Bjergo

Allen Bjergo
RCEDA Board of Directors
COMMITTEE: Project

829 Weber Butte Trail
Corvallis, MT 59828
961-4538 – home
allen.bjergo@cybernet1.com

Allen was raised on a general stock and dairy farm in Northwestern Minnesota. He served as an artillery platoon sergeant in Germany just after the Korean War and later served two years in the Delta of Vietnam, supervising military and civilian advisors in 16 provinces.

He has a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State, a Masters from New Mexico State and studied forestry at the Royal Agricultural College of Norway. He has a Ph.D. from Cornell University, taught at the University of Montana and was an Extension Specialist for Montana State University until retirement.

Allen was county extension agent in Ravalli County and Madison-Jefferson counties and worked in rural community development as the RC&D program was just being discussed. Upon returning from Vietnam and finishing at Cornell, he was assigned to Community Development Specialist for the Bitter Root RC&D. He worked on many of the early projects, including gravity flow irrigation systems, development of small businesses, projects in cooperation with Job Corps and helping develop leadership among local people.

He also helped create the Headwaters RC&D and other rural development organizations, as well as being part of the business development task force, throughout the western states.
He serves on several boards, including the Montana Land Reliance, National Center for Appropriate Technology and Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, among others.

Allen has had 14 foreign assignments to 18 countries, in Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union. He and his wife, Jackie have eight children, 21 grandchildren and a great-grandchild. They operate an irrigated beef ranch in the Corvallis area.