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Farmers are an Aging Population, One Young Farmer has a Vision for Change
For years, Patrick Certain has imagined a gathering space for friends and family, where children in the community could come to learn where their food comes from, where all could join in a shared meal harvested from his garden. His farm would come to be called Stone Soup Garden, which began to take form…
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Urban Food Forests Provide Space for Community Connection, Education and Nourishment
The Sheridan Food Forest sits alongside Big Goose Creek, tucked into what was once a BMX Park in the community of Sheridan, Wyoming. The once weedy, hard packed lot is now filled with plants and trees native to Wyoming, and supplemented with fruit trees and common vegetables. The food forest seeks to provide food…
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Aquaponics and Access: Swanky Roots
Above: Image courtesy of @nathansatranphoto and Swanky Roots. Montana isn’t known for its’ year-round local produce. The harsh winters and short summers can greatly impact growing seasons and deter farmers from planting certain crops. That didn’t stop Billings locals Ronna Klamert and Veronnaka Evenson from pursuing their passion. In the last decade, a significant…
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Swift: From Microgreen Farming to Food Waste Recycling
Above: Reed Youngbar at Swift Microgreens Farm in Billings, Montana. In farming, even if you do everything right, things can go wrong. Access to a sustainable, thriving market is essential for any farmer to succeed. New and first-generation farmers are often forced into the dilemma of either purchasing somewhat affordable land far away from…
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Annika Charter Williams: Food Hub
Above: Annika Charter-Williams holds her son, Willie, and daughter, Stevie at their ranch in Shepherd, Montana. Annika Charter Williams helps her 4-year-old daughter Stevie pull on a pair of pink and brown cowboy boots. It’s early morning in late-August. Annika’s father, Steve, rides up to his daughter and granddaughter on a chestnut brown horse.…
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Nash Farms:Farming with Family
Above: Tom Tschida at Nash Farms in Carbon County, Montana. Rusty, but functioning, antique tractors and a modern solar array frame Tom Tschida as he describes the unlikely way he became a rancher. “I’d been away working for a long time when [my parents] bought this place and started building it up. A few…
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Sara Hollenbeck:High Five Meats
Above: Sara Hollenbeck at home in Molt, Montana. Sara Hollenbeck has spent the past five years embracing the chaos that comes with running a ranch, marketing a product and becoming a mom. Sara, her husband Henry, and her father-in-law Mike Hollenbeck run High Five Meats in Molt, Montana. Together, they manage 2,500 sheep, 200…