Edwards and Jergeson to be honored at NARC field day

Two local agricultural leaders will be honored Thursday during the Northern Agricultural Research Center Field Day.

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee will present Lochiel Edwards with the 2019 Outstanding Ag Leader Award and Greg Jergeson with the 2019 Outstanding Ag Advocate Award at the dinner during Thursday’s Field Day.

The day starts at NARC’s offices at Fort Assinniboine about 6 miles southwest of Havre on U.S. Highway 87 with registration at 3:30 p.m. and concludes with the Agriculture Appreciation Banquet at 7 p.m.

The Field Day will include tours of research and projects at the center, which was established in 1915 and is part of Montana State University’s Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, comprising seven off-campus research centers, including NARC, and campus farms and faculty at MSU.

The field day will include tours of projects and research at NARC, which consists of 3,000 acres at the main facility and an additional 3,960 acres of grazing land located in the Bear Paw Mountains. The 3,000 acres on the main facility supports both crop and livestock research activities.

The center was established at Fort Assinniboine after the fort was decommissioned in 1911.

Each year, the Agribusiness Committee presents during NARC Field Day its Outstanding Ag Leader Award to a local agricultural producer who has a demonstrated record of leadership for Montana’s agricultural industry in north-central Montana and its Outstanding Ag Advocate Award to someone who has a demonstrated record of advocacy for Montana’s agricultural industry in north-central Montana.

Big Sandy-area farmer Lochiel Edwards is a third-generation wheat farmer, operating the family farm homesteaded in 1911 by his grandfather.

Edwards has held positions with farm organizations, state university advisory boards, is a past president of the Montana Grain Growers Association, board member of the Montana Grains Foundation, and is active in the local historical society and his church. Edwards has also played an integral part in research conducted on wheat stem sawfly by the Northern Ag Research Center.

Greg Jergeson was born and raised on the family farm south of Chinook. He operated the farm until 1995.

He served as a state senator for 24 years from 1975 to 2015, terming out in 2001 and winning a seat back in 2012, but had to run again in 2014 in a new district due to redistricting. He lost that election.

Jergeson served on the Montana Public Service Commission from 2003 to 2010 and worked with rural telephone cooperatives to expand cellphone and internet service in rural areas

During his 12 regular sessions in the Senate he served 10 on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and one session as committee chair. He was a co-sponsor of the Montana Growth Through Agriculture Act of 1987, secured funding for the Montana Cooperative Development Center in 2001, and championed the Montana Ag Experiment Stations and Montana Extension Service.

His current public assignments include: Montana Transportation Commission, Montana Agricultural Development Council, the Blaine County Conservation District, the Milk River Watershed Alliance, and the Saint Mary’s Working Group. Jergeson is also a member of the North Central Stockgrowers Association, Montana Farmer’s Union, North-Central Montana Land and Mineral Owners Association and the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee.