Helena, Mont. — Food and agriculture leaders gathered in Helena for the third Governor’s Summit on Montana Food and Agriculture with a shared goal of getting more Montana-grown food onto Montanans’ plates.
NonStop Local attended the event as leaders worked through the first day of the two-day summit. Organizers said they hope to leave with an action plan for how to increase the share of Montana-grown food used in the state.
“We used to be at 70% and currently we’re at about 3% so hopefully, walking away from this we’ll have an action plan of how to get there,” said Grace Nichols, Food and Agriculture Development Center director.
Montana Director of Agriculture Jillien Streit outlined several challenges, including connecting producers with consumers and keeping more Montana food products in use within the state. She also pointed to the need for more infrastructure and better ways to move locally grown food to Montana consumers.
“We need to stay connected, we need to have this goal, we need to shoot for the moon, we need to try our best to do our best and put more food on Montana plates,” said Jillien Streit, Montana Department of Agriculture director of agriculture.
Leaders then split into sessions centered on marketing campaigns, funding tools and access to resources. The discussions also brought together farmers, ranchers and industry experts to work through supply chain pinch points.
“It’s inspiring especially as we go into fall and winter. It’s a way of bringing some of that gratitude into the work that we’re going to do to prepare for the next season,” said Shauna Eagleton, Central Montana Food Hub general manager.
By the end of the summit, the group plans to turn 18 months of statewide input into action plans with regional strategies and statewide impact. Those plans aimed to help move Montana’s food economy from 3% Montana-grown food toward 33% by 2033.
Dining and Cooking