join in on these excellent educational opportunities: www.mfbf.org/.  

There are issues certain to surface each Legislative session in Montana, and this week was an onslaught of many of those familiar themes wrapped in new packages for the 2017 session. We dealt with bison, animal confiscations, water and regulations.

As we approach the transmittal deadline next week, bills are starting to get pushed through and the pace is moving more quickly, which means we all need to being paying close attention to these issues that matter most to Montana agriculture.

House Bill 419 – Revise requirements for sale or transfer of wild bison.

Sponsored by Rep. Willis Curdy (D) HD 98, Missoula. Heard in House Agriculture Committee Thursday, Feb. 16.

In 1956, there were 124,000 livestock herds affected by brucellosis nation-wide. In 1992, that number was down to 700. Today, that number is in the single digits (according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), thanks to an aggressive push by the livestock industry to eradicate the disease.

Reservoirs of the disease remain in wildlife populations in the greater Yellowstone area, so while the livestock industry has worked hard to nearly eliminate brucellosis, the threat remains. The bison population in the Greater Yellowstone Area is approximately 50 percent positive for brucellosis.

House Bill 419 would remove the requirement that bison coming out of Yellowstone National Park and the Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) must be certified brucellosis free before they can be sold or transferred to another entity. This bill would allow the moving and transfer of Yellowstone National Park bison before they are declared brucellosis free. This poses a major disease threat to the state of Montana.

Montana hasn’t had an infection outside the Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) since it was implemented a decade ago, which is the only reason our state has maintained its brucellosis-free status. Losing that status would have a severe economic impact on live animal markets and beef export markets. Brucellosis is a very serious disease for livestock, wildlife and humans. This bill is simply unacceptable, unscientific and reckless.

Senate Bill 203: Revise laws related to boarding animals

Sponsored by Sen. Nels Swandal (R) SD 30, Wilsall. Heard in Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, Feb. 16.

There aren’t any individuals or organizations who feel more passionately against animal cruelty than agriculturalists. Farmers and ranchers care for and respect animals with great reverence; their livelihood depends on it.

While this bill seeks to provide a way to pay for the care of animals that have been confiscated due to cruelty claims, we don’t see it as a solution to the problem it was created to address, and it also comes with negative consequences for livestock and working animal owners.

Senate Bill 203 would allow animals to be seized by law enforcement when an accusation of animal cruelty is made. It requires the owner of the seized animals to post a renewable 30-day bond to pay for the care of the animals. If that bond cannot be paid, the ownership of the animals is forfeited to the county.

While we understand and sympathize that these cases can be costly to the counties they are being tried in, it doesn’t appear this law would do anything more to truly remedy that situation.  What it would do, however, is take away an individuals’ due process.

This means that if someone who is unfamiliar with healthy, normal animal husbandry practices makes an unfounded accusation, under this law, an individual’s animals could be confiscated before the owner is proven guilty. This bill does include a provision that excludes cattle, sheep and swine, but there are other animal species not named, including chickens, goats, guard dogs, etc. This provision could be stricken at any time in the future, which would open the door to dangerous takings of private property.

There are better ways this could be done that would truly protect animal welfare and lower the counties’ risk for financial burden, such as requiring a speedy trial so animals would be in custody for a shorter time, or allowing a lien being placed on a convicted guilty party’s private property. Farm Bureau member’s policy opposes this bill.

Senate Bill 155: Prohibit local government regulation of agriculture and vegetable seeds.

Sponsored by Sen. Mike Lang (R) SD 17, Malta. Passed out of Senate Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation Committee. Will be heard on the Senate Floor on Monday, Feb. 20.

This is an important bill to Montana agriculture that needs support from the farmers and ranchers it will impact. It’s being referred to as “the seed bill,” and its intent is to make seed laws consistent with fertilizer laws in the state of Montana. Currently, only state government can regulate fertilizer in Montana and it makes sense for seeds to be similarly regulated.

