Montana State to honor Tryg Koch with Outstanding Agricultural Leader award

BOZEMAN - Next month Tryg Koch, a familiar face to many in Montana's agricultural community, will be recognized by the Montana State University College of Agriculture during the annual Celebrate Ag event.

Koch is the 2024 recipient of the college's Outstanding Agricultural Leader award. Each year ahead of Celebrate Ag, members of the agricultural community across the state nominate individuals who embody service. An awardee is then selected by a committee including representatives from the College of Agriculture, Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and MSU Extension. Koch and his family will be honored at the newly expanded Celebrate Ag week, which will include 19 events from Nov. 4-9 both on and off the MSU campus.

Koch grew up on a farm in the Flathead Valley near Creston and received a degree in agriculture and diesel mechanics from MSU Northern in Havre. In 2007, Koch and Lee Buller founded Heritage Custom Farming, which provides a variety of services tailored to small farm operations, including pasture maintenance and renovation, weed spraying, wildlife habitat support and farm equipment rentals. Koch and his wife farm more than 3,000 acres in northwestern Montana, collaborating with dozens of landowners, and also own a farm in Liberty County near Chester.

"It is a great joy to honor Tryg, whom I had the pleasure of working closely with, with this award," said MSU vice president for agriculture Sreekala Bajwa. "He has made many contributions to Montana agriculture in his various leadership roles, including as the chair of MAES Advisory Council."

In addition to being a business owner, Koch has served on several agricultural boards in Montana. He is a past president of the Montana Grain Growers Association and National Association of Wheat Growers and has served on both the Northwestern Agricultural Research Center advisory board and the larger MAES advisory council. He was nominated for the Outstanding Ag Leader award by administrators from the Montana Grain Growers Association and Lake Seed, an agricultural business based in Ronan.

"[Tryg] consistently advocates for agriculture, striving to inform, educate and serve in any way possible," wrote nominator Bridgett Cheff of Lake Seed. "He is an informed and involved member of the community, making him a go-to person for many statewide farmers and ranchers."

Nominators also noted Koch's ability and willingness to collaborate, along with his commitment to balancing productive agricultural operations with healthy and sustainable wildlife habitat.

"Tryg is an exceptional candidate for this recognition, as he has diligently served the agricultural industry on a state and national level for many years," wrote Raylee Honeycutt, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, who worked closely with Koch while he directed the MGGA. "While our two organizations focus on different commodities, there is always common ground that we find regarding policy, and working with Tryg means you truly have an advocate for the agriculture industry in your corner."

Koch and his family will be honored at the Celebrate Ag Social on Friday, Nov. 8 and the Bobcats' Ag Appreciation football game on Saturday, Nov. 9. A full schedule for Celebrate Ag and information on purchasing event tickets can be found at ag.montana.edu/celebrateag/.