Innovation can sometimes be a tough pill to swallow. It's often easier to stick by tradition and doing things "the way we’ve always done them." While tradition has it's place, innovation pushes us outside that comfort zone; it forces change and adaptation and challenges the norm.

Innovative ideas at Summer Conference


The third prong of this year’s theme won’t disappoint.  The Summer Conference INNOVATE track on Wednesday, June 8 hosts high quality speakers sharing their insights on in the importance of innovation in agriculture.  John Helle, a multi-generational sheep rancher and Farm Bureau member from Dillon will share how his family diversified their business with the Duckworth Wool Company.

Jon Knokey, Manager of Technology Alliances & Strategy with John Deere, will discuss how innovative technology has changed the face of agriculture and what types of new innovation the future may hold.

Don’t miss out on the opportunities in store at Summer Conference!  Missed the June 1 registration deadline??  No worries, just give us a call at the MFBF offices at 587-3153 to register over the phone!

Innovation in how we communicate 


In order to remain a relevant and credible voice for Montana agriculture, Montana Farm Bureau members must be innovative too. That’s why Farm Bureau is constantly striving to provide the best knowledge and resources available to our membership.  It’s why we encourage county Farm Bureaus to think outside the box when it comes to event planning and program ideas.

Over the years, Farm Bureau has innovated in a number of ways.  Time is money, and we want to give information to our membership in a timely fashion and get the most bang for our buck.  That’s why you can now find all the News Brief and Spokesman online, we’ve added this blog and utilize the Voter Voice program to contact members with their elected officials with the click of your mouse.

We’ve developed ready-to-use resources like Neighbor to Neighbor packets and the Ready, Set, Grow Member Recruitment Toolkit.  These are all designed to help county Farm Bureaus manage members recruitment and retention efforts with ease.

Connecting with customers and sharing our stories prompts innovation as well. We have the brightest and most passionate farmer and rancher membership who strive to advocate for our industry. Through the Young Farmer and Rancher Hoofin’ it for Hunger race, the Women’s Leadership Ronald McDonald Cooking events and the Animal Care Campaign, we’ve established innovative avenues to reach out to customers and others who aren’t familiar with our organization or agriculture.