Agriculture Proud

 Episode 004 of the Agriculture Proud Podcast features a discussion with a ranching couple from far northern Montana. Do you remember the fluffy cow craze a few years ago? The subjects of today’s podcast raise this type of cattle and are a great ranch couple to learn from and spend time with! Butch and Doreen Gillespie raise club calves for youth participating in livestock programs across the country. The Gillespies have been involved in agriculture across the globe and are very involved in their local and state organizations. This was definitely a fun conversation to have and I learn something every time I sit down with Butch and Doreen. They have a great passion for their role in the agriculture community, are always looking for opportunities to continuing their education and to give back to youth programs. You can find them on Facebook at Gillespie Show Cattle and at GillespieShowCattle.com. You can also learn more about their local organization, Marias River Livestock Association. I hope yo

 Episode 003 of the Agriculture Proud Podcast features a discussion on a hot topic for both consumers and agriculture producers today. At the end of 2016, we will see the mandatory implementation of rules that will change how antibiotics are used in livestock. Veterinary Feed Directives (VFDs) are a result of changes to FDA’s Guidances #209 and #213, which were finalized in the summer of 2015. Information about the changes can be found on the FDA’s website. In this this podcast episode, I pull a file out of the archives from my time with MSGA, and have a conversation with Dr. Bruce Hoffman of Elanco Animal Health. Dr. Hoffman does a good job of addressing the larger context of issues surrounding antibiotics use in livestock today, how this use relates to consumer concerns about food safety, and gives us good tips on how to prepare for pending changes for antibiotics use. A few important points to pull out of our conversation regarding antibiotics and Veterinary Feed Directives: VFDs will not be difficu

 This week’s episode of the Agriculture Proud Podcast features a rancher from Dillon, Montana. Race King and his family manage the La Cense Montana ranch, which spans 88,000 acres in southwest Montana. According to their website, “the ranch is located just east of the Continental Divide, on the northwestern edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and its highest point (Gallagher Peak) rises 8,477 feet above sea level. La Cense Montana’s headquarters enjoys panoramic views of the Blacktail Mountains from our state-of-the-art facilities. There is a 60,000-square-foot indoor riding arena, two large outdoor arenas, livestock working facilities, and 3,500 irrigated acres of pasture that are 5,300 feet above sea level.” Race King has been very involved in the ranching business, is a quiet guy, but if you get to know him, he has some great stories to share. I sat down with Race at the recent Winter Grazing Seminar in Missoula to discuss some of the challenges of ranching in a mountainous, dry climate. A few

 Janice Person is a great friend to many people in the agriculture world. She’s passionate about cotton and loves people. Janice blogs at janiceperson.com (now HundredPercentCotton.com) and you can find her as @JPlovescotton on Twitter, and Instagram. If you haven’t investigated her Cotton 101 series, you’re missing out on some cool knowledge about a neat plant. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with Janice about a few of the topics she’s not only passionate about, but intimately knows and loves. During her visit to Montana, I asked Janice about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and where we can find resources to learn more about the topics. We also discussed how to handle controversial topics and a bit about sugar beet farming and how GMO technology has been so important to those farmers and their ability to continue doing business. Janice shared with us two resources to learn more about Genetically Modified Organisms. GMOanswers.com – a great place to find resources and perspectives of exp