Montana Food Economy Initiative

Steering Committee (SC) Formation and Engagement:

The first SC meeting was a preparation and introduction meeting, held in November 2017, via phone conference. AERO staff (PI) organized and facilitated this call, and the agenda included brief introductions of each SC member, an overview of the MFEI project, a description of Western SARE, how the funded proposal advances the MFEI project, and a review of the grant timeline and activities. The PI also explained the expectations and roles associated with the project, and the team agreed on the best method of communication for them – emails and follow up phone calls as necessary. The team also debated and agreed on a note taker for future meetings, and a process for sharing those notes with the committee (email). Finally, the committee was tasked with working with AERO before the next meeting to identify a Regional Chairperson (RC) for their region.

The next SC meeting was in person, at the AERO offices based in Helena (January 2018). The agenda included time spent reviewing roles and responsibilities in detail, familiarizing the committee with the Whole Measures CFS assessment tool, and answering logistical questions about the execution of the grant objectives. Spending time reviewing this information as a group was necessary and useful because although SC members reviewed the grant proposal ahead of time and committed to participating, some were unclear about the details of their roles. AERO facilitated the creation of a roles chart that improved understanding and was referred to over the course of the project. The SC also set preliminary (broad) dates for the remaining 4 meetings. Some of those dates were altered as the project moved forward, as SC members were busy with the needs of their businesses, especially during harvest seasons. 

At this meeting, the group identified the following realities that necessitated adaptations to the original project approach:

• One field advisor, Eric Bergman, would not be able to fulfill his role. Since the WSARE application was filed, he took a position with the Great Falls Food and Agriculture Development Center, which presented a conflict of interest. While still personally invested in the work of this project, it was necessary that he step down as a field advisor.  
• The Billings region, originally identified as a project area, was not a good fit for this funding. With input from our field advisor for that region, Tom Tschida, AERO reached out to Northern Plains Resource Council (NPRC) regarding a food hub (Yellowstone Valley Food Hub) that was being established in the Billings area. Upon extensive examination with Tom and NPRC, it was determined that the plans for the food hub in Billings were far enough along that a planning project such as ours, with an intention of producing a strategic plan for the region, would not be a good use of resources or capacity. We contacted WSARE and gained permission to explore Bozeman as an alternate location that would be better suited to our project opportunity. 
• Brooke Bohannon, and the North Flathead Valley region were excited and ready to get involved. They had a strong group identity formed already.  However, the original inclusion of Browning in this region was not appropriate. There is one producer working and living in the Flathead Valley that makes deliveries to the Browning region, and although AERO has a strong relationship with him, he is currently the only link connecting these two distinct food economies. This group determined that the producer would continue to be a part of their group, but that they would focus on developing a strategic plan for the North Flathead Valley specifically, asserting that Browning has its own food economy with distinct challenges from their own. The group estimates that the best way to assist surrounding economies like Browning, is to concentrate on developing a robust food economy that addresses their specific issues.
• Thayne Mackey leads the Hi-Line region as Field Advisor. He assembled a Regional Planning Team of invested stakeholders that reside within a two hundred mile area. This reflects the many miles of highway that connect sparse populations in Central and North-Central Montana. The miles between the members on this Regional Planning Team make this group particularly unique with the challenge of creating opportunities for in person meetings. The Hi-Line team convened mostly by telephone, with the majority of interactions taking place between two or three members at a time.

The third SC meeting was held on 11/14/18 at AERO offices in Helena. The agenda covered introductions & an ice breaker, a review of the grant timeline and regional progress reports shared by each member. In addition, AERO facilitated a discussion about project communications, and in particular, the effectiveness of the Montana Food Economy Website forum for exchange of information. AERO also provided examples of regional food network strategic plans as resources for the group to review. The group then determined their next steps and brainstormed audiences to target for presenting final strategic plans, and the final project report.

Because the SC is comprised of producers, harvest season was a busy time of year and meeting in person or remotely via phone during harvest season was not feasible. Groups thinking about pursuing a similar project to ours would benefit from recognizing this necessary accommodation, to ensure the benefits of producer-led models of engagement are protected while making it as easy as possible for busy producers to participate in a meaningful way. The group jointly agreed to adjust timelines and tasks to alleviate this time conflict, and as a result, one of the regions (Flathead Valley), elected to front load their work in favor of fulfilling the majority of their roles and responsibilities ahead of schedule.

