Montana Food System Council

Mission:
“To advance sustainable choices
that enhance economic opportunities
which preserve open space, wildlife habitat,
farm and ranchlands and quality of life
for future generations.”

Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) is a sustainable development nonprofit located in Livingston, Montana. Sixty-five ranchers, conservationists and small business owners from throughout the Northern Rockies formed WSE in 1994 under the name Corporation for the Northern Rockies to promote the global concept of sustainability in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. In 2009 we changed our name to Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) to better reflect our geographic area, our issue focus and the collaborative way in which we advance sustainable practices.

WSE’s Philosophy
WSE believes that “Sustainability” is fundamentally about our relationship to the world around us and our responsibility to future generations. We are convinced sustainability is a journey composed of individual choices that lead to healthy natural, economic and social systems that can be sustained long into the future. There are three aspects that are inextricably linked and therefore must be pursued as inseparable goals:
1. Economic prosperity
2. Environmental stewardship
3. Community well-being

These goals are achieved by actions that recognize the interrelationships between people and the natural world, the carrying capacity of the planet and the long-term consequences of our choices. We believe that these principles are best practiced through individual choices that reflect each person’s value system and priorities.

WSE’s Focus on Agriculture
Throughout the Northern Rockies farm and ranch lands are an important source of habitat for wildlife. In Montana alone, nearly 60 million acres (dedicated to crops, forage and livestock production) provide valuable habitat for many of the state’s 196 “species of concern”. In addition, these agricultural lands provide indispensable migration corridors that connect the Yellowstone Ecosystem with ecosystems in Central Idaho and Glacier. Such corridors are in peril because of habitat fragmentation associated with rural development.

Though increasingly common, the subdivision and development of family farms and ranches is rarely viewed as a best-case scenario for landowners. More often than not, it is a last ditch effort to stay solvent in a competitive industry where any unexpected financial set-back can make or break a lifetime’s worth of effort. And when a farmer or rancher loses their place, sells out, or subdivides it’s not just wildlife that suffers but our communities and our culture as well.

Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) believes that in order to preserve the integrity of this region’s environment, economy and culture it is imperative that farmers and ranchers are able to stay on the land.

But even that is not quite enough. Unfortunately, most agricultural lands are managed with conventional practices that often result in ground and surface water pollution, overgrazed grasslands and trampled riparian areas. Important farm and ranch lands need to remain largely intact but they also need to be managed sustainably. WSE encourages and supports the use of sustainable practices through programs that provide financial rewards to farmers and ranchers who recognize the importance of sustainability. We believe that if farms and ranches using sustainable practices can remain economically viable, the land they occupy will continue to provide public benefits for years to come.

Western Sustainability Exchange provides this support through our comprehensive Market Connection Program that includes the following initiatives: Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection, WSE Education and Outreach, Livingston Farmers Market, Young Entrepreneur Leadership, Conservation Customers and the Steer to Steak Initiative.

WSE has achieved much during our 16 years and is recognized in the region as the leader in promoting economically attractive sustainable practices for the benefit of wildlife, community culture and the prosperity of the rural west. We have managed all this with relatively limited resources. However, as our work begins to come full circle, as public awareness in favor of sustainable practices begins to grow, as markets begin demanding food whose value is based on criteria other than cost, and as producers begin to understand that sustainable agriculture can be profitable, the time is right for us to flesh out our current programs and take advantage of new opportunities to fully achieve our mission.

Western Sustainability Exchange is dedicated to protecting the things we all love about the West – its communities, its culture, its wildlife, its landscapes.

WSE’s Market Connection Program Initiatives
Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection
WSE’s Farm to Restaurant Program connects producers that employ sustainable stewardship practices to our network of chefs, caterers, concessionaires and grocers who are passionate about local, sustainably produced food.
• WSE has trained over 475 producers in sustainable techniques
• Opened markets for over 100 producers
• Generated over $550,000 in sales to area farmers and ranchers in 2009 alone

As a direct result of our work, over 600,000 acres of agricultural land and open space are being managed sustainably today. Additionally, we have reached approximately 750,000 people throughout the Northern Rockies with “buy local” and sustainability messages.

WSE Education and Outreach
WSE’s Education and Outreach work increases public awareness about the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable living. It also inspires action by providing the information and tools that people need to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily lives.
• In 2009, 75 exhibitors promoted sustainable concepts, products and services at our Sustainable Living Expo in Billings, Montana. Over 1000 people attended the expo and learned about the benefits of sustainable living.
• Aired a series of interviews—in partnership with Yellowstone Public Radio—designed to increase the public awareness of sustainability issues and the economic advantages of adopting sustainable practices. These programs reached over 35,000 people!
• Hosted panels on Sustainability Dollars and Sense and Green Jobs for a New Economy through Yellowstone Public Radio.
• Aired interviews on Health and Sustainability as well as WSE and the Sustainable Living Expo.
• Trained 44 kids, with our partners, through our Young Entrepreneur Leadership Program, which focused on starting a business, using sustainable business practices, and community giving.

Livingston Farmers Market
Western Sustainability Exchange operates the extremely popular Livingston Farmers Market and is the fiscal sponsor for the new Bozeman Winter Farmers Market. The markets are our most straightforward example of support for local, sustainable ag producers and are excellent illustrations of the economic multiplier effect that occurs when money is spent locally.
• 2009 was the market’s biggest year yet! Total vendor participation reached 180 and the market generated over $145,000 in sales – which went right back into the local economy.
• The market inspired and hosted the Young Entrepreneur Leadership Program.
• We instituted the Seniors Farmers Market Nutritional Program and distributed $3,800 in coupons to 75 low-income seniors so they could buy fresh, local food.
• We organized several special events to bolster awareness and attendance, including Alternative Energy Day, Mental Health Awareness Day, Livingston Arts and Culture Day and Kids’ Day.

Conservation Customers Program
Beginning in 2010, Western Sustainability Exchange is partnering with Montana Audubon. Our pilot project to create Conservation Customers will recruit ranchers whose sustainable practices protect riparian and Sage Grouse habitats. In turn, we are developing marketing strategies to promote the ranchers’ beef to Audubon members and other “Conservation Customers.”

Steer to Steak Initiative
Ranchers produce cattle. Markets buy beef. There are many steps before a steer becomes a steak. The Steer to Steak initiative is a complex undertaking that connects ranchers to buyers willing to pay a premium for sustainably raised cattle. With over 40 million acres in pasture and rangeland, Montana’s 11,000 plus ranchers play a significant role in preserving the region’s open spaces and protecting wildlife habitat. By opening new markets, WSE is providing economic incentives for regional producers to stay on the land and help maintain these ranches for future generations.

WSE’s Partners
Western Sustainability Exchange is proud to work with other organizations, agencies and businesses to advance sustainable practices. Below is a list of our partners:
• Montana Audubon
• Junior Achievement
• Park County 4-H
• Links for Learning
• Livingston Center for Arts and Culture
• Livingston Food Pantry
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Park County
• Northern Plains Resource Council
• Yellowstone Public Radio
• Green Directory Montana
• Yellowstone National Park
• Toyota
• Governor’s Council on Economic Development
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality
• Headwaters Cooperative Recycling