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Brittany Moreland:The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub
Above: Brittany Moreland at her farm in Luther, Montana. “I’m a native Montanan and have always had an interest in agriculture,” said farmer Brittany Moreland in Luther, Montana. Brittany grew up in central Montana with summers spent helping on the family grain farm. Despite Brittany’s exposure to agriculture, she went on to study at…
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Monica Wiitanen:Cottage Food Law
Above: Baker Monica Wiitanen at her home in Paonia, Colorado. “I got out a cookbook and started making yeast breads when I was 18 and I’ve been making bread pretty much ever since,” said Monica Wiitanen at her home in Paonia, Colorado. “It’s about the flavor, texture, ingredients, value. What I make is…
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Omega Beef:Grass, Water and Community
Above: Jeanie Alderson and Terry Punt at their home in Birney, Montana. Jeanie Alderson and Terry Punt live and work at Bones Brothers Ranch in Birney, Montana. Together with Jeanie’s father, two sisters and their families, they own and operate Bones Brothers Ranch. Jeanie is a fourth-generation rancher. “I’m really proud to be part…
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Native American Natural Foods:A Company with a Mission
Above: Karlene Hunter stands outside of her office in Kyle, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Residents of Pine Ridge Reservation in Kyle, South Dakota have to drive 85 miles to find healthy food. Their closest option to fresh fruits and vegetables is located in Rapid City. The reservation is a food desert,…
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Shiloh Valley Family Farm
Theresa Shaw stands in a greenhouse at Shiloh Valley Family Farm as dark storm clouds fill the sky. Her youngest son, 5-year-old David, hangs on her hip as she begins her story. “The Farmer Veteran Coalition provided us a grant to buy this greenhouse as we were expanding into vegetables,” said Theresa. The…
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Steve Charter: Soil Health
Third-generation rancher Steve Charter is changing the story about agriculture. “When you use fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, over-till and overgraze, you mess up the entire relationship of the soil and the plant,” said Steve. Over the past 70 years modern agriculture’s reliance on additives has depleted soil, polluted waterways, significantly increased greenhouse gas emissions and…
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Stephanie Rael:Fighting for Farms
Above: Farmhand Stephanie Rael at Peaceful Belly Farms in Boise, Idaho. “I was raised on a lot of processed food. Canned goods, Hamburger Helper, frozen entrees, that sort of thing. I’ve always loved to eat but it wasn’t until I volunteered on an organic farm in Germany that I found my passion for good,…
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Tom Varcalli
Above: Tom Varcalli at his home in Sheridan, Wyoming. Tom Varcalli wants to see farms supporting families again. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that the average American farm operated at a net loss — requiring off-farm income and health insurance just to break even. “The farm can make money — but not…
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Wink Davis: Commitment to Consumers over the Industrialization of Small Scale Farms
On his sixtieth birthday, Wink Davis gave himself a present. He and his wife, Max Eisele, bought a farm in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Today, Wink and Max raise certified organic peaches, apples, wine grapes, table grapes and Babydoll Southdown sheep. And there’s the winery. Mesa Winds Farms & Winery rests in the North Fork Valley,…
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Doug Yankton: Protecting Spirit Lake Nation
Above: Doug Yankton Senior, the Crow Hill District Representative of Spirit Lake Nation and the Tribal Vice Chairman. “People of Spirit Lake have been here long before the city of Devils Lake and the surrounding communities. Long before the state was even named the state. So for them to not consider us and asking…