Austin Amestoy: Welcome to The Big Why, a series from Montana Public Radio where we find out what we can discover together. I'm your host, Austin Amestoy. This is a show about listener-powered reporting. We'll answer questions, big or small, about anything under the Big Sky. By Montanans, for Montana, this is The Big Why.
This episode’s topic explores the future of industries not only economically vital to Montana but inextricably ingrained in the state’s cultural identity. Reporter Edward O’Brien is here to explain. Great to have to have you back, Ed!
Edward O’Brien: So good to be here. Thanks Austin! And yes, we’re going to discuss farming and ranching. Combined they generate billions – with a “B’ – billions of dollars in revenue, help fill our tax coffers and employ tens of thousands of Montanans.
They’re also standing on the cusp of a generational sea change.
Austin Amestoy: Meaning?
Edward O’Brien: This is probably a good spot to let this week’s question asker introduce herself.
Joane Bayer: This is Joane Bayer of Canyon Creek.
Edward O’Brien: Bayer lives northwest of Helena surrounded by ranches and national forest land. While not a farmer or rancher, many of her neighbors are and she feels passionately about rural issues.
Joane Bayer: Agriculture is a big part of Montana. How are FFA and 4-H encouraging and mentoring young people to get into ranching or farming, and is it economically feasible anymore?
Austin Amestoy: What an interesting question. Tell us about your reporting on this one.
Edward O’Brien: It is a great question – but for reasons I initially didn’t even consider. Instead of starting my research with the next generation of farmers and ranchers, I needed to educate myself about the existing generation of producers who’ve been working the land for decades.
Austin Amestoy: What’d you discover?
Edward O’Brien: Spoiler alert: they’re getting older. Get this – According to the latest USDA Census of Agriculture the average age of all Montana producers is almost 60.
Edward O’Brien: Yeah. That sounds right on point according to JM Peck.
JM Peck: I’ve seen some data that suggests that number’s a little bit higher, but yes – saying the average age of a Montana farmer or rancher of being about 60 sounds about right to me.
Edward O’Brien: Peck, who’s 38, owns and operates a ranch in the Melrose area between Dillon and Butte. He tells me this phenomenon – the ‘Graying of Agriculture’ as it’s sometimes called - is a huge deal.
Austin Amestoy: How come?
Edward O’Brien: He and many other experts predict that in the next 10 to 15 years the nation is going to experience a huge generational shift in ag; one in which the next generation will need to assume the roles of not only working production farmers and ranchers, but industry leaders as well.
JM Peck: Only about 2 percent of the population is actually engaged in production agriculture.
Edward O’Brien: That sliver of the population that currently produces our food, fibers and dairy are starting to think about life after work.
Austin Amestoy: So, Joane Bayer, our question asker, was really on to something when she asked how the next generation is being prepped for such a meaningful and important responsibility.
Edward O’Brien: Prescient indeed. Many organizations are actively leaning into that important work. FFA — or Future Farmers of America — is essentially an agricultural education and leadership program. I’m told that some 6,500 Montana students currently participate in the program with chapters in 110 Montana schools.
To help answer Bayer’s question I was fortunate enough to meet Montana FFA’s top state officer
Jordan Leach: My name is Jordan Leach, and I am the 2024/2025 Montana FFA State President from Conrad, Montana.
Edward O’Brien: Leach, who’s 18, attends Montana State University in Bozeman. Her long-term goal is to become an agricultural education teacher. She’s also working on her minor in agribusiness. Get this – even though she just started college last semester, she’s already classified as a sophomore. That’s because she worked her tail off in high school and raked in a bunch of dual credits.
Austin Amestoy: Impressive. Leach comes from an ag or ranching background?
Edward O’Brien: Her family has raised sheep on the Hi Line since 2009 and recently diversified into cattle.
Austin Amestoy: Ed, what’s Leach tell us about how programs like FFA are encouraging and mentoring her peers to get into farming and ranching.