Final SC meeting was held on 9/22/19 in person at the home of one of the SC members. The agenda included regional updates and news, and summarizing the on-the-ground outcomes, takeaways, and catalyzed ideas that are a result of this project. The committee also outlined the process for review of the Western SARE final report prior to submission, and identified the next steps each region would pursue, once the grant period ended. Finally, the SC took time to reflect on participating in this phase of the MFEI project, and provided feedback on what went well, what unexpected challenges they faced, what suggestions they had for AERO and for each other as the MFEI moves forward, and what outcomes and impacts they felt were attributable to the project.

Regional Planning Team (RPT) Formation and Engagement: 

As SC members (acting as Field Advisors) began their task of working with AERO to congregate their regional planning teams, it became apparent that the rigid roles laid out in the grant application would need to be adapted to each region. In addition, while the RPTs had concrete goals laid out for the summer months, the actual experience of summer productivity varied quite a bit from region to region. In particular, The North Flathead team is comprised mostly of vegetable farmers and once the growing season picked up in pace (not long after their first community meeting in April 2018), their capacity to make progress on the MFEI grant decreased dramatically. In contrast, both Hi-Line and Helena regions organized and carried out their first community meetings during the summer and attendance was successful. The varying capacity of our Regional Planning Teams during the Montana growing season can be attributed to a few different factors, the individual make up of RPTs being the most influential one. These differences played a significant role in the outcomes and timeline of this project. Below are details about how each region adapted the roles of the grant proposal to fit their needs and capacity:

Helena

SC members, in their role as Field Advisors (FAs), convened a rotating group of between 4 and 7 individuals in the Helena region with interest and ideas for improving the regional food system. The majority of the RPT are producers. They met seven times over the course of the grant period, including two larger community meetings that garnered a wider audience from more diverse representatives of the regional food system. These meetings were sometimes conducted in person, sometimes via phone conference. This region, along with the Hi-Line region, faced challenges in developing a group identity, as some RPT members were not familiar with each other previously, and many members, while enthusiastic about the need to improve the regional food economy, had limited / inconsistent ability to participate in regular meetings and outside research. As discussed in the results and discussion section, the project team came to view this reality as a feature of a developing community of changemakers.

North Flathead Valley

The North Flathead Valley FA member was able to quickly rally seven RPT members who met nine times over the grant period, including two larger community meetings. This region benefits from longer-established relationships and broad recognition within the community of the importance of working together to achieve sustainable regional food systems. The FA for this region was able to bring together a RPT that was already familiar with one another, easily establishing rapport and trust within the group. These group dynamics proved essential in maintaining consistent participation by the RPT, garnering useful results from their work. The RPT also utilized established community gathering events, such as Free the Seeds, to engage the larger region in a meaningful way. 

Gallatin Valley

The  Open & Local (O&L) group formed on a similar timeline as the MFEI Steering Committee formation. Open & Local is a growing network of professionals and community members working to strengthen the Gallatin Valley’s local food economy and conserve open space. As O&L had a Steering Committee of their own established, it didn’t make sense for their MFEI participation to mirror the structure of the other regions – namely establishing a Regional Planning Team and working towards a regional strategic plan for the MFEI grant. Instead, an O&L Steering Committee member, Kate Wright,  acted as an O&L Field Advisor/”Liaison,” participating in the SC meetings and meeting regularly with AERO staff in person or by phone to share updates on O&L efforts in Gallatin County, as well as to brainstorm resources including upcoming trainings with food systems leaders, and discuss common challenges. 

Hi-Line

The Hi-line region stretches across six counties, with sparse populations, food deserts, and sometimes harsh climate conditions. While there is a core group of people within this region who are dedicated to improving their region’s food economy, they are spread out and isolated from one another much of the year. AERO’s prior presence in this region was not as pronounced as in other regions, and AERO relied on the Field Advisor (FA) in Malta, MT to help introduce our organization and the MFEI project to community members. Given the arduous nature of gathering in person in this region, and the lack of history working together, attempts to engage a regular cohort of RPT members were unsuccessful. Instead, the RPT in this region is better described as an intermittent collection of individuals who agreed to informally share their thoughts, ideas, concerns, and suggestions for improving their regional food system, relying on the FA and AERO to collect these contributions into a meaningful report they could use in the future. The FA and this intermittent collection of changemakers were successful in gathering a broader audience together for a farm-to-table dinner, whereby additional residents participated in an MFEI community meeting, sharing insights, asking questions, and building rapport.

