The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) has a history longer than the state of Montana. According to their website “Prior to the 1880s, the young livestock industry on the great open ranges of Montana had little or no protection from the hazards of nature or man.” In the 1880s groups of cattlemen came together to face the issues that were impacting the cattle industry in the Montana Territory.

“None really stuck until a group – referred to by many different names, but most commonly known as the Eastern Montana Stockgrowers Association – was formed in 1883. Another group, known as the Montana Stockgrowers Association, reorganized, and held its first meeting in July in 1884 in Helena.” The two groups joined together in 1885, four years prior to Montana formally being recognized as a state in the union. Currently, the Montana Stockgrowers Association lobbies in both Helena and Washington D.C. for the issues that cattle producers are facing, including cattle theft, disease, federal land grazing, predators, international trade, and taxes.

Jim Steinbeisser has been on the MSGA Board of Directors since 2018 when he served as the first vice president and in 2021, he was elected as the president. Prior to his service on the board, Steinbeisser served as a director representing the Northeast District.

Jim sits atop a saddled horse, in chaps, holding a rope.

Photo: MayAnn Steinbeisser

Jim’s grandfather came to the United States from Germany and worked various jobs before settling in Sidney, Montana in the 1930s. Like other German farmers before him with a history of growing sugar beets, his grandfather started the operation. The Steinbeisser’s grew sugar beets for more than 90 years, with 2022 being the first year they have not produced the crop. Like many agriculture operations, the Steinbeisser ranch, now called VS Inc., has changed over the years. Jim’s dad and uncle took leadership of the ranch, then passed the torch on to Jim, two of his brothers and a cousin. Jim, his wife May Ann, and their three children, Corbin, Liam and Claire, live on the ranch. VS Inc. currently produces irrigated cash crops, grows feed for their livestock, and operates a small feedlot. The current partners all have designated areas of operation, which has allowed Jim to travel as the president of the MSGA.

Steinbeisser is passionate about the cattle industry, leading him to serve and chair national committees through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Roles including the chair of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association/Cattlemen’s Beef Board Joint Taste subcommittee, the Joint Evaluation Advisory committee, and the vice chair on the Joint Public Opinion and Issues Management Group, have provided him with the opportunity to influence policy that helps the cattle industry. He was recently in Chicago for committee work on cattle traceability, an issue directly related to trade and exportation. The committee is working to implement market speed traceability efficiently and at a low-cost for producers.

Steinbeisser said through his role, he has met some really cool people both inside and outside of government. He has met with the EPA director and the Trade Ambassador for Agriculture, both of whom really wanted to hear about and discuss issues facing cattle producers.

Jim stands at a wooden podium with a microphone and speaks.

Photo: MayAnn Steinbeisser

“These people truly have the state and nation’s best interest in mind,” explained Steinbeisser. “Especially when it comes to agriculture. Now less than two percent of the population is working to feed us all. Therefore, agriculture producers have found it imperative to partner with others, to work through the challenges and opportunities that face agriculture.”

He said he’s learned a lot through these partnerships. When working together to reach a common goal “you are able to see things from a different perspective and learn that you have a lot more in common than you thought.” He gave an example about working with Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) on a summer ranch tour, and working side-by-side with an FWP employee affirmed that when “you work together you understand each other better.”

Steinbeisser had advice for others about how to get involved in supporting agriculture. “The decisions are made by those who show up,” he said. “Sometimes people are afraid to get involved, maybe because they think they don’t know how to help.”

However, he encourages others to just get started and said, “You’ll learn a lot by just getting involved.” He didn’t know that he would make such an impact when he got involved, saying, “It’s amazing that I can affect national policy, not because I am smart, but because I show up.”

 

Josie Evenson is an MSU Extension Agent in Richland County.