MISSOULA, Montana—The Montana Farm Bureau Federation delegates elected officers during the organization’s 2022 Annual Convention in Missoula. 

Cyndi Johnson, a Conrad small grains farmer, has been re-elected as president and Gary Heibertshausen, an Alzada sheep rancher, has been re-elected as vice president. 

J.M. Peck, a cattle rancher from Melrose, has been elected as the new District 2 Director. Peck has served as the MFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee Chair for the past three years. Re-elected to the board were Casey Mott, District 4, a cattle rancher from Custer; Don Steinbeisser, Jr., District 6, a diversified farmer from Sidney; Ed Bandel, District 8, a wheat farmer from Floweree, and Jim Willis, District 10, a cattle producer from Wilsall.

Nick Courville, a Charlo rancher is the newly elected Young Farmer & Rancher Chair. Carla Lawrence from Boyd was re-elected as the organization’s Women’s Leadership Committee Chair.

The MFBF Convention takes place November 14-17 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula. MFBF works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of its 20,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of nearly 5.9 million Farm Bureau members.

Following are the elected district chairs for the Women’s Leadership Committee and the Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee:

District Women’s Leadership Committee: 
 District 1: Beth Blevins - Ronan / Myla Yahraus - Stevensville
 District 3: Mary Hill - Raynesford/ Leslie Cavill - Ryegate
 District 5: Laureen Lackman - Hysham / Cathy McDowell - Powderville
 District 7: Joy DePuydt - Saco /Nancy Bowman - Hinsdale
 District 9: Loretta Burnham – Helena / Pam Converse - Conrad

District Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee: 
 District 1: Houston Blevins - Ronan / Vern Cheff – Missoula

District 3: Vic Lewis – Ryegate / Bronya Willmore – Denton
 District 5: Lea Aye – Broadus/Fiona Mott – Miles City 

District 7: Gwynn Simeniuk – Glasgow / John Walker - Nashua
 District 9: Katharine Taylor - Helena / Klayton Lohr – Shelby

District 8: Karissa Floerchinger - Cascade

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