MT Farm Bureau Federation Convention Underway in Billings

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What’s happening with the farm bill? How do you keep your veterinarian happy? How do you avoid pitfalls of conservation easements? Those are a few of the questions that will be answered Thursday, November 8 during workshops at the Montana Farm Bureau 99th Annual Convention at the Northern and DoubleTree Hotels in Billings.

Beth Blevins, DVM and Katie Rein, DVM will present “Feeding and Care of Your Large Animal Vet.” The experienced livestock practitioners will talk about the top five things your vet wishes you knew. These two vets will get you better prepared for those late-night emergency vet calls.

 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 brought sweeping changes in tax law for businesses, trusts and individuals. Amy Iverson, Senior Manager, WipFli, LLP will discuss its impact on ag producers. While many of the changes are beneficial for ag producers, it’s important to examine how they will impact your short- and long-term goals, especially considering the IRS recently issued additional guidance on Section 199A, clarifying some of the gray areas created by the TCJA.

 Find out more about staying safe on your farm and ranch. Long-time ag safety guru Jim Larson will cover the basics of whether you are taking all of the proper precautions to keep your family and hired workers safe on your farm or ranch and what you’re liable for if someone gets hurt. Larson will give tips for taming your ATV and side-by-side so they aren’t an added safety risk.

Everyone is wondering what’s happening with the farm bill, so Michael Nepveux, American Farm Bureau economist, will not only cover what’s going on in the farm bill but how it can affect your farm and ranch profitability. Members are encouraged to bring ag policy questions and learn from this expert from Capitol Hill.

Thursday’s lunchtime speaker Donna Moenning, Center for Food Integrity, will continue her theme of Advocating in a Marketplace of Distrust during an afternoon workshop. Moenning will talk about the “shared-values” approach of advocating in today’s world. She’ll provide hands-on engagement and tangible applications to empower your communication efforts.

 In the workshop Montana Economy & Tax Base Changes, Senator Llew Jones and Representative Rob Cook will discuss how to fairly raise revenue while looking at Montana’s economic structure changes. The two will talk about what commerce might be slipping through the cracks and what can be done to ensure the state has sufficient money for schools, infrastructure and more.

Conservation easements might sound like a good way to preserve the integrity of your farm and save some taxes, but there could be pitfalls. Kristen Juras, Attorney & UM Law Professor, will cover issues to consider in making the decision on whether to create a conservation easement on your property.

The MFBF Convention, which kicks off the MFBF Centennial, runs Wednesday through Saturday November 7-10 with informative speakers; the Resolutions Session to discuss and establish MFBF policy; the MFBF Awards Banquet recognizing county achievement, and Tim the Dairy Farmer providing entertainment. Visit www.mfbf.org for additional information.

Source: MFBF & Northern Ag Network

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