Montana Farmers Union (MFU) will celebrate its 99th year with its annual meeting and convention on September 23‐25. The event will be held at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, MT.
“The convention theme, ‘MFU: The Face of Agriculture’ reflects our diverse membership,” said MFU President Alan Merrill. “Convention goers will enjoy a broad collection of speakers and workshop topics as well as debate MFU policy and enjoy some great entertainment.”
A detailed agenda is posted on the MFU website. Some convention highlights include:
Friday, October 24
M. Andy Junkin, author of ‘Farming with Family Ain’t Always Easy,’ will talk about how farm and ranch families deal (or don’t deal) with transition and change. Improving HOW families make decisions together is crucial. All registered participants will receive a copy of Mr. Junkin’s audio book for future reference. Highlights of past Junkin presentations are available on YouTube.
MFU Women in Ag Calendar – The first edition of the MFU Women in Ag Calendar will debut. Meet the ladies involved in the project and learn about their roles in their operations. Calendars will be available for purchase and proceeds will support women’s educational programming.
Terry Whiteside, Whiteside & Associates, will provide the latest rail transportation updates for all convention goers.
Dr. Jeff Bader, Director of MSU Extension, Montana State University, will keynote the Farmers Union Insurance luncheon.
Saturday, October 25
MFU policy discussions continue and officer elections take place.
Jeff & Katie Bangs, Farmers Union Enterprises Leadership couple, share their experiences of the past year.
MT Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean keynotes the Education Luncheon.
Workshops:
Ron de Yong, Director of MT Department of Agriculture, will share Past Accomplishments & Future Endeavors.
Dr. Nate Bickford, University of Great Falls and Mike Dalton, Sunburst Unlimited, will discuss their individual work in expanding local food availability and beginning farmer opportunities through community gardening and aquaculture growing experiments.
Bill Evans, Director of the Chouteau County FSA, will discuss the Nuts & Bolts of the Farm Bill.
Hertha Lund, Lund Law, will present a White Paper on fracking in Montana, and Melissa Hornbein, attorney for the Dept. of Natural Resources & Conservation, will relate the latest information about water compacts in the state.
Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union president, keynotes the MFU members banquet that will feature Montana grown and raised food.
In addition to the extensive educational opportunities offered by the convention, MFU youth will be recognized for their leadership development throughout the year, a carnival and silent auction will benefit MFU educational programs and scholarships, and the Ringling 5 will top off Saturday evening.
Editor’s Note: Discussions with Congressional candidates are ongoing concerning U.S. House and U.S. Senate debates to be cosponsored with the Great Falls Tribune. Details will be announced as they emerge.
For almost 100 years MFU has worked for strong family farms & farmer cooperatives, has presented the organization’s policies to lawmakers and has provided education for all ages.
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