What's New
Projects
Farm to Cafeteria Connections
We are a network of foodservice professionals, farmers and ranchers, and leaders in Montana's local food movement who are working together to create and grow Farm to Cafeteria programs in Montana. We will accomplish this by learning from each other's experiences and providing simple and easily accessible resources to anyone interested in serving local foods in our institutions. Read More »
Click here for more about Grow Montana projects.
Policies
Legal win for local food entrepreneurs!
HB 538, funding food and ag innovation centers, becomes law.
Thanks to all the phone calls, emails, and testimony of Montanans from all sorts of backgrounds and from all parts of the state, we now have state funding to support technical assistance to Montanans who want to develop our homegrown food and energy infrastructure. 
Read this FAQ sheet, to learn more about the bill or click here to read the bill language for yourself.
Click here for more about Grow Montana policy work.
Research
Redeveloping a Montana Food Processing Industry: The Role of Food Innovation Centers
by Jessica Babcock
This professional paper aims to increase understanding of food innovation centers in order to contribute to the discussion surrounding the desired redevelopment of a Montana food processing industry. The eleven food innovation centers examined here offer facilities for food processing and testing, and many include technical assistance for marketing, business development, and regulation compliance. The research objectives are threefold: 1) explain both the historical and contemporary context of food processing in Montana, 2) describe and analyze what other states and provinces are doing with regard to food innovation centers, and 3) utilize the research findings to make recommendations for how food innovation centers may or may not address identified needs regarding food processing in Montana. The report concludes by outlining recommendations and options for establishing a food innovation center network in Montana. Read the Full PDF Report » [PDF/575KB]
Click here for more Grow Montana Research.
Resources
Montana's Food System in Change
This 10-minute video tells the history of Montana's food system from a time when the state's farmers and ranchers produced most of Montanans' food--through agriculture's shift to commodity production for export following WWII. The story describes the rise of hunger in Montana and suggests a return to producing food for local consumption as a possible path to economic revitalization and food security.This video was produced for the March 2007 Montana Governor's Summit on Food and Agriculture by the summit planning committee, with production completed under the auspices of the Montana Department of Agriculture by Murmax Productions of Power, Mont. To order copies of the DVD please contact debbier(at)ncat.org.
Please click the arrow to watch the video.
(Approx. 10min in length)
Click here for more Grow Montana Resources.
Making Headlines
Action Groups Form to Support Montana Food for Montanans!
Over 50 people gathered in Great Falls on November 16th and 17th, 2007 to help address some of the Montana food system needs identified at the March 2007 Governor's Summit on Food and Agriculture. Read more ››
Grow Montana Coalition Receives National Award
(9/24/07) Grow Montana, has been selected by the Glynwood Center as the recipient of its 2007 Glynwood Good Neighbor Harvest Award. Read more ››
Montana Food to Institutions becomes law!
On May 18th, Governor Schweitzer signed into law a bill that helps Montana's schools, colleges, and prisons buy Montana-produced food. Learn more »»
Grow Montana enjoys successful legislative session in 2007. Learn more »»
| 2007 GOVERNOR'S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SUMMIT Food Production * Hunger Reduction On March 22-23, nearly 300 Montanans generated policy and action plans for creating a Montana-based food system. Read the New West article |
About Grow Montana
Grow Montana is a broad-based coalition whose COMMON PURPOSE is:
To promote community economic development policies that support sustainable Montana-owned food production, processing, and distribution, and that improve all of our citizens' access to Montana foods. Learn more.
Grow Montana Steering Committee Members
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Did You Know?
If each household in Montana spent just $10 a week on Montana-produced food, we would redirect $186 million dollars each year to the state's food producers.
Want more facts like these about Montana's food system?
[PDF / 133KB]