So much of the wheat and barley industry in Montana is made up of long days on machinery, agronomics, and shipping. The social aspects of wheat and barley production can be grueling on one’s mental health due to isolation, harsh working conditions, and financial uncertainty. Providing for our families is the driver, but the original purpose can frequently be forgotten and missed… That is playing a role in Feeding the world.
The Mission
As a part of the Montana Wheat & Barley Committees’ (MWBC) market development mission, I can only believe that the establishment of our committee in 1967 was to hire staff to handle the hundreds of inquiries, visit requests, crop updates, and research needs. Farmers couldn’t feasibly handle the market development, research, and education needs of their operation while also looking after their farms. Hence why the check-off was established to fund a group of staff to take care of that side of their business. MWBC’s staff is not running machinery or directly producing wheat and barley. We are providing a service to Montana producers that is more than just economics.
Trade Teams
International buyers visiting Montana (trade teams) via the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee can be perceived as economic drivers for the agriculture industry, but what if there was more to it than that? Recently a Taiwanese team of nine visited Montana and a conversation I had with a flour miller owner stuck with me. The visiting members continued to express their immediate need and gratitude for Montana to feed their people. Food security is a concern in densely populated pacific rim countries. Visits by teams are a celebration of purpose with sales sprinkled in and for that very reason, I truly believe that our consistent buyers have remained.
Purpose
Giving purpose to our farmers through trade teams visits has been the most meaningful part of being a staff member of the MWBC. In my fifth season of hosting trade teams in Montana, the visits to producers and industry are truly the highlight. When producers and elevator staff can put faces and names to the endless hours of isolated work, tears are shed, hearts warmed, and energy is sparked. Building relationships and feeding the world is what the MWBC is all about. If you are in the wheat and barley industry and would be interested in helping with these team visits, I’d love to help you get involved and explore the “why” in what you do.
Send me an email at Samuel.Anderson@mt.gov
