Abundant Montana

Abundant Montana Find Farms & Ranches, Farmers Markets, Restaurants, & retail stores serving local food in Montana.

Where does the next generation fit into Montana farming and ranching? In Montana alone, 1.6 million acres of farmland we...
09/03/2026

Where does the next generation fit into Montana farming and ranching?

In Montana alone, 1.6 million acres of farmland were lost between 2012 and 2017. Input costs are rising, and the return for products sold is dropping. On average, farmers and ranchers receive only 11.8 cents of every dollar that consumers spend on food.

Many family farms, ranches, and businesses have had to close or get an off-farm job as their primary job.

Seeing the struggle to keep the business running, many children do not see farming as a viable future. Or at the very least, do not see themselves as a part of this future.

However, there is hope for the next generation to find their place in agriculture, creating a future in which all Montanans THRIVE.

We recently received an email from that captured this potential perfectly:

"Abigail doesn't always love getting up before sunrise or climbing into the saddle, and that's okay. What she discovered she does love is the business side of agriculture—the marketing, the customer relationships, the creativity, and helping share our family's story. Before this business, she didn't even realize those opportunities existed within agriculture.

We often talk about regenerative agriculture and restoring the land for future generations. But we've found ourselves thinking about regeneration in a different way. What good is a regenerative ranch if there isn't another generation excited to carry it forward?

To us, regeneration isn't just about healthier soil or healthier cattle. It's also about raising kids who see a future in agriculture—whether that's on horseback, behind a camera creating social media posts, talking with customers at the farmers market, or dreaming up new ideas for the ranch."

Local food makes this abundant Montana future possible. Buying local food means: more money staying in Montana’s communities, supporting local jobs, and strengthening rural economies, farmer profitability, and quality of life, and making farming a generationally sustainable career.

Visit abundantmontana.com/33x33 to help make this future a reality.

Who's enjoying the cooler evenings? 🙋 We may be heading towards the fall season, but there are still MANY options for lo...
09/02/2026

Who's enjoying the cooler evenings? 🙋

We may be heading towards the fall season, but there are still MANY options for local Montana food.

The fruits, veggies, and other crops listed here are just a few of the foods you may find at your local farmers' market in September. Some markets have their last weeks coming up this month, so make sure to get as many visits in as you can!

What's been your favorite farmers market find this month?

If you're enjoying a plate of food this Labor Day, it's thanks to a farmer.All the food we eat was planted, raised, and ...
09/01/2026

If you're enjoying a plate of food this Labor Day, it's thanks to a farmer.

All the food we eat was planted, raised, and harvested thanks to a hardworking human.

Often on these days that we as eaters take off, farmers and ranchers still have work to do. Fields need watering, cattle need to be moved, and chickens need feeding.

We quite literally wouldn't be here if it weren't for the people who keep us fed.

Thank you.

It feels like you can't read the news without reading about yet another food recall these days. While it might feel like...
09/01/2026

It feels like you can't read the news without reading about yet another food recall these days.

While it might feel like this is the first year food recalls have existed, they are not new. There were 162 recalls by mid August, which is about half of the 320 recalls reported for all of 2025. The data for 2026 captures a little more than half of the year so far.

Why do we have so many recalls?

In the U.S., much of our food moves through an incredibly complex and long network of farms, processors, distributors, warehouses, trucks, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses before it reaches our plates.

That scale gives us a large variety of food year-round. But it also means that there are more places where contamination can occur, and that it can move through the system and affect people hundreds or even thousands of miles away before the source is identified.

On the other hand, local food typically has an incredibly short, simple path to your plate, which reduces the number of places where contamination can occur.

Furthermore, our local food system has something our industrialized, centralized food system doesn't: Accountability.

When you buy local food, your farmer isn't hidden behind a long chain of companies. They're your neighbor. They are either selling it directly to you at the farmers market, or they're selling it directly to a grocery store, farm stand, restaurant, or value-added business (a jam company, for example).

Farmers growing food for their family, friends, and neighbors have a very personal stake in the health and well-being of their customers and therefore put a great deal of care into making their products safe to eat.

That doesn't mean contamination can't happen locally. But with the care our farmers give to their operations, and because it's a shorter, more transparent food chain, it's FAR less likely.

So be sure you're supporting local, not only while food recalls are highly visible, but always!

Every time we buy from a Montana farmer, rancher, or food business, we're building the infrastructure for a more reliable and resilient food Montana system.

That matters when the next disruption comes.

Maybe it's a foodborne illness outbreak. But it could also be a wildfire, a pandemic, a fuel shortage, a transportation breakdown, or something we haven't anticipated yet.

We can't prevent every disruption. But we can build a food system that's better equipped to withstand them.

Eating local looks like...Drop a photo of your most recent local meal in the comments!
08/30/2026

Eating local looks like...

Drop a photo of your most recent local meal in the comments!

We were proud to feature Old Town Farmstead in the South Central Section of our 2026 Local Food Guide!, located in Three...
08/27/2026

We were proud to feature Old Town Farmstead in the South Central Section of our 2026 Local Food Guide!

, located in Three Forks, is guided by the values of Healthy Foods, Local Sourcing, Education, and Community Connection.

To connect with these values yourself, visit their year-round farm shop stocked with a variety of goods, from artisan and long-fermented sourdough breads, pastries, pizzas, produce, eggs, meats, and cheeses to local art and unique gifts.

Learn more at oldtownfarmstand.com

Looking for more recommendations in your region? Find "must-trys" near you in our Local Food Guide at abundantmontana.com/localfoodguide!

08/24/2026

Is this your idea of a perfect Saturday evening?:

🚜 An intimate gathering on a farm
🍲 5 course menu
🥕 All ingredients except the salt grown in Montana
🌸 Table set up in the middle of a flower field
🪕 Serenaded by soft banjo playing in the background
🌈 incredible views of the mountain range, a beautiful sunset, and two appearances by rainbows after a rumbling thunderstorm

If you answered "Yes!!!", then you should sign up for our monthly newsletter.

We include an extensive list of local food events all around Montana, delivered straight to your inbox at the beginning of each month, so you never miss out on an evening like this again.

Comment "Newsletter" and we'll send you the link to sign up and tell you when the next dinner is ☺️

Let's talk food miles 🚛When people talk about the many benefits of buying local food, “food miles” is often brought up."...
08/20/2026

Let's talk food miles 🚛

When people talk about the many benefits of buying local food, “food miles” is often brought up.

"Food miles" is a term for the distance your food travels from where it was grown to reach your plate.

For example, if you look at the tag on the tomato you bought at the grocery store and it says “Mexico,” your tomato likely traveled 2,000-3,000 miles to get to you in Montana. But if you went to your local farmers market, your tomatoes likely traveled fewer than 50 miles to reach you, and often closer to 10 miles.

Often, when people consider their personal carbon footprint (i.e., the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere due to their actions), they focus on how much they travel by plane or car but fail to consider how far their food travels to reach them.

The farther food travels, the more transportation, refrigeration, and storage it may require along the way. So factoring in your food into your carbon footprint shouldn’t be overlooked.

There’s a lot of nuance when talking about environmental impact in agriculture, and while the distance food travels isn’t the only way to measure it, it’s a good place to start if you are considering yours.

Next time you're in the grocery store, check the label on your food to see how far it's traveled to reach you!

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Helena, MT
59601

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