Erik Somerfeld, District 2, Power Jeff Bangs, At-Large Director District 1 Inverness

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

BY WALTER SCHWEITZER PRESIDENT

I am nearing the end of my first term as MFU president and look back at the last two years, wondering what the next two years will bring. It started with a whirlwind tour of state conventions, visiting with members in other farm organizations like the Stockgrowers, Farm Bureau, Northern Plains, Grain Growers, Aero, Montana Cattlemen, putting on a hemp workshop, and traveling to the national conventions of NFO and NFU. All of this was in the first four months, then the covid pandemic roared in, shutting down most of the world.

The last 18 months were a bit surreal. Before the pandemic, “zoom” meant you were traveling quickly to a new destination. Now Zoom means you stay home for yet another virtual meeting. Some days started with a 6 am zoom meeting and didn’t finish until you left your last zoom meeting at 10 pm. MFU was forced to cancel the Cultivating Healthy Communities tour due to the pandemic. We worked with MSU extension to put on educational webinars that covered livestock nutrition, soil health, plant breeding, trade, rangeland weeds, and provided pesticide certification. We held virtual debates and townhalls that were broadcast statewide discussing rural and ag issues with the candidate. MFU held its first-ever online convention, where we successfully debated and voted on bylaws and policy. We offered the Winter Thaw and the Women’s Conference virtually and had a great lineup of speakers. All of these programs can be found on our website at montanafarmersunion.com.

This spring, we went back on the road with our Rebuilding Food Resiliency tour in Lewistown, Havre, Shelby, Choteau, Billings, Miles City, and Sidney. This fall, we continued the tour in Corvallis, Missoula, Ronan, and Whitefish but chose to cancel our southern time because of the Covid resurgence; with hospitals at capacity and needing National Guard assistance, it felt irresponsible

I am looking forward to the state convention in Great Falls. We have a great lineup of speakers and entertainers. We will also have our mobile livestock harvest unit available for everyone to tour. This unit is the main component of the Montana Premium Processing Co-op that MFU launched in September. We are looking for more opportunities to develop producer-owned co-ops to add value and markets for our products.

I am excited to visit with you at our 2021 convention.

MPPC HOLDS FIRST MEMBERSHIP MEETING

BY MATT RAINS MANAGER OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

On September 30th, the Montana Premium Processing Cooperative (MPPC) held their first annual membership meeting with great success at the Celtic Cowboy. During the meeting, pledged individuals purchased their common Stock to join the cooperative. Through these first members, the Board of Directors was elected. MPPC is now a fully-formed cooperative on track to be harvesting livestock by early 2022.

The cooperative concept supports Montana livestock producers with a vested interest in processing USDA-certified meat for their retail plans.

MPPC provides a processing service fee for a rancher to take their livestock from hoof to package. These fees are set by the elected board of directors. It is a “ranchers taking care of ranchers” situation.

Currently, producers are left to decide between utilizing the large processors who are states away, custom butchers where they cannot retail the finished product, or private local state/USDA certified meat processors. These private certified butcher shops are ideal and supported by Montana Farmers Union, but their capacity has been maxed out for a long time with wait times of up to two years. This wait-time challenge has made it difficult for ranchers to develop their retail potential without a guaranteed year-round processing schedule. Annual schedules will be offered to members first in the MPPC with no wild-game taking up hook space. Another incredible opportunity was negotiated where Montana Farmers Union and Farmers Union Enterprises(FUE) will back the MPPC by purchasing the future facility, mobile harvest unit, and covering all renovations. These assets will be owned by a MFU/FUE holding company and leased to MPPC. Essentially, MFU and FUE will take away the up-front financial burden of purchasing the facility and, in turn, lease it to the cooperative under an agreement to allow MPPC to get its feet underneath itself. MPPC will be a focused meatprocessing operating business without the distraction of owning the facility. It truly is a win-win for all sides.

Moving forward, standing up the meat processing facility in Havre is the principal focus now that MPPC is formed with their Board of Directors. An agreement has been made to purchase a retired Schwan’s facility in Havre. This purchase fits the MPPC footprint perfectly and expedites the timeline to move animals through the facility. MPPC has had very positive visits with the Hill County Commissioners, and they are supportive of the new opportunity for the Havre economy. Although performing renovations in winter in Havre will come with its challenges, the MPPC should be operational with minimal roadblocks.

The Board of Directors is Jess Alger, Eric Bergman, Brett DeBruycker, Paul Neubauer, Ben Peterson, and Walter Schweitzer. The seventh Board of Director position has been approved and will be voted by the end of November.

MPPC is offering both Common and Preferred Stock. Common stock is a ONE Share per ranch/ household which entitles membership and ownership to the cooperative, voting rights on the board of directors, and priority hook space.

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