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.

Weebee’s was the first stop where the chef prepared Asian lettuce wraps and beef s’mores. That’s right…s’mores! The beef had a bit of a spicy kick, which was mellowed out by homemade savory marshmallows. Then the crew saddled up and headed to the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn. There, people enjoyed beef carpaccio accompanied by arugula salad with a truffle vinaigrette. Next, the group trailed out to the Mint Bar and Café in Belgrade. The entrée was a New York Strip two ways: cast iron seared and braised sweet beef with grilled Gallatin Valley baby fennel, parsnip puree, and roasted cauliflower. The Mint’s owner, Jay Bentley, said how grateful he is to have such great beef being produced in Montana and thanked ranchers for all they do.

The Cattle Crawlers returned to Weebee’s for dessert which included a raspberry parfait, orange infused chocolate, and a mini lemon meringue pie. Participants received a complimentary wine glass and transportation for the evening.

All three restaurants featured on the 2011 Montana Cattle Crawl use Montana-raised beef and work closely with local farmers and ranchers to bring fresh Montana products to their customers.

The Young Stockgrowers would like to thank those who participated and the restaurants for putting on such a special event.

During the past few years, I have spent more time watching the interactions between 4-H’ers and others and have come to a few conclusions.  There are many projects, but I would like to focus on the livestock portion of this program.  In my observations, youth enjoy taking care of their animals (although there is some prodding from parents) and showing them off to the fair visitors.  People enjoy learning about their animals and gaining a better understanding of the work that is involved to get those animals to market.  This is a great asset for agriculture.  These young people, whether they continue to be involved in agriculture or not, are great spokespeople and have reached out to many in the community to show animal care is number one.  While these young people may only have a few animals, it is reflective of everyday life for ranchers and work involved to produce a great product.  Along with sharing their experience, these young participants also gain an understanding of agriculture.  Whatever path these youth take,  this experience will last a lifetime.

My first concern upon hearing this news was how this would affect the Update Email that we send out to our members two or three times per week with the latest headlines on the cattle industry, the economy, politics and wildlife/environment. Many of our members rely  on this email to keep them up-to-date on important happenings in our industry, our country, and the world. I peruse a lot of online news outlets in compiling this list of headlines. Then I put the article titles and links in one easy list for members to pick and choose from.

I think this will definitely affect how we keep our members informed. I have already moved away from using the New York Times in favor of the free Washington Post for national headlines, I look to MSN Money over the Wall Street Journal for economic articles. The Billings Gazette has been a major source of agricultural news for our email. Now, though I intend to get an online subscription, I will try to only link to the Billings Gazette when they have content that isn’t available anywhere else. Maybe I will rely a little more on the TV station websites which are providing their content, including clips from their broadcasts, for free. There are also some other great newspapers online that still offer free content and offer fresh perspectives like the Missoula Independent , though they don’t often cover agricultural issues. So far all of the cattle industry news websites like Cattle Network are still free.

What do you think about newspapers revoking our ability to read all of their content online for free? Is it just like the switch over from Napster to iTunes for music and will take a little time for everyone to get used to? Will you pay an online subscription fee to access your favorite Lee paper? Will this affect how informed you are? Will this affect how informed the general populace is, especially assuming that many won’t pay for content from even the most credible of sources like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal?

The board also implemented a new requirement that all sexually-intact cattle coming out of the DSA be individually identified. The change follows import requirements recently implemented by several destination states for Montana cattle and a similar rule recently enacted in Wyoming.

The board voted to move forward with proposed changes to the trichomoniasis rule, which will be made available for a 60-day comment period in August.

The proposed rule changes shift focus from state-wide testing for trich to testing and other requirements for two disease management areas encompassing 10 counties (Cascade, Glacier, Ponder and Teton counties, and Big Horn, Carbon, Powder River, Rosebud, Treasure and Yellowstone counties) where the disease has been most prevalent.

Trich testing would be required on bulls within the management areas and no open cows could be imported into the state or sold out of the management areas except to slaughter. Additionally, the rule changes would require trich tags for all trich-tested bulls statewide, and would provide an exemption for grazing association and common grazing herds with approved management plans.

I updated the board on our involvement in the Yellowstone Bison Citizen’s Working group, a diverse, interest-based group working to make consensus recommendations to the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners in regards to managing bison in the Yellowstone area. I also provided the board an update from our association including inviting them to our Cattle Crawl event in August, and letting them know we are working on the grazing fee increase proposal under consideration by the State Land Board, submitting comments on changes to the Clean Water Restoration Act, and submitting comments to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding proposed “guidance” on farm vehicles and off-road agriculture equipment.

The board’s next meeting will be held Sept. 26-27 in Helena. The board will consider increasing per capita fees at this meeting.

The Montana Cattle Crawl will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Weebee’s with beef appetizers. Crawlers will then hitch a ride on the stage to the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn for the second beef course. The third stop will be the Mint Bar and Café in Belgrade for a delicious beef entrée. Finally, the bus will travel back to Weebee’s for dessert.

Tickets are $75 per person or $140 per couple. Price includes food, wine, commemorative wine glass, and travel. For more information or to sign up, please contact Rose Malisani at MSGA at (406) 442-3420 by Aug. 15, 2011. Seating is limited.