Earlier this month I had the incredible opportunity to attend a unique think tank event sponsored by Burton K. Wheeler Center in Bozeman called ‘Envision Montana’ - Under-35 Summer Colloquium. The colloquium gathered together 21 of Montana’s emerging leaders under the age of 35 to discuss our vision for the future of Montana. The unique part of the event is that it was held as a five-day float trip down the Salmon River with structured discussions about agriculture, culture/humanities, government, business, education and healthcare, featuring presentations from each participant. These discussions were held on the river beaches where we camped out each night and morning. Then the discussions continued in small groups on the boats as we navigated the river. (That's me in picture, center, after getting soaked in the paddle boat by an awesome rapid!)

I gave my presentation to the group on the third morning we were on the river. Here are the highlights:

• I started by asking people to raise their hand if they felt strongly connected to agriculture. I was pleasantly surprised when every single person raised their hand. I thought I was going to have to explain that we all eat, so we are all connected to agriculture, but they already knew that.
• I informed the group that agriculture is Montana’s top industry, bringing over $3 billion in cash receipts to the state last year.
• Our previous conversations had covered energy, tourism and culture in Montana so I related how those areas are greatly impacted by agriculture in Montana.
• I discussed a report by the UN FAO that states that we will need to produce 70% more food worldwide (100% in developing countries) to feed a population that is expected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050, and how that report represents a tremendous challenge and opportunity for Montana agriculture.
• I talked about MSGA, our history, and a little bit about the big changes we have recently undertaken, relaying that our mission is to protect and enhance Montana ranch families’ ability to grow and deliver environmentally wholesome beef to the world, and our vision is to be the premier institution that exemplifies leading global beef innovation while preserving Montana’s complex natural landscape, history, economy, ethics and social values.
• I said that MSGA is interested in addressing the global challenges, as well as addressing the concerns of consumers here in the U.S., especially when it comes to beef.
• I talked about how less than 2% of Americans are involved in production agriculture, and how consumers are losing touch with where their food comes from, but are expressing more and more interest in learning about things like conventional, organic, hormone free, local foods, etc. They are also concerned about the environmental impacts of food production, animal welfare, food safety and nutrition.
• Then I transitioned into the story of our “Telling the Story of Montana’s Ranching Families” project and our work to do a better job of informing consumers about the people who raise beef here in Montana.
• I concluded by offering some thoughts about the future of agriculture in Montana. First, I argued that it is in the best interest of our state to keep farmers and ranchers on the land, in business, and in our communities. I said it is important to maintain agriculture as the foundation of our economy here in Montana because in good times and in recessions like we have been experiencing, everyone has to eat. They don’t have to buy technology products or travel, but they do have to put food on the table. I suggested that we work to make policies that would help keep ag solvent, like avoiding unnecessary regulations, providing incentives for farmers and ranchers rather than punishments or regulations, and helping ag to make partnerships to further other efforts such as conservation, etc.

I thought my presentation was very well received, along with the other great presentations from the agriculture group. Our presentations sparked a lot of further discussions throughout the next couple of days on the river. Many people were interested in discussing the sustainability of agriculture in Montana. One of the other presenters brought up the rift between “sustainable” local, small agriculture and commercial/conventional agriculture. I argued that commercial/conventional agriculture is sustainable too, because farmers and ranchers employ environmental and economic practices to make sure they can continue farming/ranching into the future. I cited the 142 ranches featured in MSGA’s book “The Weak Ones Turned Back, The Cowards Never Started: A Century of Ranching in Montana” as proof of the sustainability of ranching in Montana. Each ranch featured in the book had been on the same land and in the same family as they were when they were founded over 100 years ago. Some people expressed concern about the need for some members of the family to have jobs off the farm or ranch to help provide more income and benefits like health insurance for the family. They asked when this is happening, is a farm or ranch really sustainable? Others lamented the fact that farmers and ranchers receive just a small percentage of what we actually pay for food. We discussed the risk involved in agriculture and the need to diversify operations to survive unexpected challenges like market dips and devastating weather events. Overall we had some very good and important discussions about the future of agriculture, and that was just one of six major discussions we had!

I want to thank the following people who made this great event happen. I would encourage anyone under the age of 35 to apply to attend next year.

-The Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy based at Montana State University is a non-partisan center that promotes the discussion, analysis and eventual resolution of critical issues facing Montana and the region. Wheeler Center Fellows Erin Chamberlin and Zack Rogala were the ones who came up with the idea for the trip and worked to make it happen.

-Holiday River Expeditions generously sponsored half of the cost of the trip. Click on the link to learn more about the trip we took and check out Holiday’s offerings.

-Mark and Deborah Rogala, owners of the Flying R Guest Cabins and Lodge in Darby, MT, were our gracious hosts the night before we headed for the Salmon River and when we returned.

Also, thanks to MSGA for allowing me to attend this colloquium. My goal was to make sure that the participants knew that MSGA, and Montana’s ranchers, will be a major player in the future of Montana.