Sorted by date Results 1 - 12 of 12
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Data collected from farmers should not be used against farmers. To that point, HJ 27 would create an interim committee to examine how ag data is being collected and how to protect farmers agricultural data property rights from commercial misuse. Ag D...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. MFU continues to support a bill that would provide property tax incentives for alternative fuel production. Senate Bill 510 is a good step forward toward incentivizing renewable diesel production. A Refinery in Great Falls is in the process of converting...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Political appointment of water court judges, as included in Senate Bill 72, could have unintended consequences, including giving priority to non-agricultural uses of water. Montana Farmers Union opposes SB 72 and instead supports current water law with p...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Protecting farmers’ data, providing more access to Montana foods, and incentivizing bio- and alternative fuels took priority for Montana Farmers Union’s efforts in the Legislature this week. When it comes to data collection, MFU holds that Montana farme...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Montana Farmers Union’s Government Affairs team based opposition and support for several bills heard this week on MFU’s member-written, grassroots policy, including speaking against bills that would confuse food safety rules local farmers markets can a...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The farmers and ranchers of Montana Farmers Union believe that voting processes which secure ease and access to voting by all citizens are good policy. Members also oppose undermining the will of the people expressed by public vote. As such, MFU s...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Montana Farmers Union this week continued to support two bills that would give farmers and ranchers the right to repair their own equipment. House Bill 475, sponsored by Rep. Tom France, and SB 347, sponsored by Sen. Willis Curdy, were both heard s...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Two bills dealing with Montana Farmers Union’s priority of securing producers’ right to repair their own equipment have been introduced. Both HB 475, sponsored by Rep. Tom France, and SB 347, sponsored by Sen. Willis Curdy, would provide farmers and ranch...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Despite much testimony in favor of country of origin placarding, HB 350 to revise country of origin labeling was killed in the House Agriculture committee this week. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Smith, was one of MFU’s top priority bills this session...
Montana Farmers Union supported ranchers and consumers in the fight to receive fair markets and transparent labeling through HB 350 this week. Many proponents advocated for the bill, which is a priority for MFU, during its hearing in House Ag Committee. MFU policy urges Country of Origin labeling of all agricultural commodities and processed food products sold in the U.S. Montanans want to know where their food comes from and consumers deserve honest and transparent labeling when it comes to all food products, which we do not have for beef and...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Consumers deserve to know where their meat comes from and Montana ranchers deserve a fair market. This week, Rep. Frank Smith introduced HB 350 that will ask retailers to make a reasonable effort to display a sign at the meat case with transparent c...
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2023 Legislature. MFU is the state’s largest and oldest grassroots farm advocacy organization representing family farms, and has worked more than 100 years on behalf of Montana farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Whether it’s a combine, a loader tractor, or a powered wheelchair, equipment owners should have the right to repair their own equipment, and Montana Farmers Union testified in support of HB 195, which would revise consumer rights laws to repair powered wh...