Grow Montana celebrates passage of food bill

There was plenty to look at when Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed Senate Bill 328 at the University Center Commons recently. But what had everyone’s attention was the smell coming from the serving line.

The governor and other dignitaries were in town to celebrate the bill that will make it easier for Montana producers to supply food to Montana institutions. UM’s Dining Services was on hand to provide some samples of just how good Montana-made food is.

Nancy Matheson, who manages Grow Montana, the group that championed the Montana Food to Institutions bill, said that in the 1940s and ’50s, 70 percent of the food eaten in Montana was produced in Montana. Today, she said, that number is only 10 percent.

Opening up avenues for Montana farmers and ranchers to provide food for universities, K-12 schools and prisons around the state could help turn those numbers around, she said.

In many ways, UM has led the charge in helping to open markets for Montana-produced food with its successful Farm to College program. Dining Services Director Mark LoParco said that 15 percent of the food consumed at UM comes from any of the 40 local vendors the University contracts with.

“Just as it always seems to happen in athletics and other areas, UM is ahead,” said Schweitzer, a Montana State University graduate.

The governor stressed the historic link in Montana between families that produced food and the families that consumed it. “If you know your farmer, you know your food,” he said.

Following the bill signing, the crowd of about 75 was treated to a selection of Dixon melon sorbet, Montana huckleberry milkshakes, hamburgers made from Montana-raised cows and buns baked with Wheat Montana flour.

Schweitzer was presented with a Montana-shaped hamburger, which he ate in front of flashing cameras and a chuckling crowd. “In Montana we have an opportunity,” he said, “and that means going back to where we were 80 years ago.”