Bozeman—The Montana Farm Bureau hosted the Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke in a roundtable discussion today at the Farm Bureau Center in Bozeman. MFBF President Cyndi Johnson and Senior Director of Governmental Affairs Nicole Rolf were joined by other interested stakeholder group representatives.

Burgum reiterated his willingness to listen to the groups about what their concerns are and acknowledged that Montana is well represented in Washington, D.C.

Johnson thanked the secretary for his work regarding grazing leases and how Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, by law, were designated to raise livestock. 

Farm Bureau expressed enthusiasm for the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture’s joint venture to identify and fill vacant grazing allotments to help grow the food supply while also providing conservation benefits, such as forage management, soil health improvement, and wildfire prevention. This will also allow individual ranchers to expand their herds and better support their families and communities.

Rolf initiated discussion regarding the challenges with the increasing grizzly bear populations regarding livestock depredation and human safety, and explained that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has been diligent in their work to prepare for state management.

“Wyoming and Montana are the two states where they understand the grizzly issues as well as anyone, and every goal set [for grizzly bear populations] has been exceeded,” said Burgum. “Our citizens care about wildlife management. In my eight years as governor of North Dakota, I never met a bureaucrat in D.C. who cared more about the lands, the water, wildlife, and the air than the people working for the state of North Dakota.”

Zinke, who served as Secretary of the Interior from 2017-2019, said that he’s “Glad to have someone in Interior who cares as much about the outdoors we do. It’s nice to have someone who understands the issues of management and what we face.”

Other issues that were surfaced included protecting rivers, managing wilderness study areas, and forest management.

“It was amazing to host the Secretary of the Interior and express our appreciation for his work in Montana on behalf of agriculture and public lands,” said Johnson. “Secretary Burgum’s roots are in agriculture, so he has a better grasp of the issues coming from that perspective.”

“The Department of the Interior oversees a wide range of programs and services that are important to Montana farmers and ranchers, from BLM grazing lands to endangered species to wildland firefighting and more,” said Rolf. “It was an honor to host the Secretary in our office, and we appreciate the opportunity to highlight issues of importance to our members, giving a voice to agriculture as an essential stakeholder at the table. The Department has already made many crucial changes in the first year of this Administration, and under Secretary Burgum’s leadership, there are more yet to come. Congressman Zinke always has an open ear toward the needs of Montana farmers and ranchers, and we appreciate him bringing Montana priorities to the forefront.”