AERO KUFM Commentary

April 2006

Celebrating the Abundance of Montana

by Jacy Rothschiller

Did you know you can buy everything from alpacas, apples, apricots, and arugula to wine, wheat, watermelons, and wool, all produced by a Montana farmer or rancher if you just know where to look?

How do you look to find these Montana-grown products? A great place to start is the Abundant Montana directory, published by the Alternative Energy Resource Organization, or AERO. AERO has recently put out its fifth edition of Abundant Montana, a directory of sustainably produced agricultural products and retail outlets for locally grown food. As the introduction says, "it is more than a directory to Montana-grown food. It's a connection to the land, to our neighbors who farm the land, and to those who are committed to using locally grown food in their business."

Are you looking for a farm or ranch in your area? In Abundant Montana, you will find the farms grouped by region and county. Each farm has a description of its products, the season they are available, and where they can be found. Most farmers go into inspiring detail in their descriptions of their growing practices and their farms. Each farm also lists the opportunities that are available for farm visits, internships, and farm activities, including pumpkin patches, salsa days, and harvest parties.

Or perhaps you are looking for a grocery store that sells local products? In Abundant Montana, you will find not only grocery stores and health food stores, but also restaurants, farmers' markets, and CSAs, or Community Supported Agriculture, in your area. You can learn where to subscribe for a weekly delivery of seasonal produce or other products from a nearby CSA. Find your nearest farmers' market and meet your neighbors who provide fresh produce, cut flowers, eggs, or baked good. Try one of these restaurants and ask about the local lamb special. Discover which grocery stores near you carry local cheeses, grass-fed beef, or Montana-roasted coffee.

Are you looking to feed your family healthy food? By using Abundant Montana, not only will you be finding the freshest and most delicious food around, you will be making a connection with your local farmers and ranchers. They can tell you exactly how they are working to produce healthy food for you and your family.

Are you looking to support your local economy? If each household in Montana spent just $10 a week on Montana-grown food products, we would redirect $186 million dollars each year to local farmers and ranchers. That would keep a lot of money in our communities and help our farmers and ranchers keep their land in production.

As a small market farmer in the Gallatin Valley, I use Abundant Montana to find products I need from other growers, such as feed grains, vegetable transplants, and especially foods that I don't produce. I also use it to connect with other producers to share ideas and resources. It is a great tool to find new marketing opportunities for my herbs and vegetables. I love having new people contact me, and Abundant Montana helps me to share my farm and food with my Montana neighbors. So, to find what you are looking for pick up the directory that "connects consumers with producers, individuals with communities, and Montanans with the land." Call AERO at 406-443-7272 for a copy of Abundant Montana. Starting in May, the directory will be available on the web at www.aeromt.org.

I'm Jacy Rothschiller for the Alternative Energy Resource Organization. AERO welcomes your comments and perspectives. AERO is a grassroots membership organization working to help create farm, food, energy, and growth solutions for communities throughout Montana. For more information about our programs call us in Helena at 406-443-7272.