Montana Farmers Union Public Radio Commentary

By Sandy Courtnage, Communications Director

December 18, 1007

Keep Food Dollars Local

“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it,” said the comedian Lily Tomlin.  And, like many humorous quips, there’s more than a kernel of truth in the statement.  The holiday season often is a time that can deliver a load of stress along with the best intentions and holiday cheer. 

Our organization, like many others, holds on-going talks about goals and progress and then conducts a more formal year-end evaluation.  We take time to talk about what we have done well, what we could have improved upon, and what we were unable to accomplish – and why.  Such self-evaluation can be difficult, but we still need to decide if we’re on track, and by what kind of yardstick we will measure our progress.

For example, if we attend meetings, meet with members, and provide specific services in a useful way, those activities can be listed in a grid – and checked off as completed.  But there is more to life than meetings and the success and measurement of some goals is more elusive.  At year-end, I would like to reflect on one group and one event we participated in this past year that helped measure the value of working in cooperation and collaboration with colleagues and others who share similar goals. 

We were happy to be a part of a group this year working on ways to encourage a more local food system for Montana.  This group, working under the auspices of the Butte-based National Center for Appropriate Technology, goes by the name, ‘Grow Montana.’

As stated in its first report, Grow Montana is a coalition of public and private, commercial and nonprofit organizations who are working to create a way for more of Montana’s food and farm products to be used closer to home.  Further, it wants to retain more of the value that is added to our agricultural products in Montana communities, and to improve all citizen’s access to healthy, nutritious food. 

Perhaps you’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating:  if each Montana household spent just $10 a week on Montana-produced food, an additional $186 million dollars per year would go into the pockets of Montana’s food producers.  The work of this group continues to move forward and make important discoveries about how to best accomplish its goals.

Also this year, individuals, organizations, advocacy groups, and governmental entities came together at the Governor’s Food and Agriculture Summit.  Attendees discovered that they share many of the same goals when it comes to Montana, the food it produces, and its potential to feed its own people.

Here’s a few food lessons brought home this year:  during the first half of the 20^th century, the state’s food system was fairly local with 70 percent of the food Montana ate being grown in the state.  At that same time, farmers were getting about 60 cents of every food dollar spent.  Sixty cents is huge when compared to the seven cents they get now.

Local farmers – and consumers – have lost much value, in part, because of our global food system.  Food is handled by many processors and travels many miles before it reaches our table.

Today, only 10 percent of the food we eat here in Montana comes from our state.  That is the reality.  But, rather than cause us stress, we are full of hope that this situation will be turned around once again.

We will continue to collaborate with individuals and groups across the state to work for a food economy that improves our access to healthy Montana produced food and also supports the state’s farmers and ranchers.  One important goal for 2008 is to keep more of our food dollars local.

For the Montana Farmers Union, I’m Sandy Courtnage.  Thank you for listening throughout these past months, and best wishes for a healthy New Year.