MERISSA UNDERWOOD
It was something about their noses. Light pink and velvety soft to the touch. The pigs sniffed at the straw on the hot cement ground and gazed through the bars of their pens. I was attending my first county fair as a member of my high school s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program.
When I joined, I was told FFA is for those who love animals! In reality, FFA is designed to desensitize the next generation by exploiting the vulnerable for profit.
I was known as the weird horse girl my entire life. In elementary school, at recess, my friends and I would set up sticks as jumps and canter around the track.
MERISSA UNDERWOOD
It was something about their noses. Light pink and velvety soft to the touch. The pigs sniffed at the straw on the hot cement ground and gazed through the bars of their pens. I was attending my first county fair as a member of my high school s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program.
When I joined, I was told FFA is for those who love animals! Â In reality, FFA is designed to desensitize the next generation by exploiting the vulnerable for profit.
I was known as the weird horse girl my entire life. In elementary school, at recess, my friends and I would set up sticks as jumps and canter around the track.Â
Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his appointment of Mike Foster to lead the Department of Agriculture.
âMontana farmers and ranchers drive our stateâs number one industry, and deserve a leader who will work tirelessly to help them capture more of the value they create,â Governor-elect Gianforte said. âWith a robust understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by our producers and a strong commitment to meeting their needs, Mike Foster will serve Montana ag well.â
Foster joins the Gianforte Administration from the United States Department of Agriculture, where he served Montana farmers and ranchers since 2018 as state executive director of the Montana USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). As executive director, Foster helped Montana producers overcome difficult challenges such as drought, wildfires, excessive and ill-timed moisture, terrible blizzards, low prices, trade barriers, and a pandemic through FSA support.
Listen • 1:12
Gov. elect Greg Gianforte announced Wednesday that he’s appointed Mike Foster to take over the state Department of Agriculture.
Foster has worked as the state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Montana since 2018. He was appointed to that position by President Donald Trump.
Foster has served as a Montana legislator, as a policy adviser to former Republican Gov. Judy Martz and also on the state Board of Regents.
According to a news release from Gianforte, Foster’s appointment has received endorsements from the Montana Grain Growers Association, the Montana Farm Bureau Federation and the Montana Stockgrowers Association.