Montana Ag Innovation Center awards 11 innovation grants

The Montana Agricultural Innovation Center has awarded 11 grants, the newest to the Amazing Grains Cooperative headquartered in Ronan.

The grant for $5,000 is to be used to develop market strategies for domestic and international markets for Montina, a non-gluten product that is especially helpful for people with Celiac’s disease.

The Montana Agricultural Innovation Center and its five Regional Economic Development Centers work to commercialize ideas that come from agricultural producers. The regional Economic Development Centers in Ronan, Havre, Wolf Point, Lewistown, Bozeman and the Billings area receive a small budget and have a person who works with a local board of directors to evaluate ideas received from entrepreneurs. In some cases, small grants are given to help entrepreneurs take their ideas to the next level of development.

Amazing Grains Cooperative has 53 grower-members, most of whom farm in Montana. The grant will fund a national and international market analysis for Montina, the co-op’s gluten free flour, which has been developed from Indian rice grass.

Ten other grants have been awarded. The previous grants went to:
–Red Lodge Farmers Market for marketing
–On Thyme Gourmet in Belfry to increase marketing via food show participation
–North Central Montana Vegetables Growers of Chester to do a marketing feasibility study
–Kenfield Wind Project in Chester for a feasibility study
–Gilgal Farms of St. Ignatius for marketing
–Western Montana Growers Cooperative of Arlee for marketing
–Ram Rack Orchard of Big Fork for marketing
–Ronan Farmers Market for marketing
–Colbry Farms at Chester for marketing
–Brookside Sheep Farm at Dodson for marketing.

Ralph Peck, Bozeman, the MSU College of Agriculture’s interim assistant dean for special projects, is director of MAIC. Perri Walborn of Columbus is associate director. Members of the board of directors are: Bruce Wright, Bozeman, district 2 director of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation; Brooks Dailey, Great Falls, president of the Montana Farmers Union; Will Roehm, Great Falls, district 9 director of the Montana Grain Growers Association; Dave Henderson, Cut Bank, district 6 director of MGGA; John Swanz, Lewistown, president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association; Ken Flikkema, Bozeman, a representative for forage producers; and Nancy K. Peterson, Helena, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture.

For more information, contact Walborn at (406) 322-9876 or [email protected].
or visit the center’s new web site maic.montana.edu.

Contact: Perri Walborn (406) 322-9876

http://www.montana.edu/commserv/csnews/nwview.php?article=2470