Being the livestock officer for the State of Montana, it's gotta be just like the hit TV show "Yellowstone," right? I couldn't help but joke around with Mike Honeycutt, the Executive Officer for the Montana Department of Livestock, during the Montana Stockgrowers Association convention this week.

Here's what's really funny: his office has actually turned into quite the tourist destination in Montana.

Honeycutt: We've seen a lot of interest, particularly from out of state people wanting patches, like law enforcement patches, people who do those collections. I've actually- think I had a little old lady from Rhode Island show up at our office one time on her visit to Helena because she wanted to have her picture taken with the commissioner of livestock- thanks to Yellowstone.

I also asked him if the show accurately depicts livestock agents in the State of Montana.

Flint: Are you like Kevin Costner's son? Do you flip over the desk and start shooting people and throw people in the back of cattle cars if they give you too much trouble?

Honeycutt: Absolutely not. There's a lot of fictitious things there. There are some subplots there that you see some truth in. Like any good TV show, or especially law enforcement show, there's a thread of truth there but then a whole lot of dramatic additions that go on.

By the way, I asked him. And no, he didn't have any patches for me. Maybe at the next Stockgrowers convention.

I liked Lane Nordlund's idea. Maybe we can open up a Department of Livestock gift shop and use the funds to help producers with livestock losses from predators.

 

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