It’s important to protect farmers and ranchers from a patchwork of regulations.  It’s common for land ownership to cross multiple county lines, which means farmers and ranchers often do business in different communities. Having varying regulations from county to county would make farming and ranching in Montana very cost prohibitive and would threaten the vitality of our state’s largest industry.

Most importantly, Farm Bureau member policy recognizes the importance of conserving our most valuable natural resources: our land and water. While opponents have tried to argue we are limiting local control, MFBF strongly believes it should be the sole decision of the individual grower to decide what types of crops, growing methods and technologies best suite their situation.  We support providing the freedom for farmers and ranchers to respond to market demands and not be held captive by burdensome local regulation.

House Bill 432: Clarify water right not abandoned is conveyance disrupted.

Sponsored by Rep. Brad Hamlett (D) HD 23, Cascade. Heard in House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday, Feb. 15.

This bills would establish that a disruption of a means of conveyance is not an intent to abandon a water right. In laymen’s terms: if there is a flood and your irrigation ditch gets silted in or washed out, or head gate gets washed out or plugged, and the water user doesn’t get it cleaned for a while, it’s not an intent to abandon.

While it’s a well-intended bill, it’s also redundant to existing law, so Farm Bureau members’ policy does oppose this bill. We already have very clear abandonment statute in Montana water law, and this bill does not put any sideboards or criteria for a timeframe that one would have to exercise their water right to prove that it is not abandoned.

Under current abandonment statute, if a water rights holder stops exercising their right for a period of ten successive years, and there was water available for use during that time, that constitutes abandonment of that right. House Bill 432 would potentially take the teeth out of this abandonment statute.

This would be problematic if, for example, your neighboring property changes hands, and the new owners clean out a ditch that has been filled in for the past 30 years. They could claim that is was put out of use due to a disruption, and start running water down it without applying for a new water right. This would potentially be detrimental to current water right holders, and the legal means to deal with this issue already exists.

Chelcie Cargill is Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s Director of State Affairs and a fifth-generation rancher from Melville, Montana. Chelcie can be contacted at (406) 930-2299 or chelciec@mfbf.org. Nicole is the Director of National Affairs and also a rancher from Miles City, Montana. Nicole can be contacted at (406) 951-2429 or nicoler@mfbf.org. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization that represents 22,000 member families in Montana. 

Often agricultural business is family business, even large scale farms and ranches are primarily family owned and operated. As the years have passed and farms and ranches have grown, the need for hired help has also grown. Employees can be the essence of the success of your agricultural business, but they can also be your biggest challenge.

We’ve seen the devastating videos of negligence and abuse in animal agriculture exploited by animal rights groups. How will you keep your agricultural business safe from such a crisis?

Evaluate your business: Do you have a hiring program? Do you have an employee handbook? Do you have documents to protect yourself and your business if an employee takes legal action?

Ashley Ellixson and Paul Goeringer, Extension Legal Specialists, from the University of Maryland remind us that “the best defense is a good offense” when it comes to managing employees and protecting your business.

Hiring Practices

• Require signature on employment applications to ensure all information is true
• Ask about group affiliations- this might be a red flag for their employment intentions
• Ask for any prior names or aliases- important for background checks
• Ask for permission to check references
• Check the applicant’s social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Get applicant’s consent for background check

Set Clear Expectations

• Create and employee handbook and include a code of conduct that employees must sign.
• Post signs throughout the work place: “Employees must wear eye protection in this zone”
• Explicitly prohibit abusive behavior in livestock businesses
• Use long-time trusted employees to oversee the conduct of the new employee day-to-day
• Cell Phone use: provide that any photos/videos are property of the company.

Be the Example

• Business owners/ managers must also comply with appropriate conduct.
• Enforce conduct and appropriate consequences with ALL employees
• Consistently enforce best practices for your farm or ranch

In order to ensure successful future for your business is to maintain a proactive approach and to be prepared with appropriate reactions to crisis if necessary. In most instances, the business has been in the family for years and change may not be the most comfortable topic. Developing or improving hiring practices is not easy, but your business will benefit from it.

