First annual Grazing Expo: Sept. 4-7, Billings
A powerhouse lineup of grazing experts, educational activities, and social events are planned for four days of the first annual Grazing Expo, set for September 4-7 in Billings. The event is hosted by the Montana Grazing Lands Coalition in partnership with the Wyoming Grazing Lands Coalition and designed to share practical tools and make powerful connections among land users. Over 40 breakout sessions from industry professionals make up the bulk of the convention, along with a grazing tour, trade show, kick-off party and nightly entertainment. Keynote speakers include Dr. Jeff Goodwin, director of the Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management at Texas A&M University; Tucker Brown, Texas rancher, social media personality, and AGvocate from RA Brown Ranch; Emma Coffman, founder and owner of Double E Ranch Advocacy, and Kris Descheemaeker, Montana rancher. Other presenters include ranchers, professors, government officials, corporate professionals and media members. Thursday evening starts with the kick-off party, the breakout educations sessions are the bulk of Friday and Saturday’s events, and Sunday includes the ranch tour to the Buffalo Trail Ranch, owned by Chad and Jenny Peterson, in nearby Molt, Montana. Attendees will get to view the Petersons’ mob grazing system and learn from their 20 years of experience.
“Our members have designed this conference to empower land managers with tangible resources while highlighting the west-wide impact of sound grazing lands stewardship,” said Megan Terry, executive director of the Montana Grazing Lands Coalition.
Terry said the 2025 Grazing Expo is where the future of sustainable grazing comes to life, and will bring together ranchers, land managers, and industry professionals from across the region to empower graziers and support agriculture on a regional scale. Several of the deep lineup of topics presented include profitability essentials, carbon contracts, rangeland monitoring, cattle market updates, bookkeeping, prescribed burning, support networks, cattle health, consumer perception, high intensity grazing, and virtual fencing. Also addressed will be estate planning, employee relations, feed conversion, and tax changes.
“My hope is that this conference offers both practical resources and a true sense of community to those who manage our grazing lands,” said Terry. “This conference offers folks a welcoming space to share thoughts and ideas, tell stories, and build relationships that set us up for success. We’re focusing on the impacts of sustainable grazing systems by facilitating conversations between ranchers and the folks who develop tools to help them succeed.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops, panel discussions, a handful of networking events and a field tour – all designed to highlight practical solutions for improving range health, increase the longevity of grazing operations and enhance their economic viability. With a focus on collaborative learning and innovation, the 2025 Grazing Expo is a platform to network, gain valuable insight, and discover new tools and management strategies to take your agricultural business to the next level. The trade show will be available throughout the convention and will feature a career fair on Friday evening for attendees interested in learning about job opportunities in the industry. Nightly entertainment will include Tris Munsick & The Innocents, Wylie & the Wild West, Brennan Scott Greene and Kalyn Beasley. The event is designed to be family friendly, with plans for a “Kid Korral” for the young learners.
Lon Reukauf is a rancher from Terry, Montana, and a longtime member of the Montana GLCI board of directors. He said the event is one of the first of its kind in a long time to present such a collective gathering of applicable grazing information to ranchers in the Montana region.
“You never know which session you’re going to go to that gives you an idea that impacts your ranch,” he said. “When I was in college over 45 years ago at Montana State University, there wasn’t a lot of people who had hands-on experience using the ideas we learned about at school. Now, when you go to sessions like this, there’s just a wealth of information from people who’ve actually used these principles and practices and have experience they can share with you. It’s all very practical acknowledged that you can learn from.”
The Montana Grazing Lands Coalition advocates for agricultural producers while promoting the sound stewardship of grazing lands. Encouraging healthy soils and sound grazing management planning, Montana GLC provides stakeholders with a suite of resources and technical assistance opportunities. The organization finds value in collaborating with industry partners to ensure Montana grazing operations are both ecologically and economically viable for generations to come.
Producer registration for the four-day event is $350. A limited amount of producer registrations are available free of charge. Ranchers who would like to attend the Expo on scholarship can apply for a complimentary registration by August 31 at http://www.montanaglc.org/expo. Student registration is $200, and scholarships are also available. To view a full agenda and register, visit the website. Registration is due Sept 1.
