Fight for Agriculture's Future

Dear friends and family,
As many of you know, the Helle and Rebish/Konen Livestock operations have been under fire from an environmental/activist operation located in Bozeman, Montana known as the Gallatin Wildlife Association. The GWA is presided over by Glenn Hockett and represented by John Meyer.
I’m sure that many of you are wondering, as are we, the credibility of the Gallatin Wildlife Association’s arguments, and what their claims actually are. Although I could type pages of information regarding this issue right now, I would like to summarize and clarify the situation. Please keep in mind that situations like this have been occurring across Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. We are not the first family to go through this hardship, but we hope to be the last.
On July 8th, a hearing was held in Great Falls, Montana at the Federal Court House. The hearing was called because GWA claimed their members would suffer immediate and irreparable harm if the bands of sheep grazed the allotments in the Gravelly Mountains this summer, which have been grazed for over 60 years within the family and nearly 150 years historically.
Our largest concern has been and will continue to be the welfare of the sheep. The financial hardship this lawsuit has caused is exponential. Although we have won the beginning injunction, we must continue to fight. If our allotments are lost, the sheep would have be moved to private land which will be overgrazed. This would damage the work done to preserve habitat for sage grouse and other critical wildlife. The sheep would then have to go in feedlots. The stress inflicted on the ewes and lambs would ultimately cause high death rates. Decreased weight gain would inevitably decrease winter survival rates. Additionally, the wool production would significantly decrease in quality and value.
We were disappointed after the hearing. Sitting in a cold federal court room, guarded by marshals, while lawyers argued over analytical facts, figures, and speculations was disheartening. There was no personal attachment or emotion. Over 50 sheep producers travelled from across the state to support our cause. We filled the court room. An overlying conversation topic among our family has been quantification of the hardship this lawsuit is causing and will continue to cause.
How is it possible to quantify the hundreds of thousands of hours of labor, ideas, heartache, memories, and history of this ranch? Many scholars have debated over how to quantify happiness. This is a lifestyle that cannot be quantified into a number. As I sit here typing this, the threat of this lifestyle being stolen from each and every person involved makes my heart heavy. The many years that Evan and I have dreamed about being the fourth generation to join the ranch are now in the hands of individuals who could not even begin to understand this lifestyle or connection the agricultural community has to the land and animals. The uncertainty surrounding this lawsuit is emotionally, physically, and mentally draining.
We are in dire need of your support and prayers. We are using this opportunity to fight for the agricultural community, and put a stop to the claims that threaten not only our livelihood, but the livelihood of future generations in agriculture. America is a nation founded on agriculture. It is our duty to take a stand as ranchers, farmers, and citizens of this country. Please join us in our fight. Share this post, share our story, and stand up for agriculture. It is our turn to make a difference. These shirts will benefit FFA and our legal fees associated with this battle. Additionally, ANY profits over $1000 will go towards a fund that will provide financial help for as many ranching families as possible that are facing lawsuits brought forth by Gallatin Wildlife Association and other groups that threaten the livelihoods of our agricultural communities and friends. 
We thank you for your continued support and are so very grateful for your help.