This blog post was based on a workshop held at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show in January 2017. Become a Montana Farm Bureau member today to join in on these excellent educational opportunities: www.mfbf.org/. 

With only two weeks until the 2017 Montana Legislative transmittal deadline, the pace at the Capitol in Helena is quickening. By the week of Feb. 27, all bills that are going to continue to have life and a shot at making it into law must have passed through their initial committee and house process.

Some bills we’ve been following have already failed or flourished. House Bill 96, which would have allowed for a free elk license for landowners who provide free public elk hunting, died on the House floor on Feb. 7.

Update on House Bill 256: Revise legal fence laws

Sponsored by Rep. Casey Knudsen (R) HD 33 / Malta. Heard in House Agriculture Committee Tuesday, Jan. 24.

You may recall that House Bill 256 proposed to add criteria to the definition of what constitutes a legal electric fence. We reported on this bill earlier and noted that Montana Farm Bureau lobbyists requested a few amendments regarding the spacing of posts. The sponsor heard our request and amended the bill to read that posts are required to be an average of 50 feet apart over the span of the fence.

There were a few additional amendments and the bill was passed out of the House Agriculture committee. It sailed through the House on a vote of 99 to 1 and has been referred to the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation committee. No hearing date has been scheduled yet.

Senate Bill 155: Prohibit local government regulation of agriculture and vegetable seeds.

Sponsored by Sen. Mike Lang (R) SD 17, Malta. Heard in Senate Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation Committee Thursday, Feb. 9.

Senate Bill 155 would prohibit local government from regulating agricultural seeds. It protects farmers and ranchers from a potential patchwork of regulation, and creates consistency between Montana’s state seed and fertilizer laws. This bill is a proactive, positive measure that protects property rights, provides consistency and helps preserve and protect our ag industry.

Montana Farm Bureau members’ policy firmly supports this measure for a number of reasons. Property ownership in Montana often spans county lines. This bill would prohibit counties from creating a patchwork of regulations that may be burdensome and cost prohibitive to agriculturists. It also protects property rights, leaving it to the choice of the farmer and rancher to make the best business decisions for themselves and their resources.

Fertilizer is already regulated at the state level and it makes sense for seeds to be as well. Consistency in seed and fertilizer laws creates efficiencies for agri-businesses and avoids added burden and confusion for farmers and ranchers.

We would encourage farmers and ranchers to contact members of the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee this week and urge them to vote yes on Senate Bill 155.

House Bill 367: Create voluntary hunting license check-off for predator management

Sponsored by Rep. Becky Beard (R) HD-80/ Elliston. Heard in House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Tuesday, Feb. 7

Agriculture groups and individual ranchers in areas facing severe livestock depredation supported House Bill 367 this week. It creates the ability for individuals purchasing conservation licenses or combination licenses to voluntarily pay an extra $1 or more to be deposited into a state special revenue account

The department would then use the money collected to contract for wolf management with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, including but not limited to flight time, collaring, and lethal control of wolves. The use of these funds would be in addition to any funding paid by the USDA Wildlife Services.

House Bill 319: Provide process for designating roads as public

Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Essmann, (R) HD-54, Billings. Heard in House Local Government Committee on Thursday, Feb. 9.

This was a bill presented to solve some specific issues involving unidentified roads within subdivisions, but as written, the potential impact reaches further than intended.

As initially written, House Bill 319 would allow as few as 10 landowners in a county to petition their county commissioners to designate an unidentified road in their county as a public road. The bill then establishes a process of notification and public hearings to determine if the road is public or private. If they received no evidence of it being a private road, they could automatically assume the road is public.

Montana Farm Bureau members’ policy opposed this bill as originally written, based on the automatic assumption that unidentified roads are public. While this may make sense in a subdivision, it is worrisome and unnecessary to put the burden of proof on a farmer or rancher to potentially have to prove all their private roads to be private.

