The recently published book,

Dave and Joyce McClure, Lewistown.
Legacies: The Values, Principles and Purpose of Montana Farm Bureau , features Lewistown-area rancher Dave McClure and his wife, Joyce along with his son and family. Dave McClure served as Montana Farm Bureau president from 1987-2008. McClure talks about the overall challenges facing agriculture—wolf re-introduction, loss of farmland to development and threats to private property rights—as well as the importance of belonging to Farm Bureau.

 

“It’s a sense of belonging with the people,” he said. “You establish friendships and relationships with like people, and how you look forward every year to going back to Farm Bureau convention and socializing with those friends.”

Legacies, written by agricultural journalist Laura Nelson, explores the founding of Montana Farm Bureau from 1919 to present day. She spent an incredible amount of time delving through old newspapers and records at the Montana Historical Society and local history museums, poring over past Montana Farm Bureau publications, visiting farms and ranches and talking to an incredible array of Farm Bureau leaders.

Stories bounce from past to the present as Nelson weaves modern-day interviews linking to Farm Bureau leaders of the past. Anyone with an interest in history—even if they’re not a Farm Bureau member—will enjoy reading Legacies, which explains what farmers and ranchers were struggling with through the Depression and the farm credit crisis of the 1980s as well as the prosperous times. The 218-page book’s design features beautiful photos highlighting working farmers and ranchers from across the state—including photos of the McClure family—interesting sidebars with additional history, news clippings and commentary from agriculture leaders."

Legacies is available from Mountain West Farm Bureau Agent Rod McClure’s office in Lewistown or via Montana Farm Bureau for $40 plus $5 shipping. Click here or call 406-587-3153.