This blog series will focus on thanking legislators who received the Golden Windmill Award.  If you’ve missed our previous posts, check them out here. These awards are presented to legislators who scored in the highest percentages on our Legislative Report card, who served on important committees and were active advocates for Montana agriculture.

County Farm Bureaus across the state are working to thank these legislators and present them with their award throughout the summer.  We simply wanted to take a little time via the blog to thank these individuals once again.

Duane AnkneySenator Duane Ankney, SD 20, Colstrip

A coal miner by trade, Sen. Ankney is an outspoken advocate for energy production in Montana. His love for the natural resource industry extends to agriculture and he scored better than perfect on our report card.

Sen. Ankney understands the valuable partnership between agriculture and energy production and how vital both of these industries are to Montana.  In his tenure as a legislator, he has worked tirelessly to preserve both industries by lessening regulatory burdens that impact rural economies across the state.

Rep. Rob Cook, HD 18, Conrad

Rep. Rob CookRep. Cook is a very business minded legislator and understands the importance of Montana agriculture. He carried a bill to exempt pulse processing equipment from property tax as a way to ex­pand markets for growers in-state and add businesses to rural communities.  Pulses have become a very popular crop choice for farmers in Montana.  So much so, that Montana is now the nation’s leading state in pulse crop production.

Rep. Cook’s bill focused on lessening tax burdens for businesses who want to expand by processing pulse crops in-state rather than send them out of state.  Pulse crop processing facilities have the potential to be a great economic driver in many rural Montana communities.   

If you’re a constituent of one of these fine legislators please join us in thanking them for their service to Montana agriculture!