Montana’s Next Generation Conference 2026, Saturday, January 31st

Save the Date – Montana’s Next Generation Conference is on the calendar for Saturday, Jan. 31 – Shelby, MT

The Montana’s Next Generation Conference is planning to be back up live and in-person for 2026 with an education packed line-up on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Shelby High School.

The day will kick off with registration at 8 am and opening sessions at 8:30. Online registration will be required by Monday, January 26 for the conference and registration will be available shortly. Here is a printable registration form with the schedule, Registration Form.

Please follow this link for online registration.

The morning will kick off with a much-anticipated keynote address “Sharks Don’t Swim Backwards” from Rob Sharkey, also known as The SharkFarmer, along with his wife Emily. Rob gained recognition as a podcast, radio and TV host with regular appearances on RFD-TV and PBS along with owning a whitetail deer hunting outfit and operating a grain farm in Illinois.  Rob and Emily will share their personal story of how they came back after the hog market crash and rebuilt their farm operation with the goal in mind to make it possible to bring their children back into the operation and the lessons they learned along the way.

Following the keynote address, participants will be able to choose from six different workshops to attend each hour. Topics will include workshops designed for beginning producers as well as advanced knowledge for continuing education. Pesticide points will be available and posted prior to the conference.

Crop production workshops will feature a variety of interests this year. Sunburst area farmer and crop insurance agent, Korey Fauque, will give his insight into crop insurance planning for 2026 including Pasture, Rangeland, Forage and Livestock Risk Protection. Then as a double feature, Korey will present on the lessons learned over 20 years in the farming, ranching and ag retail business including work-life balance, operational mistakes they have made and what has worked.

Ashley Bettenhausen, Grain Marketing Advisor for Valiant Marketing in Wishek, ND, will share, “Your feelings (can) like to you,” and “From Feelings to Framework.”  These talks will cover why feelings fail in grain marketing and how emotions cost producers real dollars, along with how to build a good foundation for any grain marketing plan.

Jamie Birch, MT Ag, will cover, “Fertilizers in the Soil,” to share why, where, and what to fertilize with for achieving production goals in cropland systems.

Joshua Day Chief, CEO of AdvancedAg Inc, will be sharing on the evolution and impact of biologicals within modern agriculture. He’ll outline how producers are using biology to reduce chemical inputs while maintaining strong agronomic performance and operational resilience, and include field-scale data, and grower case studies that demonstrate profitability and soil health gains.

Mitch Ereaux, Nutrien Ag Solutions, will discuss how to establish and manage forages and cover crops in Montana dryland conditions. His talk will cover many tips and pitfalls that can help establish and sustain better quality forages and cover crops in Montana’s arid climate.

Bob Boodle, MT Ag Drones, will be presenting on the use of drones in agriculture with one focusing on cropland applications and the second on livestock.

Livestock Production topics will include two workshops on livestock reproduction with Dr. Casey Solomon. Casey has spent considerable research time on heifer development, fetal programming and synchronization protocols and will share how producers can successfully employ them in their programs.

Glacier County Extension Agent Kari Lewis will present an interactive workshop on bull selection and understanding Expected Progeny Difference (EPD’s) and selection tools.

With water being a continued concern throughout Montana, Tyrel Hlvanicka with AquaSource Drilling, will present on the ins and outs of drilling for water and what it takes to be successful.

Tyrel Obrecht will share his firsthand experiences with Virtual Fencing and how they have utilized it to run more heifers on a smaller acreage along with the lessons learned along the way on their ranch in Turner.

Kaitlin Gillespie with the World Wildlife Fund will present on how to help fund conservation measures by utilizing the various programs available and what to consider as producers analyze the options.

Business topics will be a hot topic this year as well. Britney Tempel will start the line-up with a look at the changes in taxes as a result of the Big, Beautiful Bill.  This will be followed by Production and Financial Recordkeeping with Lacy Roberts, Glacier County FSA.

Wade McAlpine, Ag West Farm Credit Services appraiser, will provide updates on the real estate market in Montana along with considerations for buying and selling land and options for real estate financing.

Jim Woodring, Stockman Bank, will discuss how a lender’s priorities differ from producers and how to align those priorities.

Chouteau County Executive Director Bill Evans will present on how to get started with the Farm Service Agency along with updates over the past year.

Brian Lee of Lee Law Office will lead a workshop on Estate Planning with an eye on probate and what to consider as producers prepare these crucial documents.

Stacy Kaszmaul will bring her experiences as an insurance agent and daughter into the challenges and options of navigating Medicare.

Natalie Kerfoot will bring two powerful workshops to this year’s conference that attendees will want to be sure to hit as they refocus and look ahead to 2026. The first workshop will focus on changing your mental and emotional trajectory and the second on natural wellness to restore body and soul. Natalie is a very heartfelt speaker, and participants will appreciate the discussion her topics bring.

Producers will find some of their favorite speakers from years past with latest topics in marketing along with production agriculture and financial management along with new speakers on agritourism, labor solutions, mental health, changing grain markets, seed selection, carbon credits, adding pounds to calves and many more.

The conference will satisfy Farm Service Agency (FSA)’s requirements for financial management training. Pesticide points will be available for selected classes as well and announced prior to the conference.

Tentative schedule will be finalized in the coming weeks. If you are interested in sponsoring a session or have registration questions for the 2026 conference. please contact Kari Lewis at 406-873-2239 or kari.lewis@montana.edu.

For FSA borrower training questions, please contact Lacy Roberts at (406) 873-5618 (ext. 2060) or lacy.roberts@usda.gov.

The Montana’s Next Generation Conference is a joint effort of local MSU Extension, NACDC Financial Services, Inc., agriculture industry groups, and local supporters.  Thank you to all who support the conference through planning, sponsorships, attendance, etc.  This successful collaboration has been going for 10 plus years thanks to strong support.