“Agriculture’s problem for the past 30 years has been that they have been going to the ballgame and complaining about losing when they never brought a team,” said ag law instructor and rancher Wally Congdon of Dell, Mont. “Now, these counties are willing to put a winning team together.”

HARLOWTON, Mont. - Five Montana counties are uniting to preserve agricultural opportunities within their respective counties for future land use planning efforts.

“Agriculture's problem for the past 30 years has been that they have been going to the ballgame and complaining about losing when they never brought a team,” said ag law instructor and rancher Wally Congdon of Dell, Mont. “Now, these counties are willing to put a winning team together.”

Montana's Wheatland, Golden Valley, Meagher, Musselshell and Petroleum counties are working together under the name Musselshell Drainage Planning Group, to launch and accept Right to Farm and Ranch ordinances as well as preparing comments for federal agency hearings on public land use.

“The federal government requires land use plans on federal lands,” explained Congdon, who is assisting the Musselshell Drainage Planning Group. “The local governments are affected by these plans and regulations based on the plans.”

Since the local government has a stake in the federal agencies' plans for Fish Wildlife and Parks, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other federal land, local government opinions about land use are highly regarded by the federal agencies, said Congdon.

“The local government can cooperate and collaborate with the federal agencies in the land use planning,” he said. “The local government can affect the federal land use plans.”

The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and Fish Wildlife and Parks Service are embarking on a 25-year land use planning session this year, said Congdon.

Therefore, it is essential to the future of Montana's agriculture that the local government and agricultural communities begin to take action.

The Musselshell Drainage Planning Group is taking action by facilitating the counties and communities to complete the resource use plan components of their land use plans, cooperation with state and federal agencies in their land and related planning processes, update growth policies and regulations implementing those policies as well as review economic development and conservation projects.

In addition to preparing to participate in federal agencies' land use planning efforts, the Musselshell Drainage Planning Group is taking action to participate in the newly adopted Montana Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Conservation Strategy.

“This identifies 46 percent of the state as a community in need of conservation,” explained Congdon. “It also identifies 150,000 miles of stream in need of conservation to protect Montana's fish, wildlife and habitat.”

The Montana Compre-hensive Fish and Wild-life Conservation Strate-gy was approved by the Montana Legislature with no comment period and has a working budget of $2.1 million in both state and federal funds.

“The counties are going to want to be able to comment on this one,” said Cong-don.

Participating in the planning of such conservation or land management plans starts with the local, county land use planning committees and local agriculturists.

In December, Wheatland County adopted a Right to Farm and Ranch ordinance.

“Right to Farm and Ranch ordinances are written so people know what to expect if they were to move into the area,” said Congdon.

According to the ordinance, the Wheat-land County commissioners will attempt to conserve, enhance and encourage agricultural activities and operations in the county where appropriate, minimize potential conflicts between agricultural and non-agricultural land users and educate rural residents about their rights, responsibilities and obligations.

The county commissioners will also integrate planning efforts to preserve traditional and important production agriculture lands and the opportunity for reasonable residential and other developments.

The ordinance also explains the rights and responsibilities of rural landowners. For example, landowners are to maintain fences pursuant to legal statutes, maintain irrigation ditches as prescribed by their water rights, control and treat noxious weeds and keep children away from potential agriculture and rural dangers.

“Given their importance to the county and the State of Montana, agricultural lands and operations are worthy of recognition and protection,” the ordinance states. “Landowners, residents and visitors must be prepared to accept the activities, sites, sounds and smells of the county's agricultural operations as a normal and necessary aspect of living with a county with a strong rural character and a healthy agricultural sector.”

Essentially, the Right to Farm and Ranch ordinance is a “notice to people coming in that there are potential hazards,” said Linda Hickman, county attorney for Wheatland and Meagher counties.

Montana's Beaverhead, Madison, Lewis and Clark and Gallatin counties have adopted similar measures.

Right to Farm and Ranch ordinances aren't the only tools in preserving agriculture, counties also need to develop resource use plans within their land use plans, said Congdon.

“There is a huge difference between preserving the land versus the opportunity,” he said, noting conservation easements preserve the land, not necessarily the opportunity to use it. “The key to saving agriculture is to save the land and the opportunity to use it.”

In order to preserve the opportunity to use agricultural land, Congdon said it is essential to have the participation of local farmers and ranchers.

“Send your comments to the local government for the local plans, then the local government can pass them on to the federal agencies,” he said. “The federal government gives the local governments more credit for their comments and input.”

The Musselshell Drainage Planning Group is currently scoping or collecting comments from agriculture producers and other interested parties. Producers have a better chance of their comments being heard if they comment effectively, said Congdon.

“Avoid opinion, have the facts right, don't just whine,” he advised. “Don't insult them, develop a working relationship with the staff, maintain a detached, scientific viewpoint and format your comments so they are appropriate to the type of decision being made.”

Comments for the Meagher and Wheatland counties ordinances are due in June, though no specific date has been set yet, said Congdon.

“Written comments are best, but at public hearings, the comments are spoken,” he said, noting it is often hard to get people to comment even when it is in their best interest.

For more, contact your local county commissioners or planning boards.