Fay Ranches Announces Partnership with the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program

Dan Scott Ranch Management Program

Dan Scott Ranch Management Program

Stewarding the last best place 21st Century ranching For more than a decade, livestock and natural resource businesses have recognized their need for skilled, college educated management professionals. Industry surveys confirm the demand across the Northern Great Plains and Intermountain West.

Montana State is committed to meeting this demand with a degree program grounded in agriculture and strengthened by business curriculum.

Managing large tracts of range land will always be demanding work, but the nature of the work is strikingly different from even 20 years ago. Research and technologies stemming from the ecological, biological, genetic and social sciences are driving innovations that are shaping best practices across the Western landscape.

Today, enterprises that run the gamut in size and scope from production agriculture to amenities-based operations require knowledge ranging from animal bioscience and ecology to business management accompanied by strong communication skills and attentiveness to legislative and political issues.

“The cattle ranching industry needs well-rounded leaders that can make a business vision a reality through management of the diverse relationships between finance, production, natural resources and people.� – Dr. Trey Patterson, CEO, Padlock Ranch

Why Montana State?

The College of Agriculture at MSU has a long and distinguished history of addressing the needs of agricultural producers.

Incorporating a systemslevel approach with a cross disciplinary focus to learning makes MSU’s ranching systems degree program unique in the following ways:

Unique to the region Although there are over 50 farm and ranch degree or certification programs in the U.S., many are limited to associate degrees. And those that offer bachelor’s degree programs are single-discipline specific, e.g., agronomy, animal science, agriculture business.

MSU’s Dan Scott Ranch Management Program will be the only interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree program designed to meet the unique needs of our Northern Great Plains and Intermountain West region.

Through program internships, students will gain the capacity to become engaged citizens who work with community partners to exchange and apply knowledge and resources to keep ranching a viable industry.

Carrying the legacy forward The legacy of family ranching depends on the ability to attract and retain the best and brightest young adults to enter and advance the industry. The bachelor’s degree in ranching systems is designed to 1) provide an academic foundation in animal and plant sciences along with economics and business principles, and 2) develop and hone leadership and communication skills that position graduates to be advocates for Montana’s leading industry—agriculture.

Students in the program benefit from interaction with experienced people in the field of ranch management that serve as mentors, inspire innovation and encourage young professionals to engage in lifelong learning. The ranching systems degree at Montana State University is carrying the legacy of Montana agriculture into the next generation and beyond.

Montana ranching by the numbers:

• Through integrated

coursework that teaches livestock production, business and economics of ranch management and rangeland ecology. Students will also learn to advance their communication skills and apply them utilizing scientific principles to formulate questions and explore solutions for problem solving and advocacy.

• By incorporating structured internships for employing students at cooperating ranches as well as real-world experiences with organizations and agencies in fish and wildlife ecology and land management.

• With opportunities for

continuing education providing seminars and courses designed to inspire ranching and natural resource workers to advance and expand their skill sets.

4

$1.2B 94M

MSU COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

2018 PRODUCTION VALUE

ACRES OF NATIVE RANGE

of cattle (including calves) in Montana

that remains intact in the Northern Plains states

th

national ranking for majors, according to Campus Explorer, Inc.

“In the program, I hope to build upon my knowledge with business skills to become an adept manager working in the beef production industry of the West.”

– Natural Resources and Rangeland Ecology student

Legacy of the land

Partner program Lead partner: $25,000+/year for five years

The knowledge base and skill sets needed to manage today’s ranches have grown faster than the educational programs that support these elements of the food, natural resource and recreational hospitality industries in the U.S. With sound practices, well managed ranches that remain intact protect range land, create habitat for a broad diversity of game animals and other species, moderate run-off, and help secure carbon in the soil. To adequately manage these resources in environmentally, economically and socially sustainable ways takes education, training and experience.

Building a world class program

• Launch and maintain a structured internship program with well defined learning outcomes.

• Provide program support and operational funding for outreach and continual educational opportunities.

The goal

Industry partner: $5,000+/year for five years Supporting partner: $1,000+/year for five years

We need your support to make the Dan Scott Ranch Management Program a flagship program in ranch management education. Through the partner program and naming opportunities, investors can help:

• Establish a culture that attracts high-performing, engaged students and outstanding faculty.

Major partner: $10,000+/year for five years

To join the Dan Scott Ranch Management partner program call the MSU Alumni Foundation.

Or for more information, visit our website: animalrange.montana.edu

To sustain and preserve the agricultural heritage of the Northern Great Plains and Intermountain West by graduating students who have the breadth of knowledge and diversity of skills needed to employ prudent ranching practices that create value and improve the natural resources vital to our land.

Learn more about how to write your own page of Montana State University history.

MSU Alumni Foundation Development Office info@msuaf.org | 406-994-4207