The bill sponsor did present amendments in his opening to clarify this only applies to subdivisions, and an amendment that made it explicitly clear this law would only apply to roads within subdivisions and in no way can it apply to any portion of the road outside of a subdivision.  The sponsor’s amendments addressed all of our concerns with the original bill. With these amendments in place, the bill no longer has a direct impact on farmers and ranchers outside of subdivisions. With that, Farm Bureau member policy would no longer have a stance on the bill as long as the sponsor’s amendments are added to the bill. If the committee adds the sponsors amendments during executive action on the bill, Montana Farm Bureau’s opposition will be withdrawn.

Chelcie Cargill is Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s Director of State Affairs and a fifth-generation rancher from Melville, Montana. Chelcie can be contacted at (406) 587-3153 or chelciec@mfbf.org. Nicole is the Director of National Affairs and also a rancher from Miles City, Montana. Nicole can be contacted at (406) 951-2429 or nicoler@mfbf.org. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization that represents 22,000 member families in Montana. 

Tips from Dr. Nevil Speer, U.S. Operations Agriclear, as presented in his workshop at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show.

Dr. Speer takes the business of raising beef back to some of the basic principles that we could all be reminded of by emphasizing Business Risk Management is as important as Market Risk Management. Cattle producers sometimes forget that there are simple tools that can be implemented on the ground level rather than focusing primarily on marketing tools like the stock market and forward contracts.

The current beef market is pushing beef producers to seek management solutions that will help with the close margins they face. “You can’t be unwilling to change your practices when the circumstances around you are changing.” — Dr. Nevil Speer

Key Takeaways: Manage External Risk

• Lock in margins
• Refinance long term debt
• Pay down debt
• Increase working capitol reserve
• Manage costs

These tips seems like common sense, but who couldn’t use the reminder!

“Managing risk includes a willingness to give up some upside potential to protect against downside risk”– Dr. Speer

Keep in mind that risk management can bring criticism from your peers. You are doing something no one else is doing! Therefore, beef risk management takes resilience.

This blog post was based on a workshop held at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show in January 2017. Become a Montana Farm Bureau member today to join in on these excellent educational opportunities: www.mfbf.org/.  

By Chelcie Cargill & Nicole Rolf, Montana Farm Bureau Federation

Montana is facing budgetary shortfalls this session and the appropriations committees have no small task in balancing this budget. We’ve been in budget hearings all week listening to the deliberation regarding the Department of Livestock, Extension Service, and Montana State Ag Experiment Station Budgets.

During the 2015 session, the Department of Livestock was struggling financially. The Legislature returned them to a one-time-only budget. That meant the Department is now back in 2017 to go through their budget with a fine-tooth comb and justify every expenditure.  Budget hearings haven’t concluded yet, but we hope to see the Department returned to a base budget. This allows them to get back to work now that they are on track with less pressure to defend every need next time the Legislature is in town.

The Extension Service and Montana Ag Experiment Stations budget hearings concluded Feb. 2. Both hearings went well and there was extensive support for each. The Extension Service is in a challenging position: they’re facing a nearly 10 percent budget cut. The Extension Service is a vital component to agriculture, rural Montana and our youth. We know the budget is tight this year and cuts will likely have to happen; however, we’re working to restore some funding and minimize the cuts to Extension.

Senate Bill 157: Extend milk regulations to hoofed mammals

Sponsored by Sen. Jill Cohenour (D) SD 54 / East Helena. Heard in the Senate Agriculture, Livestock & Irrigation Committee Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Under current Montana law, milk is only defined as originating from a cow. The law defining dairies only mentions cow and goat dairies. We know there are producers in the state who are diversifying into sheep dairies, among others, mostly for cheese making.

Senate Bill 157 would extend Department of Livestock regulations to include milk produced by any hooved animal. This is needed for public health reasons to clarify that the Department of Livestock does have the authority to inspect and certify both the dairy and cheese making facilities and the products themselves, regardless of the species that produced the milk.

