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Rotunda Roundup
from Montana Farmers Union
Legislative Update for
March 17th - 21st
The following is a weekly update of Montana Farmers Union involvement in the 2025 Montana Legislative Session. MFU is the state's largest and oldest grassroots family farm advocacy organization representing family farms, ranches, and rural communities for more than 100 years.
Action Alert Update
HB 119 - Establish MT Cattle Committee: second beef check-off in the works. MFU is opposed to the bill as written. The bill provides for a politically appointed committee that would collect an assessment fee of $1 from Montana Cattle producers upon a referendum vote.
Status & Next Steps: The bill was heard in the Senate Agriculture committee on March 20.
Read our analysis and bill updates here: https://montanafarmersunion.com/hb-119-second-beef-check-off/
-We are asking folks to act in two ways-
Click here to use this action alert to contact the Governor and the Lt. Governor and let them know your concerns with the bill
Click here to use our action alert system to send an email to members of the Senate Ag Committee asking they send the bill back to the drawing board.
-Some additional highlights from this week-
HB 649 – Establish a farm to food bank program, sponsored by Rep. Shelly Fyant. MFU supported HB 649. The bill would set up a Farm to Food Bank grant program to be run through the Department of Agriculture. This program can help to build a local, more reliable market for farmers and ranchers;, direct local money into rural communities; help Food Pantries strengthen their local economic buying power; and enable more Montanans to get fresh, locally grown food.
Status & Next Steps: The bill failed to pass 2nd reading in the House. Learn more here: “On Montana’s Agriculture Day, House lawmakers vote down ‘farm to food bank’ bill.
SJ 11 – Interim study on farmer's markets and food systems, sponsored by Sen. Butch Gillespie. MFU supports SJ 11. This study will look at clarifying the regulatory framework around farmers markets in Montana and provides the opportunity for stakeholders to come to the table and figure out what may or may not be working. There have been a lot of changes around cottage food laws and homemade local foods in the last couple of Legislative Sessions, which has created confusion for both those selling at markets and those working on food safety and liability.
Status & Next Steps: The bill has passed the full Senate and has transmitted to the House for further consideration.
SB 246 – Provide for Montana First Procurement laws and establish reporting requirements, sponsored by Sen. Cora Neumann. The bill provides a reporting requirement for contracts for the procurement of food products by a governmental body with a total contract value of $100,000 or more. SB 246 is a great starting place to gain an understanding of how Montana taxpayer dollars are used for procurement of our large state institutional contracts (think food for the state hospital, Department of Corrections, University systems, etc). This reporting will help us know how much of that is local Montana food so farmers and ranchers understand better how to market to and serve institutions in Montana.
Status & Next Steps: The bill was heard in the House State Administration Committee on March 19, with no opponents to the bill.
We are asking you to send a letter of support to the committee today!
SB 224 – Create Indigenous Peoples Day, sponsored by Sen. Shane Morigeau. MFU supports this bill. Our members believe that the health and prosperity of family farms and rural communities is directly tied to the health and prosperity of humanity at large. From our family farms, we see that our strength is compounded through cooperation with all those who are stewarding lands. All ecosystems, including agricultural ones and cultural ones, gain stability through diversity. Indigenous peoples have cultivated knowledge about this land over centuries, and that knowledge has benefitted our modern agriculture in many ways that we want to recognize. We have specific policy supporting the continued protection, preservation, and conservation of indigenous cultural knowledge and traditional foodways. MFU supports creating Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day to recognize the interconnectedness of our peoples.
Status & Next Steps: The bill has passed the House State Administration committee and will move to the House floor for 2nd reading.
HB 504 – Expand livestock loss eligibility to include domestic bison, sponsored by Rep. Eric Tilleman. MFU supported HB 504. Domestic Bison being managed as livestock in the state of Montana are livestock. These domestic bison producers pay per capita. Domestic bison, like other livestock, are eligible for livestock loss funding and face predator depredation pressures which can be devastating to bison producers, just as it is to cattle and sheep and other livestock producers. With that in mind, MFU fully supports funding for the livestock loss program and wants to ensure there remains a balance in funding for all livestock that are currently listed as eligible in the program, including cattle, sheep, and swine.
Status and Next Steps: The bill has passed the full House and has transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
HB 357– Provide funding for middle school career and technical education, by Rep. Eric Tilleman. MFU supports HB 357, which provides $240,000 in funding to help us to continue training the next generation in our career and technical education classes at the middle school level. MFU’s member written policy specifically calls out the value that these career and technical education programs provide to Montana’s next generation of leaders and workforce. We urge the state legislature to provide the support necessary to strengthen and continue these programs. Supporting these programs, especially for our rural schools, at the middle school level just helps more Montana Youth be prepared as they move through their educational journey to focus on career paths and skills for the future.
Status and Next Steps: The bill was heard in the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee on March 20, and the committee will vote on the bill soon.
-Notable Bills to be scheduled for hearing-
SB 371 – An Act Providing Tax Incentives for the Sale of Montana-produced Goods; Providing a Subtraction from Individual Income and Corporate Income Taxes for the Income from Montana-Produced goods, sponsored by Sen. Cora Neumann. This bill provides an incentive opportunity for retailers to stock Montana-produced goods on their shelves, providing a subtraction from individual income and corporate income taxes for the income from Montana-Produced goods. This is completely voluntary for retailers. More competition in the marketplace is good for consumers and producers. Corporate control and influence hinders competitive opportunity for Montana producers to gain shelf and market access.
Status & Next Steps: The bill will be heard in the Senate Tax Committee on Tuesday, March 25.
We will continue to track bills that impact family farms and ranches and rural communities and keep you informed.
Questions?
Please contact Rachel Prevost at rprevost@montanafarmersunion.com
or Jasmine Krotkov at jkrotkov@montanafarmersunion.com
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Press Information: montanafarmersunion.com/media-press-kit/
MFU President Walter Schweitzer: 406-799-3782
Montana Farmers Union has worked more than 100 years for family farms, ranches, and rural communities. MFU supports its members through: Strong education programs for both youth and adults, by advocating member-driven policies and legislation at the state and federal level, and cooperation through producer-owned co-ops. For more information, visit www.montanafarmersunion.com.
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