Attention Farmers Market managers: register your market on the Abundant Montana map. This one-stop registration provides critical information to the Montana Departments of Agriculture and Commerce and lists your market on Montana’s sustainable and local food map. Complete this form to register your market for the 2020 season. All markets must complete a new registration. When AERO’s new website, including a refreshed Abundant MT Map, is live this spring, we will provide you the opportunity to create a login and password to manage your own Abundant MT listing.

Grow Montana Coalition
Grow Montana, Montana’s food policy coalition, convened on January 7, 2020 at NCAT in Butte to renew efforts of the Food Policy Council. The meeting attendees were a diverse representation of organizations with an interest in developing a strong Montana food and agriculture economy.

Attendees shared organizational visions for this strong economy and together outlined the next steps for GMT. Founding members recounted the history of GMT’s past successes and challenges. The group identified funding and staffing needs and, in the afternoon, we had a productive discussion of potential policies to pursue during the 2021 legislative session.

During the meeting, we discussed membership structure on a three tier system:

• Tier 1. Steering Committee the most involved members. Responsibilities: Governance of the coalition. Execute goals, objectives, & activities of the strategic plan. Attend monthly meetings.
• Tier 2. Active Network Membership Governmental, non-profit, and private organizations who share GMT’s mission & goals. Responsibilities: Receive updates on GMT’s activities. Share info with their membership (outreach). Provide suggestions/ideas to steering committee. Testify at hearings. Attend every other month in-person meetings (call-in available)
• Tier 3. Allies Groups or individuals who are policy or project allies. Responsibilities: Provide input and participate in strategically-selected activities that related to specific policies or projects that align with the group/individual’s strategic goals. Attend as needed.

Conversations continue to establish funding levels, responsibilities, and membership benefits for each tier.

Please reach out to Lindsay Ganong at AERO (lganong@aeromt.org) or Maura Henn at NCAT (maurah@ncat.org) with any questions about how your organization may help us work towards policy changes that support Montana’s farmers and eaters. This spring, the Steering Committee will meet and full Coalition will continue to work towards identifying policy priorities for the 2021 legislative session. Stay tuned!

Join AERO in the 21-Day Racial Equity in the Food System Habit Building Challenge March 30-April 19, 2020
New England Food Solution’s (NEFS) 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge (aka the Racial Equity Challenge) is simple: During every morning of the Challenge, you’ll receive an email “prompt” with a short reading, video or audio file. You are encouraged to take about ten to fifteen minutes each day with the material in the prompt. You have the option to log into NEFS’s online forums (links will be provided) if you’d like to discuss the prompts in a moderated environment. As part of our 2020 goal to develop board and staff cultural competence to prepare for growing partnership and membership, AERO is registered as a group. We plan to host weekly conversations following NEFS’s newly-developed facilitation guide. Share your experience on social media using the hashtag #FSNEEquityChallenge. Registration is now open for the 2020 Racial Equity Challenge! March 30 through April 19, 2020.

Wild Dinners
In 2020, with the help of engaged members and volunteers, AERO and Montana Wildlife Federation are working with local partners in Helena and Missoula to bring AERO members Wild Dinners. Look for save the dates and official details soon!