Registration deadline on ag finance summit approaching

Press release

Montana farmers and ranchers have been invited to gather with financial service providers to discuss barriers to loan access and develop new tools to help connect agricultural business owners with financing for land and business development.

At the Montana Summit on Agricultural Finance at Chico Hot Springs Feb. 6-7, participants will hear from state and national experts about financial tools being piloted around the country to help farmers and ranchers access land, collaborate to identify the challenges and needs of Montana farmers and ranchers, and learn about opportunities to pilot new financial tools statewide.

The summit offers tiered pricing for farmers and ranchers, nonprofit representatives and financial service providers. Early bird registration rates for all three categories end Saturday. More information is available on CFAC’s Summit site at https://www.farmlinkmontana.org/summit/ as well as the registration page at eventbrite.com, shortcut https://bit.ly/2GbDZwC/.

Organized by the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, Trust Montana and the National Young Farmers Coalition, the summit will feature two keynote speakers.

Bart Morris, owner of Oxbow Cattle Company and conservation advocate, will present on building creative partnerships with existing financial tools and how to layer financial tools. Kristen Juras, attorney with statewide expertise in estate and succession planning, will present on the role of farm and ranch succession planning and estate planning in designing effective farm and ranch transitions.

The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, webpage online at https://www.missoulacfac.org/, is a local food policy coalition that identifies assets and needs related to building a vibrant local food system, and pursues solutions through collaboration, policy advocacy, and innovative projects.

Trust Montana, webpage available online at http://trustmontana.org/, is a statewide Community Land Trust, working to preserve land for a variety of community uses and make it accessible to Montanans with limited means. The goal is to build livable communities and increase local self-reliance.