Give a lasting gift to your farmer, rancher, or farm/ranch spouse this Christmas!

Kari Lewis

We’re just one week away from Christmas! If you’re still trying to decide what to get that farmer,

rancher, or farm/ranch spouse in your life, let me suggest a registration to the 2020 Montana’s Next Generation Conference, which will be January 31 – February 1 in Shelby. Currently, registration is at the ‘Early Bird Rate’ of just $25/individual/day or $40/couple/day so you can save some money on gift giving too!

Here’s 5 reasons why a Next Generation conference registration would be a great gift!

· The meals! Anyone who has attended the conference in the past has often remarked that the food alone is worth going for. TLC Catering of Shelby will be doing the food which will include pulled pork and the fixings for the Friday lunch, a delicious roast beef dinner Friday night, and wonderful soups and sandwiches for the Saturday lunch along with all the snacks you can eat in between! Saturday night, each participant will get a $10 meal voucher to use at numerous participating Shelby restaurants.

· Your gift has the potential to have a long-lasting impact. What if after attending Kristen Juras and Sarah Hamlen’s workshop, ‘Planning for Health Care after Retirement’ workshop your parents or in-laws develop a plan for their healthcare? What if after attending Jane Wolery’s Mending FENCES workshop, your family is able to sit down and have a productive and respectful conversation about communication expectations? What if after attending Korey Fauque’ s Reducing Inputs through Regenerative Ag your operation is able to try one or two new tools that will save time and money on the farm or ranch? A gift of the Next Generation conference is not one that will be put in the closet to collect dust, it has the potential to make a great impact on families! There are 36 workshops offered on Saturday, and there’s truly something for everyone!

· Pesticide points! 2020 is the end of the pesticide cycle for our region, which means applicators need their 6 recertification credits by the end of 2020. There will be 5 workshops with pesticide points at the Next Generation conference, on both crop and range related topics.

·Networking – The conference provides an opportunity to network with industry professionals and other producers. Where else, can you ask questions of accountants and lawyers for just $25/day?

· The gift of family – The conference truly has something for everyone, regardless of age. Whether it’s a beginning producer, someone who’s been farming or ranching for 20 years, or someone nearing retirement, there are workshops for everyone! There is also babysitting provided on both days for just $15/child, so the whole family can come!

If you are interested in providing a friend or family member with a registration to Montana’s Next Generation Conference, you can register online at www.mtnextgen.com. If you call our office at 406-873-2239, we would be happy to mail or email a gift certificate that you can give to your recipient. Another added bonus - everyone who purchases a conference registration by January 10 will be entered in two drawings, one for a free registration and one for a free hotel room during the conference!

This Christmas, give a gift that won’t sit on the shelf collecting dust, give a gift of Montana’s Next Generation conference that can provide a lasting impact.

My Top 3 Takeaways from Montana's Next Generation Conference

Kari Lewis
                As a Montana’s Next Generation Conference host committee member, I certainly didn’t get to see as many of the presentations as I would have like, but those that I did see were excellent.  Throughout the talks I noticed some common themes that I hope to apply to my own operation in the coming year.  The following were my top three takeaways.

"You cannot be a low-cost producer
unless you have great records."  Matt Roberts

                First, it’s the low-cost producer that wins.  The low-cost producer is the first producer to start making money when the market begins climbing, and they make money longer into the market cycle as well.  The low-cost producer knows their costs of production.  Matt Roberts, Friday’s keynote speaker, said, “You cannot be a low-cost producer unless you have great records.” 

                This point tied into Travis Standley’s ‘Top Tier Producer’ workshop on Saturday where he said that of the top ranches he has worked with, they know their costs/head/day, and that their budget is far more important to them personally than it is even to their banker.  Whether it’s feed supplement for the cowherd or fertilizer costs for the wheat crop, it is critical to know costs/unit when making decisions.  Standley had ranchers work through an example comparing various feed supplements to illustrate that less dollars/ton may not always be the most economical, it’s cost/head/day that really matters. 

Secondly, “If you want to improve your business, improve your books,” Roberts pointedly said.  Roberts shared that Apple knows their cost of production to the fourth decimal point, yet most farms don’t know their returns within $10/acre.  You must know where you’re making your money in order to know where to put your money.  Did that soil amendment or extra fall supplementation really pay?  Only your records can explain if that was a wise investment or not. 

Lastly, when it comes to farm or ranch transition, Matt Roberts shared two tips.  First, the number one thing that you can do to increase the probability of transferring your operation to the next generation is to improve your bookkeeping.  Secondly, build the farm so you have something to transition.   

“You’re in the absolute most complicated small business in the world,” Matt Roberts shared. As one producer, I can’t control the markets, weather, or Washington politics.  However, I can control my bookkeeping and costs and to me, and that’s a great first step towards striving to be a top tier producer. 

Heads up! Three deadlines coming quickly!