Regional Planning Team Progress:

Between the first Steering Committee meeting and April of 2018, each of our regional groups made significant strides within their Regional Planning Teams:

Helena

Kate and Ian McLean served as co-Field Advisors for our Helena region and assembled a diverse group of stakeholders for their Regional Planning Team including farmers, a rancher, a produce department manager, and the director of the local food pantry. Some of the team members had not met each other prior to the first Regional Planning Team meeting and the growing relationships between the members of this group were valuable in themselves. Using the Whole Measures CFS tool, the group identified common challenges in the region, especially the lack of existing farm production in the Helena Valley. The team meetings produced creative brainstorm sessions highlighting possible foci for the group such as farm land accessibility, a farm incubator program, potential demand data and beginning farmer education programs.

North Flathead Valley

In the North Flathead Valley, the Regional Planning Team held their first community meeting in early April 2018, attracting 64 participants ranging from farmers and ranchers to educators and nutrition experts to interested community members. The Regional Planning Team members did an excellent job facilitating small group conversations and sharing identified common topic threads with the entire room. Next steps were identified by the Regional Planning Team and a timeline was created for the next few months, sharing both with the community meeting attendees.

Gallatin Valley

O&L members met regularly during this period, focusing on strengthening the Gallatin Valley’s local food economy and conserving open space. The O&L Field Advisor communicated regularly with AERO, sharing regional updates.  The communications also included fruitful conversations between AERO and O&L on observations and common experiences in supporting a community coming together around a local food economy, sharing supportive information regarding group dynamics, meeting topics and structure. 

Hi-Line

Similar to the North Flathead RPT, the Hi-Line RPT assembled a group of mostly farmers who are leading their planning process. Their conversations identified early on the largest challenge in their region – distribution miles between communities. Other important topics identified by the group included growing more food in the region and the desire to process more local food regionally instead of shipping it far away for processing. The group shared resources and potential strategies related to Farm to School programs and existing marketing tools.

Between April and December of 2018, each MFEI Region accomplished the following:

Helena

Helena’s first community meeting was held in August 2018 with about thirty community members in attendance. The bulk of the meeting was spent in small working groups with assigned facilitators charged with guiding the group through prepared questions. After the community meeting, the Regional Planning Team (RPT) decided to gather additional input from stakeholders that weren’t represented at the first meeting, by designing and distributing an additional survey.  Significant effort was made by the RPT members to distribute, collect, and synthesize the survey results. From the twenty three surveys completed, the RPT learned that many of the challenges and needs described by survey takers were similar to those identified at the larger community meeting as well as the RPT meetings held throughout the year: the need for marketing and business planning resources, education to the public about the value of local food, access to food storage space, and local processing opportunities for meat producers. The RPT increased collaborative efforts with the East Helena Food Hub (EHFH) during this period, and the MFEI Field Advisor now serves on the hub’s Advisory Council. A recent survey that the hub disseminated provided additional insight into community needs such as community gathering spaces, better food options and safe places for kids and teens to hang out. The RPT brainstormed future collaboration between MFEI efforts and EHFH, including working on increasing EHFH’s capacity to source food locally, and collaborate with the community gardens to attract new producers to the valley in the future. The Helena RPT outlined the beginning of a structure for their second community meeting planned for the Spring of 2019.

North Flathead Valley

Following their first community meeting in April 2018, the North Flathead Valley RPT turned their attention to growing food for their community. Once the harvest season was complete, the RPT returned to their MFEI goals. This was an important lesson for this region (and for others on the SC), as the majority of the RPT members are full time farmers. Initially, the RPT had laid out ambitious plans to meet and conduct research over the summer. Once autumn approached and the plans were still in queue, the team readjusted their MFEI schedule for the remainder of the year. The RPT members conducted research on topics such as cooperative models, existing Montana local food campaigns, local food system models, distribution systems, and strategies for connecting with the public through educational campaigns. The team spent time sharing their research findings with each other and refining their focus and goals for the remainder of the MFEI planning grant. The RPT set dates for their second and third community meetings, in February and March of 2019, respectively. The third community meeting coincided with the Annual Free the Seeds Fair in Kalispell, MT. Free the Seeds draws more than 1,000 attendees each year. More details about this event can be found in the success story section of this report. Returning to the roots of the planning process, the RPT spent time discussing the values of the group. They agreed that their collective values should be clearly reflected in their strategic plan and guide their writing process. The RPT also discussed how to craft the invitation list for the second community meeting. In order for the data collected at that meeting to be the most meaningful and accurate, the RPT chose a selective and targeted approach to stakeholder engagement which they conducted via phone calls and emails prior to the second community meeting.

