4 Centers in Montana Selected for Entreprenurial Food & Agriculture Development

The Montana Department of Agriculture has selected four regional centers to serve entrepreneurs seeking to develop Montana-produced food, farm-derived renewable energy and other value-added agricultural products.

Centers in Glendive, Havre, Joliet and Ronan will form a network and collaborate with existing nonprofit, state, federal and tribal entities on services ranging from product development to business and marketing assistance. The four Montana Food and Agriculture Development Centers were created under House Bill 583 and a two-year $250,000 annual appropriation by the 2009 Legislature.

The centers are strategically located for ease of access. However, services that fall within the network’s purpose will be provided to any Montanan, said Ron de Yong, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. Use of specialized skills at the centers will help entrepreneurs get the most out of the network, he added.

Host organizations and areas of expertise include:

— Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development Area Inc., 604 West Front Street, Joliet, has worked with a variety of food and value-added agriculture businesses. The organization will collaborate with other service providers in the south-central region, and will specialize in beef genetics production and marketing.

— Bear Paw Development Corporation, 48 2nd Avenue, Suite 202, Havre, will provide services throughout the Golden Triangle region or north-central Montana, and will work with Montana State University-Northern and the MSU-Great Falls College of Technology to lead efforts in bio-products, wind farms and other types of alternative energy.

— Community Giving Assistance Towards Employment, 121 S. Douglas, Glendive, has a farm-to-table emphasis that includes services in diversified food product development, processing and testing for food entrepreneurs. Community GATE has erected a high tunnel greenhouse as a demonstration project to lengthen the vegetable growing season, and has plans for a shared-use commercial kitchen and local-foods restaurant in cooperation with a new culinary arts program at Dawson Community College.

— Lake County Community Development Corporation, 407 Main Street SW, Ronan, will cover western Montana and continue its focus in farm-to-table projects, food processing, testing and marketing in conjunction with its Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center and Cooperative Development program.

All four centers have experience with cooperatives and will work with the Montana Cooperative Development Center of Great Falls in advising groups that wish to use the method to enhance their production and marketing capability, de Yong said.

Individuals and groups seeking to process or market Montana-grown products often lack the business background and tools to make their dreams a reality, said Perri Walborn, the department’s Agricultural Marketing & Business Development Bureau Chief. Partnering with existing small business development centers will enable the centers to focus on agriculture while offering a broad range of services.

Six Bio-Product Innovation Centers in Montana, including those at Havre, Joliet and Ronan, will continue to provide business development and job training funded by a federal grant through the end of December.

For more information about the Montana Food and Agriculture Development Centers network, contact Walborn or Nancy Matheson at (406) 444-2402 or by e-mail at [email protected].