Edward O’Brien: For one, she says FFA doesn’t sugarcoat the reality that it’s a tough career choice. Leach describes a life of hard manual labor, sometimes working in sub-zero weather or scorching hot summers. Too much or too little rain and snow can ruin your crops. The government can help your operation, but other times she says it can throw out roadblocks.
Jordan Leach: It's just kind of tough to want to have that stress and struggle. But I do see a lot of a lot of people stepping up, but maybe just not as many as we really need.
Edward O’Brien: While many young people from ag families understand and embrace that reality, Leach tells me it’s important newcomers clearly understand what they’re getting into.
Jordan Leach: You know, it's one of the most rewarding and yet difficult things you could probably ever do. I mean, we like to joke that it's legalized gambling–both farming and ranching–because you never really know what you're going to get.
Edward O’Brien: She adds FFA encourages youth to pursue their ag and ranch aspirations using a variety of tools: scholarships, grants and networking opportunities. Students are strongly encouraged to connect with mentors and, if possible, work for producers who are nearing the twilight of their careers.
Jordan Leach: And offering to help them, learn from them–get some more experience on the ranch and then if you choose to stick with that path, you might find it a little easier to honestly maybe inherit that farm or ranch when the family decides to retire.
Edward O’Brien: FFA participants are required to take part in age-appropriate ag-related projects. Those can range from mowing lawns to owning a hundred head of cattle, maybe dabbling in marketing and distribution or working for a local ag business.
Here’s Jim Rose, the Director of the Montana FFA program:
Jim Rose: Any exposure, any experience that we can offer to younger kids is–you know, especially if they have the interest–a lot of those kids then will take the bull by the horns and run with that too if they just get the exposure and experience with doing that.
Edward O’Brien: JM Peck, the Melrose-area rancher we met a few minutes ago, says aside from career development in programs like FFA, the path to making a living on a farm or ranch is hard for young folks. But there are still solid opportunities at their disposal to make a go of a career in ag and ranching.
Austin Amestoy: How?
Edward O’Brien: Two examples: low interest startup loans and agricultural cost share programs. Peck also thinks hammering out lease agreements will be a big piece of the puzzle.
JM Peck: So finding people who don’t want to sell that ranch or see it turn into something else, but maybe don’t have that next generation - so finding opportunities for leasing and lease agreements. Things like land banks have been very successful in some parts of the state.
Austin Amestoy: Land banks?
Edward O’Brien: Land banks can mean different things under different circumstances, but basically public or private entities acquire, manage, and hold, sometimes underutilized land, for future development–such as in this case farming or ranching.
Peck adds some are also reevaluating how traditional farms and ranches do business. He says the ag and ranch economy shows signs of shifting.
JM Peck: We’re seeing a lot more direct to consumer marketing happening–more niche markets.
Austin Amestoy: In this case what does ‘direct to consumer’ or ‘niche’ mean?
Edward O’Brien: Think how popular farmers’ markets are. Same with mail order beef. Peck says this next generation will need to reassess what a traditional farm or ranch operation looks like and really think about the markets they’re targeting.
There are no easy answers moving forward. Some are skeptical that targeting niche markets will do the trick, pointing out that consumers, perhaps now more than ever, demand low, affordable prices. And that often favors big, corporate operations over small-scale family farms.
Congress will turn its eyes back to reauthorization of the Farm Bill this fall. You can bet a lot of producers hope it contains more provisions to help this next generation of small, family producers.
Austin Amestoy: There’s a lot at stake isn’t there?
Edward O’Brien: You bet there is. Montana ag is facing a critical crossroads; the future of the family farm is certainly on the line, but so are things we don’t always think about when we see those neatly planted fields, tractors and barns; things like open space, wildlife habitat and our very economy.
JM Peck is optimistic that the ambitious young up and comers now learning the ropes in the fields will also effectively advocate for the family farm in the halls of the state Legislature and Congress:
JM Peck: When we have to deal with public policy and our political leaders, we have to have a very loud voice to elevate to that level and be able to impact change that can make sure our industry is around for future generations.
Austin Amestoy: Now we want to know what makes you curious about Montana. Submit your questions below, or leave a message at 406-640-8933. Let's see what we can discover together!
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