ABOUT US
The Montana Food System Council is a group of 17 citizen volunteers and leaders with a passion for helping people sustainably grow and eat Montana food. We believe that by facilitating the connections between stakeholders in the Montana food system, we can help put fresher foods on the table, protect the environment and grow our state’s economy.
The Council has a cooperative relationship with the Governor’s Montana Food for Montanans Initiative to provide leadership for significant and widespread food system change efforts for the state of Montana.
Our Mission: To advance the growth of a sustainable and self-reliant food system.
Our Vision: A food system that supports sustainable agriculture, is affordable and nutritious food for all, and is a source of community economic development for Montana.
The Montana Food Systems Council supports the following goals as recommended by the Governor’s Food and Agriculture Summit:
- Promote public awareness, networking, research and curriculum development related to Montana food system issues;
- Promote farm viability and agricultural land uses;
- Encourage food system infrastructure development (food production, processing, marketing and distribution, and cooperative and business development), and
- Achieve food security for all Montanans.
The MFSC is comprised of citizens from across the state of Montana. Each member brings a wealth of experience in his/her individual background. If you have a question about barriers, opportunities, or a suggestion read through the short bios and contact that member who might have experience in the area of your concern. Contact that member for a chat. We want to hear from YOU!
Pam Gerwe
A partner/operator of Purple Frog Gardens, a first generation market farm in Whitefish, MT. Working with teenagers and community members in the dirt is one of her favorite things to do. She likes making compost, vermicompost and driving the tractor. Slowly decreasing the farm flock of laying hens from a high of 750, she hopes never to have more than 200 chickens again.
She loves the way the year divides her attentions. About 1/2 the year is spent farming/marketing and growing food/community. The other 1/2 she gets to travel around the Flathead Valley and Montana to talk about farming, growing food, community and the importance of eating local.
Purple Frog Garden
Whitefish, MT 59937
p.gerwe@montanafood.org
Cindy Owings
Spirited McAllister, Montana citizen who has turned her retirement from a design business into an opportunity to volunteer for causes she is passionate about that focus on Montana food, Indian Country housing needs, the cooperative movement, and development of a local foodshed in Madison County. She loves making cheese, traveling to find artisan cheese, and reading cheese tales. Writing about living rurally through publications and her blog has become a favorite pastime. She grows a farmers’ market garden filled with heirloom vegetables researched and started from collected and saved seeds. To spread the heirloom word, she shares her seedlings through visits to her dentist, the post office, the second-hand store, and board meetings, wherever a listener expresses interest in food the way it used to taste!
Cindy Owings
McAllister, MT 59740
c.owings@montanafood.org
Alicia Moe
A lifelong educator who in May, 2008, became principal owner and general manager of Cream of the West, a company that processes and sells Montana whole-grain products. The company, located in Harlowton, Montana, bolsters the struggling economy of their small agricultural community. Alicia is proud to announce the Spring 2010 launch of a new product line: Montana-grown organic grains, flours and lentils.
Alicia, with her husband, Richard, own and operate a 4th generation family ranch in Two Dot, Montana. They practice hands-on sustainable agriculture; and, to that end, market grass-fed, hormone free Moe Beef; have developed a 60-acre wetlands; and host 6 wind turbines. Alicia is a passionate advocate for Buy Local, Montana’s Homegrown Stimulus Package.
Cream of the West
Two Dot, MT 59085
a.moe@montanafood.org
Jessica Williams
Registered dietitian and the Food and Nutrition Services Manager at Livingston Healthcare in Livingston, MT. Jessica implemented Farm to Cafeteria in the hospital kitchen in October 2007. Since then, she has watched the number of local foods served in her facility multiply. She started a sustainability committee at LHC that focuses on sustainable practices around the hospital campus. A successful recycling program is now in place. The committee is currently working on a facility herb and vegetable garden to supplement the kitchen. Jessie explains, “What better way to make sick individuals well, than to fill them up with healthy, locally produced food.” Nearly all food served in the LHC kitchen is homemade and a good portion of it is grown right here in Montana.
Livingston Healthcare
Livingston, MT 59047
j.williams@montanafood.org
Erika Fredrickson
Arts editor and reporter for the Missoula Independent alt-weekly. Erika graduated from the University of Montana’s environmental studies program in 2009. During her time in the program she researched and wrote about local food justice, agriculture and climate change, food policy and Montana’s food history. Before her graduate studies, Erika worked on a sustainable agriculture farm in Tuscany, Italy as the sheepherder for four months during which time she cultivated an obsession with local food culture. Erika is acommitted to supporting the growth of Montana’s food system by reporting on and writing about the wonderful food projects already taking root in the state.