House Bill 305: Revising laws related to county bounties on predators

Sponsored by Rep. Bill Harris (R) HD 37 / Winnett. Heard in House Agriculture Committee Tuesday, Jan. 31

Montana law allows for the establishment of a local livestock petition if 51 percent of livestock owners in a county request their county commissioners to implement. This is a self-imposed tax that generates money that stays in the county for predator control. However, this money can only be used to pay for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services predator control efforts.

House Bill 305 would allow county commissioners the authority to use that money to set a bounty on predators killed within the county. It would allow more flexibility for local government to incentivize predator control at the county level. Contracting for federal government predator control is very expensive. While it is effective, counties are limited in how many times they can afford to bring in US FWS hunters and trappers.

This bill would provide flexibility to county commissioners to spread those dollars out and use more local resources for predator control. Montana Farm Bureau member policy supports this measure.

Where are they now? Updates on bills previously discussed in this column.

House Bill 96: Revise free elk license/permit for landowner providing free public elk hunting.

Sponsored by Rep. Zach Brown (D) HD-63, Bozeman. Executive action taken in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Thursday, Feb. 2.

This bill would provide elk licenses to landowners who allow public hunting. A “sunset” clause was added, which means a specific date was set for the law to cease unless further action is taken to extend the law. This amendment was made with the intent to set a time to review the law’s use and effectiveness.  An amendment to restrict the landowner from profiting from the licenses and to prevent the landowner from also participating in the block management program was also added. These amendments were passed, and the bill will now move on to discussion and a vote on the House floor.

House Bill 204: Generally revise laws related to maintenance of fishing access sites   

Sponsored by Rep. Alan Redfield (R) HD 59, Livingston. Executive action taken in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Thursday, Feb. 2.

This bill would require all water “vessels” in Montana to purchase a fishing access site maintenance decal for $25.  $10 of the fee would go toward noxious weed control and $5 toward the prevention of aquatic invasive species, with the balance paying toward fishing access site management. The bill was tabled, but not killed. It may be brought off the table later if no other solution to fund weed and aquatic invasive species is found.

House Bill 243: Prohibit outfitting on state lands inaccessible to public access.

Sponsored by Rep. Tom Jacobson (D) HD 21 / Great Falls. Executive action taken in House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee Thursday, Feb. 2.

This bill would have prohibited the Department of Natural Resources from issuing special use permits to outfitters on isolated state sections. It also would make it illegal for a landowner who surrounds such a section to allow an outfitter to cross their private property to access that state section, unless they allow the general public to cross their property too.

Montana Farm Bureau member policy strongly opposed this bill due to its blatant disregard for private property rights. The bill was tabled and indefinitely postponed, which means it is dead and will not continue on in the legislative process.

Chelcie Cargill is Montana Farm Bureau Federation’s Director of State Affairs and a fifth-generation rancher from Melville, Montana. Chelcie can be contacted at (406) 587-3153 or chelciec@mfbf.org. Nicole is the Director of National Affairs and also a rancher from Miles City, Montana. Nicole can be contacted at (406) 951-2429 or nicoler@mfbf.org. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is a non-partisan, non-profit, grassroots organization that represents 22,000 member families in Montana. 

Your voice matters. Together, we make a difference in the future of Montana agriculture. Join us.

Tips from Ryan Martin, Meteorologist; Farm Origination Specialist Advantage Weather Solutions, as presented in his workshop at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show.

“The markets don’t care what it costs you to grow it.”– Ryan Martin

In 2016, social media speculators predicted doomsday weather patterns and resulting prices. This social media hype alone influenced how farmers marketed their commodities. When in fact, most of the nation was average for rainfall and temperatures. Therefore, farmers may have impacted their bottom line based on a Facebook post.

Takeaway points from this presentation:

• Take risk management into your own hands, don’t just hand it off to a contractor.
• Use the market/options but do not speculate! Only 10-20% of farmers are using any marketing tools beyond selling at local markets.
• Embrace technology, not the hype!
• Always ask questions, including looking to family, neighbors, long-time farmers. Learn from their experience.
• Always question the data you see, especially on social media. Do your own research!

