Rotunda Roundup from Montana Farmers Union

RACHEL PREVOST

and JASMINE KROTKOV

Montana Farmers Union

Government Affairs Team

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.

Thank you to everyone who took the time during the 68th Montana Legislative Session to testify and contact legislators to let them know how their actions affect you.

The impact of your active participation in the legislative process is evident in the successes and gains we made this session, as we proactively worked on issues critically important to family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

MFU backed six priority bills in the House and Senate, including two on Agricultural Right to Repair, Country of Origin Labeling for beef and pork, Agricultural Data Harvest, a study on Agricultural Data Harvest, and a bill to incentivize retail shelf space for Montana grown foods.

We worked collaboratively with legislators, MFU members and other organizations to help make real gains for alternative fuels in Montana, advocated for local and regional food systems, and shaped the narrative on a lot of other bills through our storytelling, testimony and communications work.

In the final days of the session, MFU supported two bills in particular:

• SJ 30: MFU encourages continued research, development, and marketing of new and existing specialty crops in Montana. We support development of Montana vineyard production and marketing through Montana wineries. While most agricultural crops are regulated through the Department of Agriculture, viticulturists have a number of other requirements to meet, as their product is also regulated by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. Advances in interspecies cold hardy hybrid grapes mean that Montana can start developing distinctive niche wines, and this study will look at how to revise the MCA to accommodate wine grown in Montana. Current law treats wine as an import, not as a domestic specialty crop. The next steps for the interim study request will be the ranking process, where legislators will rank all the studies that passed the full Legislature.

• HJ 27: Data collected from farmers should not be used to take advantage of farmers. Data is often being harvested from farmers without their knowledge. Custom applicators, seeders and harvesters are not required to tell farmers that their data is being harvested, and farmers don’t have the chance to opt out. This is valuable data that can be used to inform trading on the commodities markets. For example, during harvest, harvesters are collecting yield and quality, this provides an accurate estimate of the production of commodities. Brokers and foreign buyers can use this info to better position themselves in the markets at the expense of producers.

The USDA Statistics Service spends a great deal of money and time collecting this information by requesting farmers to fill out surveys. Hackers, or anyone with access to this valuable data before its release could have inside information and use it to manipulate commodity markets. Unfortunately, the Senate adjourned Sine Die before HJ 27 made it through the process, and the bill is now dead. Thank you to everyone who supported HJ 27 throughout the legislative process. We look forward to our continued work on this important issue.

Montana Farmers Union’s advocacy work will continue as we track the interim committee’s work on studies they prioritize and other issues that are important to family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

You can still make an impact by sending a message or telephoning the governor’s office and letting him know how his veto or support of a bill will impact your life. The MFU Government Affairs team will be happy to help.

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.