We have partnered with Ag West, Farm Credit service to offer Financial Literacy workshops throughout the state in the fall of 2024 and there are some scheduled and being scheduled for 2025.

Today, I want to give a brief overview of the content of the financial literacy presentation and share with you a member benefit through a software called FarmRaise. I will help you understand a little of the financial literacy program content the types of financing, 5 C’s of Credit, Financial statements, and using those statements to make business decisions.

If you want more information on the financial literacy programing, visit www.montanafarmersunion.com to see upcoming events. Want to use your 30 day free trial of farmraise or take advantage of the 15% off your subscription, contact membership director, Rachel Prevost for the National Farmers Union farmraise link. The general link is www.farmraise.com

FFA has been that spark in countless numbers of students throughout the United States since 1928. FFA starts in agricultural classrooms but often leads to competitive events like the Montana FFA Ag Expo sponsored by the John Deere Dealers. The 2024 Ag Expo was November 14-16, 2024 in Bozeman were there were over 1,900 registered attendees. I had the pleasure of helping with a couple of the competitive events, presenting workshops, and working a booth in the career Show. The workshops I presented were about telling your story. We did a podcast, episode 8 about this! I also let members tell their stories at the Career Show. I want to share with our Lunch & Learn Listeners some of the amazing Montana FFA members and their stories.

We will discuss:

Tell your ag etory

Why do you wear your Blue Jacket?

What is your dream job?

Who or what is your biggest inspiration

After these inspiring stories do you want to know how can you get involved? Check out your local FFA chapter or the Montana State FFA Association at MontanaFFA.org to see what you can do to support FFA members as they wear their blue jacket to create their agricultural story and work toward their dream job. Maybe you will be the inspiration in a FFA member’s life.

Episode 11 Annual Montana Farmers Union Convention in Review. 119th Montana Farmers Union Annual Convention which was held at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, MT October 17 to 19. Start with some member interviews about what they were looking forward to. A summary of some of the round table discussions based on reports from the Ambassadors. Colter Brown on Beyond the Weather Rural Mental Heath Resources. Clips from the education session covering regenerative Ag put on by Kurt Myllymaki, the Leopold Conservation Award Winner from 2023. Clips from A Panel Discussion of Local Food Infrastructure/Systems featuring Lisa Wade-Mayorga and Dave Prather. Youth Luncheon where Several Montana youths were recognized for exhibiting exceptional leadership qualities. The evening banquet featured the recognition of the Centennial Farmer Program with this years recipients the Harbaughs. For more information visit www.MontanaFarmersUnion.Com

Before we begin, a quick note: today’s episode will cover sensitive topics, including mental health and suicide in rural communities. If you or someone you know is struggling, this conversation may be difficult to listen to. Please take care of yourself and know that help is available. If you need support, we encourage you to reach out to a mental health professional or contact a suicide prevention hotline. Listener discretion is advised

I know this sounds alarming but I feel it is VERY important to start this episode saying if you are currently in crisis and need urgent help call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room. There is also a suicide & crisis Lifeline you can call or text at 988. There is also a crisis text line, text “START” to 741-741.

Today we will cover this very important but often under recognized topic of Rural Mental Health. We know that all mental health is an important topic but there are some special and unique barriers to managing mental health that rural Americans often experience. The negative perceptions surrounding mental health issues create significant obstacles for many individuals in rural areas when it comes to seeking assistance. Then there are the physical barriers and physical barriers or lack of services and distance between the need and the assistance. National Farmers Union has partnered with other agriculture organizations to provide some free benefits for mental health and wellness. And we will visit about some resources specific to Rural America and Montana.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Farm Crisis Center https://farmcrisis.nfu.org

TogetherAll Togetherall.com

Farm Family Wellness (accessible through togetherall.com) farmfamilywellness.com/pas-services

Ask In Earnest www.askinearnest.org

The Do More Agriculture Foundation http://www.DoMore.Ag

Western Regional Agricultural Stress Assistance Program www.farmstress.us

AgrAbility, cultivating Accessible Agriculture www.agrability.org

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 9-8-8

Beyond The Weather through Montana Department of Ag- https://beyondtheweather.com/

AgriSafe provides safety information at www.AgriSafe.org

It is important that people in the agriculture industry tell their stories. Our nation’s ability to produce its own food supply efficiently, safely, and profitably depends on the preservation of the American Farm Family and the Rural way of life. Let’s take a closer look at why we need to tell the story, how to tell the story, and here some examples from some of the MFU Ambassadors.

Step 1- Who are you

What is your name, What do your do, What is your farm name,what do you grow? Be prepared with the basics.

Step 2--Finding Your Why

Developing and finding your WHY. Depending on the role you are developing this for, your WHY can look different for different roles. You might use the answer the following questions to establish your why

· What moves you (emotionally, into action, etc.)? · What stories move you?

· What gets you moving and in action

· What makes you jump out of bed every morning

· What has moved you and when, to act on this WHY before?​

Step 3 finding the US to establish your audience

Step 4 What is your call to Action

· What do you want to do about your WHY?

· What are you asking others (US) to do?

From these examples, you can see we all have a story. How we use that story can help build forward momentum and paint a real picture of Agriculture. Whether you are like Skylar and know that if you eat, agriculture concerns you, or maybe you can relate to one of our multi-generational farm families like Rachel, Carissa, Mary, or Samantha, you have a story to tell. There are many Montanans, especially women, who fell in love with the Montana lifestyle and married into agriculture like Alice or you fell in love with the Montana Communities like Eleanor and have very different but equally as impactful story to tell. Formulate your Elevator Pitch, develop the key points to your story, and use your voice to advocate for agriculture. It truly is all about being in that Brave Space!

There will be an opportunity at the Montana Farmers Unions Convention October 17-19 in Whitefish to tell our Montana Farmers Union Family Story. This story is a tapestry of stories over multiple generations, families, and lifestyles. I have added a story writing worksheet to the show notes that you can use to help write your story and bring it to convention.

Let's Talk Annual Convention to be held in Whitefish, Montana October 17th through the 19th. We will meet some of the Montana Farmers Union Board members and hear why they are involved with Farmers Union. We will also visit with the ambassadors to see why they believe you should attend convention, and we will review the highlights of the schedule.

In today’s episode, we’re thrilled to be joined by a diverse group of guests who will share their insights on organic agriculture. We have Bob Quinn from the New Quinn Institute dedicated to advancing organic farming techniques, three experienced organic farmers who are member of the Montana Organic Association, that will share their on-the-ground experiences who will discuss the broader impact of organic farming in our region. Whether you’re a farmer curious about transitioning to organic practices, a consumer interested in where your food comes from, or someone passionate about sustainable agriculture, this episode is for you. So, let’s dive in and explore the benefits, challenges, and future of organic farming! Meet 4 Montana Organic Association Members and farmers Bob Quinn of the New Quinn Institute, Nate Powel-Palm, John Wicks, and Daryl Lassila and hear their experiences and advice on organic agriculture.

Montana Farmers Union Day Camps. *What is a Day Camp? *Why would you want a Day Camp in your community? *The Steps to Hosting a Day Camp.