This blog post was based on a workshop held at the 2017 American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Trade Show in January 2017. Become a Montana Farm Bureau member today to join in on these excellent educational opportunities: www.mfbf.org/.  

By Carla Lawrence, Carbon/Stillwater County Farm Bureau

Don’t miss Part 1 of Carla’s American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention recap here. This week was jam-packed with ideas and great experiences for Montana’s Farm Bureau family!

Leadership Luncheon

Several Montana members attended the Leadership Luncheon following the opening ceremony.  The keynote speaker for the luncheon was Matt Lohr.  Matt spoke about “Your Strongest Link.”

• Embrace your story through heritage: traditions, achievements, beliefs that are a part of your history. That part of history that is handed down from generation to generation.
• Tell your story: Communicating the proper message, a clear and concise message to both rural and urban folks. Fight misinformation.
• Be persistent in your journey: when dealing with difficult situations it is how you respond that matters and your ability to overcome that difficult situation. Life is not Fair, so rise to the occasion with faith, family and friends, let them help you in your struggles. Be Resilient.
• Keep your faith, no matter what happens, remember you are part of a bigger plan

IDEAg Trade Show/Major Sponsors

The Montana Farm Bureau gang on the Trade Show floor.

The trade does not open one second before the schedules time, in this case 4 p.m. on Saturday.  And when it does, it is worth the wait.  It is a massive room with equipment and major sponsors from all over the nation and a few international.  It brings the participants and exhibitors together with educational events and food and drink and the sharing of knowledge and what is in the future for Agriculture.

I could not help but notice the major sponsors that are a large part of the entire event:

• DuPont, Nationwide, Pioneer, Case, Farm Credit, Chevrolet, American Agriculture Insurance Company, John Deere, ADM, Monsanto, Farm Bureau Bank, Dow AgriSciences, sygenta, STIHL, Farm Bureau Financial Services, CAT and Farm Bureau insurance as well as other local sponsors.

Closing General Session sponsored by Nationwide

Montana Farm Bureau president Hans McPherson with Peyton and Archie Manning.

Again, during the closing session the state sat together, and Montana staff was able to secure us great seats toward the front and off to the left of the stage. The reason this is important is because of who the featured speakers were at the closing session, Peyton and Archie Manning.

Peyton Manning and his father, Archie Manning, were a perfect way to close out AFBF convention.  Archie was introduced and walked across the stage first, followed by Peyton.  Both received well deserved standing ovations at the start and the end of the interview.  They were engaging and funny, soft spoken and humble when they answered questions about their family life, their NFL careers, philanthropy and how playing professional football parallels the life of a farmer or rancher.

It was not hard to tell they were son and father, as Peyton lovely referred to Dad several times during the interview.  Their mannerisms, facial expressions, and voices, are very similar, one in a younger or older version of the other. They were even dressed similar, in a version of a plaid sports coat, brown to tan slacks, and shirts in blue, one in tiny stripes and the other in tiny checkered print.  Neither would commit to predicting who would win the Super Bowl this year but in their soft mannered approach answered the question without answering the question.  It was a great 30 minutes and I wished it could have gone on longer. 

Reoccurring themes throughout convention 

Jennifer Bergin and Carla Lawrence at the AFBF17 Leadership Lunch.

There were reoccurring themes throughout the week:

• UNITE
• Faith, Family, Friends and Farming
• AFBF is one big family
• Leadership and being an Advocate for Agriculture
• Working with local, state and national legislators and decision makers to put Agriculture in the fore front
• Sustainability – from the ag producers perspective, not from the special interest groups
• Education of youth, educating urbanites
• Farm Bureau Proud
• Celebrating grassroots
• Standing up against overregulation
• Volunteerism

I would like to thank the Carbon/Stillwater County Farm Bureau and the Montana Farm Bureau for their support making it possible for me to attend my first American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention. I appreciate their support very much. I would encourage members who have not attended this event to put it on this “Things to Do List.”  It is a rewarding experience.