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Farm to Table MonDak Regional Good System
- Integrated Farm-to-Table Marketing Cooperative
- Shared-use Commercial Kitchen
- Farm-to-Table Restaurant & Microbrewery
- Culinary Arts School
Only 10% of food consumed in Montana is produced locally compared to 70% in the 1950s.Virtually all farm products are shipped out of state for processing and nearly all on-farm inputs are shipped into the region. The average food consumed in Montana has traveled 1,400 miles before arriving on our plates. This downward spiral has led to significant population loss in eastern Montana over the last 50 years. The Glendive Horizons Farm-to-Table project is working to change that. A local food system would aid in the development of new commercial crops that producers would be willing to grow locally if they knew they had a reliable local marketing outlet.
Eastern Montana currently has no processing facilities and no system to get the product to the customer in a marketable form. The integrated approach of this project will provide processing capabilities through a commercial kitchen and a combination of marketing devices for cooperative members within 150 miles of Glendive to market their products locally and beyond.
The Ag Marketing Cooperative will help get local products into restaurants, grocery stores, and institutions. Community GATE, the non-profit umbrella of Farm-to-Table is forming a producer-owned, integrated farm-to-table marketing cooperative that includes a shared-use commercial kitchen, farm-to-table restaurant, retail outlet and microbrewery overlooking the Yellowstone River. To learn more about the cooperative, visit www.farmtotablecoop.com
The Farm-to-Table volunteers, with the help of an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, currently operate Western Trails Food, a value-added food business that processes hulless barley and dry beans into soup mixes, barley flour, flakes, and pancake and bread mixes Western Trails is also introducing a new line called Prairie Home Cuisine. Their products are located in stores across Montana from Libby to Sidney. To learn more about Western Trail Foods, visit www.westerntrailfoods.com
By integrating a shared-use commercial kitchen into the project, grandma’s chokecherry syrup or dad’s favorite salsa can be process locally and sold in stores. The Farm-to-Table restaurant along the banks of the Yellowstone River will feature locally grown foods that will be prepared by culinary school students under the direction of a Master Chef. Farm-to-Table has worked with Dawson Community College on a culinary curriculum that emphasizes business management and encourages the practice of working with local food producers.
Not only will we reap the benefits of fresher and more flavorful foods by choosing locally grown products, we are keeping our dollars within the local economy and supporting family farm operations that are so important to our local economies. Contact Bruce Smith, Dawson County Extension Agent at 406-366-4277 or the websites for more information.