Happy New Year!  We have LOTS of Extension programs coming up, so I wanted to highlight them and remind you of their registration deadlines that are soon approaching.

This Friday, January 4, is our deadline to register for the Calvin’ Fever – Ladies Day out workshop, which is NEXT Saturday, January 12 in Shelby.  Calving season is not far off and this will be tremendous opportunity to brush up before those calves start hitting the ground.  We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Steven Hjartarson of the Northern Vet Clinic of Cut Bank on hand to share about calving difficulties and how to manage them, he has a tremendous amount of practical knowledge and we’re really looking forward to having him!  We’ll also cover calving management and newborn calf care, with some great hands-on activities you don’t want to miss as well!  The class is just $10, which includes snacks, materials, and lunch!  If you would like to wrap up the afternoon with a fun freezer meals session which will include making meals to stock your freezer for calving, that’s just $15 addition and it will be well worth it!  Contact the Pondera County Extension office to register by this Friday, January 4. 

Next week are our local MSU Extension Cropping Seminars around the Golden Triangle which will cover paraquat safety, cropping systems, pest management, integrated weed management, herbicide resistance, marketing, and risk management.  Our seminar in Cut Bank will be Wednesday, January 9, in the Glacier County Library basement, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m.  In Cut Bank, our lunchtime speaker will be Greg Stordahl, Montana Department of Agriculture State Grain Lab Bureau Chief who will speak on Crop Quality Issues of 2018.  The seminar is free, and lunch is provided, but we ask that you RSVP to our office by this coming Monday, January 7 so we can get a headcount on lunch.  There will be three pesticide points available.  For those of you out of the Cut Bank area, contact your local Extension Office for seminar details. 

Lastly, our Early Bird rates for Montana’s Next Generation Conference ends next Friday, January 11.  Be sure to get on our website, www.mtnextgen.com, for a complete conference agenda and registration details.  There is nowhere in Montana that there’s the variety of topics and caliber of speakers as there is at Montana’s Next Generation Conference, this is one event you certainly don’t want to miss!  We’ve had folks comment that just the food alone is worth the registration cost, and the education is outstanding to boot!  Again, register at www.mtnextgen.com by next Friday for the Early Bird pricing.   

Please contact our office with any questions at 406-873-2239 or kari.lewis@montana.edu.  

Last minute Christmas gift ideas

Last minute Christmas gift ideas

Kari Lewis

With just five days left before Christmas, crunch time is on for you last minute shoppers!  If you still have a few folks on your Christmas list, I have a couple great ideas for you!

We still have Greytak calendars available in our office for just $10.  These calendars feature unique pencil drawings of Montana agriculture scenes and are done specifically for Montana 4-H each year.  The proceeds from the calendar benefit the Glacier County 4-H Council and the Montana 4-H Foundation, which provide support for training and materials to members and leaders.  Both the Glacier County 4-H Council and Montana 4-H Foundation are great organizations to support if you’re looking to make a year-end contribution as well.

 My next Christmas gift suggestion is a registration to Montana’s Next Generation

conference, which is January 26 and 27, 2018, in Shelby.  This is a great gift for your spouse, parents, in-laws, or adult children, and could just be the gift the gift that keeps on giving as you gain tips from Elaine Froese to improve communication and working relationships within your family on your farm or ranch operation.  “Like many producers, I have multiple roles in my southwestern Manitoba seed farm,” Elaine said. “I am a farm family coach, owner of a farm business, spouse to the farm manager, mother to the successor and a mother-in-law, and I need to maintain harmony and a connection to my team in all those roles.”  Elaine will share valuable insight on how harmony within the family operation is possible, which could even make those holiday dinners more enjoyable!

The Friday, January 26 session will also feature Amanda Radke, BEEF magazine contributor, blogger, and rancher from South Dakota who will share what has been done in her family’s operation to allow her and her husband to return as the 5^th generation. 

The Saturday, January 27 session features 6 sessions of workshops, with you having the opportunity to pick from 6 different options each hour.  There will be several new speakers this year, including Scott Shearer, an international trade expert; Breeann Johnson, water rights, Indian law and agriculture attorney; Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension beef cattle specialist; Gary Sides, beef and feedlot nutritionist with Zoetis; and Dr. Jeanne Rankin, MSU Extension associate specialist.

The speakers will offer information on multiple topics, including soil amendments and micronutrients, dealing with drought, planning for profit, artificial insemination protocols, tightening the calving window and expected progeny differences, hay production, technology in farming, and more.

Registration for Montana’s Next Generation conference is available at an ‘Early Bird’ rate until January 12, and information is available on mariasriverlivestock.com.  Please contact our office if you’d like us to put together a gift certificate for you to share this gift with a friend or family member.  Not only will the education be great, but the food will be top notch and the fellowship with friends and neighbors is always a welcome mid-winter break as well.

Don’t forget to stop by our office for a Greytak calendar and to sign up for Montana’s Next Generation conference.  From our office to your family, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and holiday season!