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Gianforte tours cattle ranch to kick off Ag Week – Daily Montanan

['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- March']

Date: 2022-03-21 00:00:00

Gov. Greg Gianforte and a handful of agriculture stakeholders toured the Sieben Ranch on Tuesday to mark the second day of Montana’s Agriculture Week.

Just outside Helena, the Sieben Ranch has been family-owned and operated since 1898. On the tour, owner Nina Baucus showed Gianforte, Montana Department of Livestock Executive Officer Mike Honeycutt, Montana Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Zach Coccoli and Montana Stockgrowers Association Vice President Jay Bodner the calving currently underway at the ranch.

“When you have these generation after generation (ranches), not only are you providing a safe food supply for our customers, but you’re also protecting this landscape. You’re a steward of this landscape,” Bodner said about the importance of generational ranches in the state.

He continued, “when it comes to beef genetics, beef quality, we are some of the most sought after genetics in the United States, and really, internationally … and that just comes from generation moving on to the next generation and that continued effort.”

To recognize the state’s largest industry, Gianforte last week proclaimed the week of March 22 as Agriculture Week.

“Montana’s farmers and ranchers work tirelessly to feed our nation and the world overcoming fires and floods, winds and hail, abnormal dry seasons and frigid winters,” the Republican governor wrote in his proclamation. “Agriculture plays a critical role in driving our economy, keeping food on the table for Montana families and defining our Montana way of life.”

But as climate change ushers in dryer summers, milder winters and persistent drought, sustainability in the industry is becoming more difficult. At the Sieben Ranch near Gates of the Mountains, they had to sell off some of their young calves out of caution that there will not be enough grass to go around this summer.

“Last I understood, it’s going to be a dry summer … if there is a shortage of grass, we would rather keep that for our base herd,” said John Sieben, who owns the ranch with Nina. “If it gets to the point where you have to keep cutting down on the herd because there is not enough grass available, that’s bad for the bottom line.”

But it’s not just the Sieben’s, Bodner said. “We were in a severe drought last year, which lowered our hay production and grass available for cows, and because hay was so expensive, ranchers lowered their herds. So you just have fewer cattle, and that reduces your income that you would receive this fall.”

And as the war in Ukraine drives up the price of corn, wheat and fertilizer, ranches like the Sieben’s could see less income this summer.

“Fertilization costs are more than double, and we only have so many dollars budgeted, which means we are going to buy less than half than normal fertilizer we do, which isn’t good for the future,” Sieben said.

Bodner said increased demand caused by the Ukraine and Russia conflict is at the forefront of most cattle owners’ minds.

“Russia, and also Ukraine, are big market players when it comes to wheat and corn,” he said. “So, if those acres are not there globally for the entire world, there is more pressure to sell domestic corn to the international market, and then we have to compete internationally to buy that corn to feed the cattle.”

Still, Bodner said Montanans have weathered difficulties before.

“It’s not all gloom and doom. We are a resilient bunch; we have been through droughts before. We will get through it,” he said.

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