Local Food and Flathead Farmers

Support Local Food and Farms

The Flathead Valley is dotted with some of the most productive farm soils nationwide. Rich soils in the Creston area have been referred to as “black gold.”

Rapid growth and housing development on this beautiful landscape can also means the loss of important farms, forests, and local food security. By supporting locally-produced foods and beverages and local farms, we can help sustain the local farming economy, food security, and a vibrant diverse community.

Whether you are interested in farming, the local economy, or good food, you can help local farmers by eating locally-produced foods, supporting farmland conservation, being a good neighbor, planting pollinator gardens, and more. 

Check out this map of Flathead Valley’s Prime Agricultural Lands.

Living with Farmers and Ranchers

Agricultural operations in Flathead County produce crops including hay, wheat, canola, barley, and peas in addition to fruits and vegetables. There are also livestock operations in the county with cattle, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, and turkeys.

Farming and ranching is a year-round, night and day business that may be loud, smelly, and dusty. Learn about your neighbor’s activities, what to expect, and how to be a good neighbor.

One of the quickest ways to antagonize your neighbors is to let your dog chase livestock. Regardless if the livestock are on a ranch or a hobby farm, they are considered an important investment and are often regarded as part of the family.

Establish understandings and agreements about shared property and management responsibilities, including access and maintenance of fences, roads, streams and ditches, weeds, forest thinning for wildfire prevention, and more.

Local Food

When you buy food from local farmers, you not only eat delicious fresh food, but also support our friends, neighbors, and the local economy. It also helps sustain our rich farmland and beautiful open spaces.

Visit Abundant Montana to learn about local farms and ranches, farmers’ markets, community gardens, craft beverages, and specialty products (cheese, honey, bread, and more).

Purchase Wild-Caught Fish from Flathead Lake and support native trout conservation. Visit Native Fish Keepers.

Local Farms

Join us in safeguarding Flathead farmland that sustains local food production. Learn about the local land trusts that protect agricultural land and strengthen local food systems: Flathead Land Trust, Montana Land Reliance, Save Farmland.

Beginning Farming? Check these great local resources to get started:

Landowner Assistance

The Flathead Conservation District and Flathead County Extension work with landowners to promote responsible use of natural resources, including managing weeds, pasture management, creating pollinator and rain gardens, becoming an urban gardener, and more.

The USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service provides technical and financial assistance to landowners with land management, including forest thinning, soil conservation, greenhouse tunnels, irrigation improvements, wildlife habitat conservation, and more. Assistance programs vary by county and are on an application basis. Visit your local NRCS office to learn more.

Food Security & Food Access

A reliable and resilient local food system enables the community to respond effectively and adapt to changing conditions, including extreme weather events like heat, drought, and floods. These can disrupt the predictability and availability of many foods, including wild game, fish, and many subsistence, ceremonial, and medicinal plants.

A strong local food system requires community engagement across all sectors. The four programs highlighted below serve as cornerstones for a strong local food system and work to ensure local food sustainability and security, community health, and cultural well-being. 

Food Security & Food Access Resources

  • Abundant Montana

    Find Montana food and farms near you, including farmers’ markets, food pantries, grocery stores, restaurants & institutions that provide local food, and the processors, distributors, institutions, and organizations that support Montana food systems.

    Abundant Montana

  • Land to Hand

    Land to Hand is a local nonprofit that offers assistance programs to those who may have trouble accessing fresh and locally grown produce in Flathead County. They offer farmers’ market coupons (SNAP and Food Rx programs), a free seeds exchange program, summer camps for kids, and more.

    Land to Hand

  • ASSIST - Flathead

    Assist Flathead connects people to resources, including food pantries, food banks, community kitchens, clothing, housing, health resources, subsidized and low income housing, emergency shelters, crisis hotlines, and other unmet needs for regaining their health and independence.

    Assist Flathead

  • Fishing, Hunting and Foraging Classes

    Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks offers fishing, hunting and foraging classes, information, and permits to ensure a sustainable harvest in the Flathead. Find out what you need to get started to become a responsible hunter or forager and the permits required to ensure a sustainable harvest.

    Montana FWP