By Kevin Moore, AERO’s Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Program Manager
A few years ago I worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer in UM Western’s Dining Services department. As part of a project called FoodCorps I helped the university’s staff purchase Montana grown food products. During my two years at Western, I learned a lot about institutional foodservice, but also about Montana’s food and agricultural system. I was pleasantly surprised by the broad array of products that are actually grown by Montanans, but I quickly learned that in order to keep costs down, University staff needed these products to be processed and prepared ahead of time. The potatoes and beef patties, for example, had to come in the door ready to cook.
The challenge of buying directly from Montana’s farmers and ranchers is being met in schools, hospitals, and colleges around the state. People are figuring out how to make these programs work because the benefits are clear: Montana’s public institutions spend around $33 million each year on food. Right now the majority of those dollars go to out of state food processors and distributors, but they could become a more significant and stable revenue stream directly to our farmers, ranchers, and Montana-based food businesses. Not only is local food good for our economy, it’s good for our health. Montana food products are often fresh, and last longer. Most folks would agree that local food should be the first option for purchases in our senior living facilities, hospitals, universities, and especially in our K-12 schools.
And it is these programs specifically, known as Farm to School, that are gaining momentum across the state in larger urban districts as well as in smaller, rural schools. More needs to be done to ensure a strong market for our farmers and ranchers, and a healthy supply of Montana grown food for our children.
A simple step our Legislature can take would be to create an annual Farm to School Week, that would be used to encourage schools, their communities, and our state agencies to promote and support these programs. The Grow Montana coalition, which developed FoodCorps and works to pass state policies that support a Montana-based food system, is working to pass this resolution.
Despite recent successes and enthusiasm for local food, a big challenge remains. Our state doesn’t have the food processing infrastructure Montana’s farmers and ranchers need in order to deliver prepared food to market. This hasn’t always been the case: in 1950, 70% of Montana’s food supply was grown and processed in the state. Now, when compared to our neighboring states, (Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota) Montana processes the smallest percentage of our agricultural exports.
By exporting raw commodities like wheat and cattle, and then importing processed products like beef patties and hamburger buns, Montana loses out on the revenue created by food processing.
One of the biggest steps we can take towards serving institutional markets with Montana food products is to support farmers, ranchers, and other entrepreneurs in turning their ideas and products into viable value-added food products.
And that is exactly what Montanan’s four Food and Agriculture Development Centers are doing. Strategically located in rural areas that can serve 40 of Montana’s 56 counties, these Food and Agriculture Development Centers are the only economic development program our state has to support fast growing opportunities for Montana agriculture in product development, processing, and marketing for regional food systems. There is a lot that goes into product development, and these centers have the resources to assist with product testing, labeling, regulatory requirements. The Food and Agriculture Development Centers also help businesses access capital through loans, loan guarantees, grants, and business investments.
In an example of just one of the approximately 100 businesses that have benefited from this network, and in fact, one that has received assistance from all of the Centers is Cream of the West, a family owned operation in Harlowton making 100% whole grain cereals, snacks and mixes, and selling to local grocery stores and universities, as well as to markets in all other 50 states. The Ronan based food and Agriculture Development Center has assisted Silent Creations Buffalo Products to make their jerky by providing a USDA-inspected meat room and business incubation services. That center is also purchasing cherries, apples, and squash from local growers to process into ready-to-use products for the local school district.
These Centers are state supported, and Grow Montana as well as other groups are behind a bill that will help to keep them providing the crucial services that they do to Montana’s value-added food businesses. By investing in these centers, we are investing in a viable future for food and agriculture businesses in Montana.
Many of our state’s citizens at one point or another pass through our schools, colleges, hospitals, and senior living facilities, and helping businesses develop products that are easier for these institutions to purchase is an effective way to give Montanans access to some of the highest quality food in the world.
In Helena, I’m Kevin Moore for the Grow Montana coalition and AERO, Montana’s Alternative Energy Resources Organization. For more information about Grow Montana, AERO or FoodCorps go to www.growmontana.ncat.org.
