Dr. Steven Hjartarson, Northern Veterinary Clinic in Cut Bank,
will be a workshop presenter February 1.

"Will it matter if I go with the cheaper scours vaccine?"  "How long can I wait on that heifer to calve before I call the vet?" "We gave shots at branding, why are we fighting summer pneumonia?"  Ranchers have lots of animal health questions when it comes to their cowherd and rightfully so.  When margins are tight, its critical to get the most live calves on the ground possible with the most efficient use of the budget.  Dr. Steven Hjartarson of the Northern Veterinary Clinic in Cut Bank will cover two topics, “Vaccines and Immunology – An Introduction” and “Calving Time Management” at Montana’s Next Generation Conference on February 1 that ranchers will want to attend!  We’ll have 36 workshop topics throughout the day, and the following are some other great options as well:

Shane Ophus, owner of Ophus Auction Service, has 37 years’ experience selling farm and ranch auctions and nine years’ experience selling farm and ranch equipment retail for farm machinery dealers.  In addition, he’s been conducting certified appraisals for 17 years and has a strong farm and ranch background and remains active ranching today.  He has completed numerous auctioneering, personal property appraiser, and real-estate courses and will use his background for his Saturday workshop, “All Things Equipment Value.”  This will be a great workshop to learn how equipment is valued and appraised and ask questions of someone with decades of experience in the business. 

What is your biggest fear when thinking about your retirement years? For many, it is the idea of potentially multiple years in a nursing home that depletes the entire estate.  How can you prepare for health care costs now and be ready to address that through your succession plan? Kristin Juras and Sarah Hamlen will delve into this during her workshop.  Kristen Gustafson Juras is a fourth generation Montanan who has been an attorney since 1982, specializing in agricultural, business, and tax law.

You have 50 bushels of grain left in the bottom of the bin. It will surely fit on top of the rest of the load, right? Another bale stacked on the top of the load won’t be a problem, right? The truck has made it back and forth to town for 40 years, what do you mean it doesn’t meet DOT regulations??? Merlin Frydenlund, MT Dept. of Transportation, has graciously agreed to meet with the farmers and ranchers in Northern MT to go over the rules and regulations of trucking down the road.  This is a great time to ask questions from the comfort of a classroom and not the side of the road!

Brian Fladstol will share
equipment maintenance tips.

We put a lot of dollars and time in machines worth than many people’s homes. With this large of an investment, what can you do to ensure your machine lasts as long as possible? Brian Fladstol has been a mechanic and farmer all his life. February 1 he’ll share tips and tricks he has picked up over the years and how you can troubleshoot issues before calling the mechanic.

Saturday, February 1 there are 36 workshop options available at the Shelby High School on these topics and more crops, livestock, succession planning, business, marketing, or accounting topics.  There will be 5 pesticide points available at workshops throughout the day, so that’s a great opportunity as well.

Please call our office in Cut Bank with any questions at 406-873-2239, and check the website, www.mtnextgen.com for the complete schedule and workshop agenda and to register.  Remember, Montana’s Next Generation conference only comes once a year and registration closes Friday, don’t miss out!