Gallatin Valley

AERO staff continued collaborative efforts with Open & Local through 2018, attending workshops, presentations, and local food celebrations – meeting new stakeholders and promoting the MFEI program. The Liaison met the rest of the Steering Committee members in November 2018. She shared Open & Local’s progress with the Steering Committee, providing insight as to how their group decided to formalize their structure as a non profit organization. Open & Local spent two years exploring challenges and priorities in their local/regional food system. Over that time, they’ve worked with Montana State University professors with the help of a seed grant. The grant funded a series of dialogues, strengthening their ties to the university, supporting a community gathering to explore what food collaborations look like in other regions, and assisting them with the development of an action plan. Open & Local concluded that for the near future, their role is best fit to facilitate planning, networking, collaboration and communication within the Gallatin Valley to increase the economic viability of their local food system and increase community members’ understanding of and engagement in the local food economy. 

Hi-Line

The Hi-Line region formed a loosely organized Regional Planning Team, with a commercial kitchen and woolen mill owner as Field Advisor leading the conversations and discussions for the project. In July of 2018, the original RPT lost members due to a variety of circumstances, so AERO and the FA discussed having AERO’s Local Food Systems Coordinator provide assistance to the RPT. After several discussions, the Local Food Systems Coordinator was put in place as the Hi-Line region’s RPT chair, where she worked to continue communication and outreach in the region.

This region is the largest in the MFEI project, but includes the smallest population of people. The FA held several informal conversations between the March 2018 SC meeting and an August 2018 community meeting in Malta, MT. Extension Agents, restaurant owners, school employees, daycare providers, hospital representatives, distributors, butchers, grocery store owners, bulk processors, gardeners, truck gardens, and food bank managers provided feedback, helping the FA determine the most common issues for the region. The concerns they identified included: available transportation of raw products and finished goods, regulation and law education, conflicting regulations with Local, State and Federal entities, and information access. Despite the challenges of distance and busy producer schedules, the FA coordinated a joint Farm to Table dinner and community meeting in Malta, which AERO staff attended. At the meeting, there were 15 local producers and food industry individuals. AERO spoke about the MFEI project, desired outcomes, and the method of producer-led conversations to gather data about challenges and desires regarding local food economy improvement. The above identified issues were presented to the attendees and clarifying discussions and further input was recorded. Hi-Line Regional Summary Notes here. 

During this trip, AERO staff arranged in person meetings and tours of facilities involved in the food system across the region: Bear Paw Meats (processing and distribution), Sleeping Buffalo Greenhouse (geothermal greenhouse and CSA), Hinsdale’s Agriculture Educator (school, root cellar, gardens), Malta’s Farm to School program (school garden), Brookside Woolen Mill (producer), Hi-Line Kitchen and Processing center (processing), and Wasson Farm & Ranch (large-scale production) to gather additional input and build relationships in this region of Montana. The diversity of the region in terms of producers’ geography, agricultural practices, and community-building techniques highlighted a need for additional capacity and facilitation. Following the community meeting and tours, AERO’s Local Food Systems Coordinator (acting as RC) interviewed additional producers and business owners in the region to ensure the information gathered was far-reaching and thorough.

This region experienced numerous challenges in identifying members that had the capacity to commit to meetings and the project due to their geographical distance from each other, and work, family, and community commitments. In Montana’s rural communities, producers often serve on planning boards, participate in school activities, and have steady production schedules that preclude additional meetings. In sharing the project and planning process with regional producers, AERO struggled with communicating the planning process steps and language lined out in the grant proposal. Many producers in the region did not recognize when work they were already doing was fulfilling MFEI tasks and outcomes. Therefore, AERO staff added RPT time to make direct contacts with producers in this region to explain the planning process in detail, and outlining for each how the work they currently do contributes value to the food system and is a needed voice in the creation of a regional food system strategic plan.

Between January and October 2019, Regional Planning Teams completed their MFEI grant commitments, drafted strategic plans, and outlined courses of action and collaboration to pursue after the grant period was complete:

It is important to note that staff turnover at AERO in 2019 necessitated a change of PI and the hiring of a contractor to ensure the SC and the project as a whole continued to receive support and accomplished its goals. The project team invested time and energy in building relationships with the new project members, and reviewed the project process, accomplishments, and challenges to date. AERO selected Kate Wright, the Open & Local liaison from the Gallatin Valley region as the contractor for this project, specifically because of her qualifications as a skilled facilitator, her familiarity with the project, and her familiarity with many FAs and RPT members.

