Melrose rancher represents Montana in Common Ground Coalition Summit

J.M. Peck, a cattle rancher from Melrose and District 2 Director for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, recently returned from Reno, Nevada, where he joined a select group of producers, including Joe Goggins, Greg Putnam, and Darrell Stevenson from Montana, for the Northwest regional meeting of the Common Ground Coalition.

The summit, held April 19-21, 2026, brought together 34 cattlemen and women from Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California. The coalition acts as a grassroots forum designed to build consensus among cow-calf producers, stockers, and feeders on the most pressing issues facing the livestock industry.

"The overarching goal is to make it feasible for the next generation to get into this business," Peck said. "Whether someone is taking over a multi-generational ranch or entering as a first-generation producer, we need to facilitate that transition. The average age of the American rancher is over 60; we need young people to keep this industry vibrant and continue providing a great protein source for the world."

Peck noted that the summit used a productive roundtable format, where producers worked alongside industry experts to "flesh out" solutions across key areas:

• Supporting Young and Emerging Producers: Discussions focused on tax law reforms, including protecting the step-up in basis and exploring capital gains tax exemptions for those selling ranches to stay in agricultural production.
• Predator Control: Peck noted the value of hearing from different regions, particularly California, where California Farm Bureau's Steven Fenaroli explained that the recent return of wolves has left producers with limited management tools available to cattle and sheep producers in Montana.
• Risk Management: A major takeaway involved the Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) program. Led by Joe Kovanda of Compass Ag Solutions from Montana, producers discussed how establishing price floors through LRP can improve a rancher's risk profile, making them more appealing to banks when seeking operating capital.
• Public Lands & Labor: Participants consulted with experts, including the Nevada Agriculture Commissioner, and labor policy specialists, to address the unique challenges of labor issues for ranchers in the West. The discussion also included opportunities and challenges of public lands grazing, including overzealous implementation of the Endangered Species Act and historic public lands policies that have limited access to grazing allotments.
• Access to Capital: Roundtables explored how to make lending more accessible through both private banking and updates to existing USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs.

The Reno gathering is the first of four regional meetings the Common Ground Coalition has planned for 2026, moving away from a national-only model to better capture the specific needs of different geographical regions.

"It was interesting to learn how people in other states are facing these issues," Peck added. "All of us at this meeting were directly tied to the cattle industry, and we shared the belief that we have to work together to move the needle forward."

Peck intends to bring the perspectives gained in Reno back to Montana to share with Farm Bureau members and their advocacy efforts and policy development.