Rotunda Roundup From Montana Farmers Union

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 country-of-origin information for beef and pork. A truthful label is not only fair to ranchers and consumers but is critical for food security.

Montana Farmers Unions supports HB 350 and will continue to work the Rep. Smith and other COOL advocates on this priority issue.

Also receiving MFU support is the Montana University System’s Worker’s Compensation Program, Education Outreach and Diversity Program and Workforce Development Programs budget request in HB 2, specifically acknowledging the request to increase funding for Research and Development agencies as these facilities’ services are critical to Montana Ag producers’ success.

We want to be sure that one time only expenditures for the Data Preservation Program, the Seed Lab, and the Wool Lab are approved. Monies for student aid and workforce development also are important to the overall health of rural communities and to the ability of family farmers and ranchers to stay on the land.

Additionally, MFU supported HB 5, which is a budget inflationary adjustment request for the Agricultural Analytical lab, the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Wool Lab and Seed Lab. The labs are facing increased construction costs, supply chain issues and lack of qualified labor forces, which are jeopardizing completion of construction of these projects.

Montana Farmers Union also spoke in favor of HB 276 to establish a Farm to Food bank grant program to be run by the Department of Agriculture. Food security and access to diverse and resilient local food market opportunities are a top priority of MFU, and we feel this program will benefit producers with another viable market opportunity, while increasing local food access and food security.

Montana Farmers Union also spoke in favor of SB 196, sponsored by Sen. Walt Sales, because increasing telehealth access is important to Montana’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities, especially for mental health services. This bill is a step in the right direction when it comes to reimbursements for services that telehealth makes more accessible by incentivizing providers to practice and provide services in rural areas.

MFU also supported:

HB 31 to revise laws related to academic brewers’ license as an avenue for expanding research on barley varieties.

SR 28 to confirm governor’s appointment of Christy Clark as the Director for the Department of Agriculture. MFU looks forward to continuing to work with Clark, who has a done an excellent job of supporting Montana Ag producers.

SB 132 that revises how funding for Advancing Agricultural Education is distributed and incentivizes small schools to provide Ag education. SB 132 brings us closer to MFU members’ goal to support equitable, quality, inclusive education for all levels because of its benefits not only to individuals but to our state as well.

SB 203 that would prohibit the sale, lease or rental of critical infrastructure of land used for Ag production to foreign adversaries or corporations domiciled in foreign adversary nations. MFU member-written and member-voted policy is to eliminate foreign ownership of large food processing entities, which we feel this bill is a step in the right direction of addressing that concern when it comes to critical infrastructure for the food security of our nation.

HB 59 to extend the sunset on funding for Livestock Loss Board because MFU member-written policy supports funding for the livestock loss program and extending the sunset on the board’s funding will provide predictability for available resources to our members in the future.

MFU opposed HB 216 meant to revise laws related to public employees and labor organizations, sponsored by Rep. Bill Mercer. The preamble of our grassroots policy statement begins: “The needs and aspirations of farmers are those of humanity at large. MFU advocates a program that is beneficial for farmers, laborers and consumers alike.” Our members go on to say that we oppose what has come to be called “right-to-work” legislation. HB 216 is such a bill. It denies workers the right to self-organization by imposing a slew of burdensome regulations that would make it nearly impossible for employees to exercise their right to join together to demand reasonable wages and working conditions. That right is essential for rural families and communities to earn a living. Indeed, it is essential for humanity at large.

Go to https://montanafarmersunion.com/legislation/ for more details on MFU’s legislative work throughout the Legislative Session on behalf of Montana’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.