Farmers Union hosts annual meeting Oct. 24-25 in Great Falls

by Courtesy MFU
| September 19, 2014 1:37 PM

GREAT FALLS – The Montana Farmers Union will celebrate its 99th year with its annual meeting and convention Oct. 24 and 25 at the Heritage Inn, 300 River Dr. North, in Great Falls.

Some convention highlights include:

FRIDAY, OCT. 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. All registered participants will receive a copy of Mr. Junkin’s audio book for future reference. Past Junkin presentations are 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, OCT. 25

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.

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 members banquet that features Montana grown and raised food.

A carnival and silent auction will benefit MFU educational programs and scholarships, and the Ringling 5 will top off Saturday evening.

(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.)