Helena

In March 2019, the Helena region conducted a RPT meeting via phone and the FAs attended Western SARE funded FarmLink’s Beginning Farmer Network annual meeting to research the opportunities and strategies for encouraging new producers to farm and sell in the Helena region. From May through August, the FAs worked closely with AERO’s contractor and the rotating RPT members to prepare a draft regional strategic plan, and explored the opportunity to bring “planning for on farm success” trainings to the Helena region as a way to support current and prospective producers in the region. A final community meeting was held in conjunction with an AERO farm tour of KJ’n Ranch and Sheep Mountain Creamery whereby the FAs outlined the strategic plan to the community, and announced the intention to pursue the expansion and support of regional producers as the next immediate goal. FAs participated in presenting and discussing their MFEI project outcomes at the AERO Expo at Montana State University in October 2019.

North Flathead Valley

In mid-February, producers from the MFEI North Flathead Valley region hosted a “sustainable farmer social” at Flathead Valley Community College, introducing Flathead Valley market farmers to the MFEI project and exploring opportunities to collaborate. Eighteen producers attended and, among other discussions, collaborated on bulk-order purchasing of farm supplies. 

The North Flathead Valley region chose to combine their second and final community meeting in March 2019, with a power point presentation on their MFEI work at the annual Free the Seeds event. There were 20 attendees at this presentation (inclement weather impacted attendance). Included in the presentation and provided to Free the Seed attendees at large was a questionnaire to collect demographic information, determine where people get/seek information about local food, identify gaps in their local food system. The RPT had a follow up meeting in April to strategize incorporating the survey feedback collected from 58 respondents into their strategic plan, and to start a conversation about the future of the group once the strategic plan is submitted and the grant period is closed. From May through September, RPT members worked with the AERO consultant to draft their regional strategic plan. In addition, they officially formed as their own entity, selected a name (Glacier FEAST – Farmers and Eaters Advocating Sustainability Together), and clarified their purpose of pursuing their strategic plan goals. In August 2019 the group hosted a Launch Dinner called “Join Us at the Table!” for 110 guests, announcing the group’s intention to build community awareness and help connect the dots in the system by bringing folks to the table from all parts of the local food system. The FA presented the group’s findings and plan at the AERO Expo at Montana State University in October 2019.

Gallatin Valley

When the Open and Local (O&L) steering committee discussed participating in AERO’s “Montana Food Economy Initiative” (Dec 2017-Feb 2018), the original plan was for a producer to participate as the region’s Field Advisor because that was how the grant proposal had been written. No producer was identified to fill this role and O&L member, Kate Burnaby Wright, agreed to serve as “Liaison.” Because the Gallatin region was already developing cross-sector collaboration that did not follow the MFEI process, but was doing similar work, Gallatin Valley is not an “official AERO-facilitated MFEI region,” but rather a parallel example of similar work to learn from and share with throughout the duration of the project. The Gallatin Valley region “parallel” participation was fruitful; their inclusion supported increased communication across regions. O&L worked collaboratively with AERO staff and SC members to discover how to strengthen local food systems, and both the MFEI project and O&L benefitted from the collaboration process. AERO and O&L intend to continue their collaboration moving forward.

The O&L Strategic Plan is shared with Western SARE and AERO as an example of what this “parallel region” created with a different process. O&L agreed to share their strategic plan in case it is of value to anyone else in Montana trying to do similar work. Open & Local is allowing AERO to share their Strategic Plan as part of a larger vision, to promote regional food system work in all its various forms and to help AERO in its goal of pursuing this work, though it is not considered an outcome of the MFEI project itself. 

Hi-Line

In February 2019, the Hi-Line FA and AERO participated in a phone meeting to discuss the upcoming changes in AERO staff, and the impact it might have on the region’s MFEI work. In April, AERO’s contractor traveled to the Hi-Line to meet with the FA and discuss her role as AERO contractor, and how she could assist the Hi-Line region with community meetings and the development of their regional strategic plan. She also attended a Farm to School meeting in Malta, seeking opportunities to build additional sustainable agriculture alliances in the region. AERO’s contractor and the FA communicated via email and phone discussions from May through September to draft the regional strategic plan together and the FA collected additional feedback from community members, store owners, and producers to incorporate into the plan. Prior commitments prevented the FA from attending the last SC meeting in the North Flathead Valley in September. However, the AERO contractor and AERO staff traveled to the Hi-Line in September to meet with the FA and others in the region to discuss the closure of the grant period, the finalization of the region’s strategic plan, and the intention to continue working together in the future.