Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

38 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org MONTANA FARMERS UNION F E AT U R E D Q & A What type of company is Montana Farmers Union? Montana Farmers Union (MFU) is the largest and oldest agriculture organization in the state to represent the family farm and ranch. We are non-partisan and forward-thinking. MFU's forward-thinking, can-do attitude is why we formed CHS and Mountain View Co-ops to help producers procure supplies, telephone, and electric co-ops to keep producers connected and many Farmers Union Oil companies to power modernization. What are the company values? Goals? Education. Legislation. Cooperation. These goals define us. MFU works for viable family farms, ranches, and rural communities and supports its members through a robust educational program for youth and adults, advocating member- driven policies at the state and federal level and supporting producer-owned cooperatives. When the Farmers Union was first chartered, it adopted as its insignia a circle with a plow, rake, and hoe at its center, symbolic tools of farmers' trade. Somewhat later, the triangle was selected to denote various purposes of the Farmers Union, with the base labeled Education and its two sides labeled Legislation and Cooperation. The plow, rake, and hoe remained in the middle. One example of a Farmers Union goal is to bring back mandatory Country of Origin Label (COOL) for beef and pork. Consumers know where all their food comes from except beef and pork. Right now, packers are allowed to mislead consumers by labeling beef and pork with a "Product of USA" on imported beef and pork. Farmers Union believes the consumer has the right to know where their food is born, raised, and processed. How long has your business been in GF? Montana Farmers Union is 106 years old. We have had an office in Great Falls since 1950. Why did your business startup? The organization took root as homesteaders arrived and farmers and ranchers discovered the necessity of getting together in one common cause. It was believed the desire for a profitable market for the farm or ranch products could best be accomplished by genuine cooperation, which is one of the main principles of the organization. In those first organizational years, Farmers Union members addressed their challenges and built security through an integrated program of education, legislation, and cooperative business institutions. As the organization expanded around the state, slowly, a definite pattern developed whereby local ideas and local needs were channeled through county organizations to the state organization. From all the local and county ideas, discussions, debates, agreements, and resolutions, the state organization developed its annual program. That remains the practice today – making the Montana Farmers Union a true grassroots organization. Montana Farmers Union was instrumental in starting many of the co-ops still servicing rural Montana today. MFU saw the need for cheap and reliable supplies needed by farms and ranches and helped form co-ops bringing fuel, equipment, parts, and supplies to the rural areas of Montana. MFU worked with rural communities to bring telephone and electricity to homesteads all over Montana. How many employees do you have? We have 27 full and part-time employees and a board of directors elected by the membership to represent the organization state-wide. Our members are an extension of the organization and serve on many state and national committees. MFU works in Washington, DC advocating on behalf of the family farm and ranch at the federal level. Photo provided by Montana Farmers Union

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