Missoula Independent
Missoula, MT 59802
e.fredrickson@montanafood.org
Gayle Carlson-Gifford
With nearly 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Gayle Gifford has been the Executive Director of the Great Falls Community Food Bank for the past three years. Having recently re-located to Great Falls, she lived in Belt, Montana for 25 years where she raised her two children. Her son is a graduate of the National Aviation Academy in Florida and now lives in North Carolina.
Gayle and her husband of two years love to travel and spend many weekends exploring Montana in their RV as well as flying to different places throughout the country. She is a new recruit to the sport of golf and enjoys spending time out on the course as well as being home with her family.
Great Falls Community Food Bank
Great Falls, MT 59401
g.carlson-gifford@montanafood.org
Lisa Schmidt
Lisa Schmidt raises and direct-markets natural, grass-fed beef and lamb with her family on their ranch near Conrad. She and her husband work hard to sustain the land first, recognizing that environmental and economic long-term sustainability go hand in hand. They use horses almost exclusively to manage their livestock — and head to the Bob Marshall Wilderness every chance they get. Lisa also writes magazine articles on agriculture and environmental issues. Readers regularly comment on her bi-weekly column about ranch life, Prairie Ponderings, which can be viewed at a-land-of-grass-ranch.com.
Rancher and Writer
Conrad, MT 59425
l.schmidt@montanafood.org
Shareen Springer
Shareen has been involved with food systems and farm-to-fork education and outreach since 2001. Since returning to Montana in 2009, Shareen has worked with farmers, community organizers, business leaders and food system planners from around Montana’s Flathead Valley to found Nourish the Flathead. The mission of this nonprofit-organization is to reconnect people to the sources of their food and to those who produce it through education, outreach, and market support.
Shareen brings more than seven years of public involvement, facilitation, food system education and community outreach experience to MFSC. She has worked as a facilitator, community organizer, consultant, farmer and food system activist throughout North Carolina, Oregon and Montana. She has worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations and government agencies to establish productive, collaborative partnerships with residents in both rural and urban communities. Shareen brings a strong passion for empowering communities to support sustainable change through grassroots community engagement.
Nourish the Flathead/JLA Public Involvement
Whitefish, MT 59937
Alison Harmon
Alison Harmon is on the faculty at MSU in the area of Food and Nutrition and Sustainable Food Systems. She has spent the last 4 years working with others to develop an undergraduate degree program called Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems. This program requires students to complete an upper level off-campus internship with a mentor who is a food system professional (farmer, rancher, market gardener, CSA operator, food enterprise owner, researcher, policy maker, non-profit director, food processor distributor or retailer, emergency food provider etc.). Alison also is a faculty advisor to the Towne’s Harvest Garden, which is an outdoor classroom located on MSU-Bozeman’s Horticulture Farm. Towne’s Harvest has a partnership with the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, operates as a CSA, and conducts outreach and produce sales at local farmers’ markets. The primary purpose of Towne’s Harvest is as a training ground for students in the Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems degree program where they learn the basics about food production, distribution and marketing. She has served as a site supervisor for Americorps Volunteers who have worked to develop MSU-Bozeman’s Montana Made Program. Alison can serve as a resource for food system professionals who want to develop mentoring relationships with student interns; CSA operators who have research questions related to small scale production, distribution, marketing, or connecting with emergency food providers; or small scale producers who want to market food products to public institutions but have questions about good agricultural practices, and safe food handling requirements.
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717
a.harmon@montanafood.org
Cheryl Kikkert
Bitterroot Farmers Market Project
Clinton, MT 59825
c.kikkert@montanafood.org
Bruce Smith
Farm to Table Project
Glendive, MT 59330
b.smith@montanafood.org
Eric Stenberg
Having realized at a young age that the best food comes from your own backyard, Eric quickly picked up on cooking from his mother and grandmother and preparing that fresh food into the simplest of dishes. Having been involved with the hospitality industry for over twenty five years and the changes to our food system Eric became a board member of the Chefs Collaborative. As chefs, our obligation to the food system is by working with the greater culinary community to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply. Making the connection between producers and chefs is a critical component of making sure that our local communities have the best access possible to food produced in our area. Spending time outside of the kitchen, Eric works to educate not only chefs but people connected to our food system and develop relationships with consumers who want to eat healthier local food.
The Club at Spanish Peaks
Bozeman, MT 59717
e.stenberg@montanafood.org
James Dodge
Food Resource Developer
Montana Food Bank Network
Missoula, MT 59808
Michael Dalton
Sunburst Unlimited, Inc.
Great Falls, MT 59401
Velma Real Bird
Universities Liaison
USDA Tribal Colleges
Apsáalooke (Crow Agency), MT 59022
Ex-Officio
Hank Hudson
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
Helena, MT 59620-2952
h.hudson@montanafood.org
