MFU member engagement makes MFU stronger voice for Family Farms

By Ben Peterson, Region 5-6 at large MFU Board Representative

Farmers Union has had many different logos over the years starting with the plow, hoe, and rake. These logos represent our organization and carry great meaning to us, MFU’s members and leaders who craft and implement grassroots efforts and policy to advocate for family farms and ranches.

My personal favorite logo is the MFU Triangle. Education is the Triangle’s base that props up the two legs of Cooperation and Legislation. You cannot alter any part of the Triangle without impacting the other two legs.

The uniqueness of our Montana Legislature will have us spending more time in the next six months on the Legislation leg. The 2025 Legislative Session is coming quickly, and we need to be ready to plead the case of the Montana Family Farm. MFU’s annual Convention, Oct. 18-19 in Whitefish, will be the basis of our preparations for the Legislative Session as we will be debating and adopting our grassroots policy that we will carry to our Montana representatives in Helena.

We will soon be starting our policy committee sessions via Zoom, and you are all more than welcome to participate, listen in, or even bring proposed amendments. Fellow board member Erik Somerfeld will be chairing those meetings and will welcome your engagement.

I want to highlight, though, that those sessions do not end our policy debate – they only begin it. We need you to come to our Convention so you can be part of the final debate and the actual voting of what you want MFU policy to be. Farmers Union is unique in the world ag advocacy in the fact that only agricultural production producers can vote or be on the board. We are truly a production ag advocacy group. Your voice and engagement makes us a stronger voice for you.

Convention is not just a fun time to talk to our fellow producers and learn new things about our chosen profession, it is our defining business meeting with many avenues for making your voices heard. I want you to decide who you want to represent your voice in Montana Farmers Union by voting for your board members. I want you to decide the policy that will govern our efforts for the coming year, especially in the upcoming Legislative Session. You can vote for your board representatives prior to or during Convention, but you must be at Convention to vote and debate MFU policy, also known as the Legislative leg of the Triangle. Come to Convention. Your opinion matters, and we want to hear it.

Hope to see you in October!