Story and photo by Kurt Dehmer, Explorebigsky.com Contributor
BOZEMAN— Residents of this
corner of Montana are among a
lucky few that know where our
food comes from.
The first annual Montana Farm
and Ranch Show took place the
last weekend in April at the
Gallatin County Fairgrounds,
and was an educational celebration
that put our food, and those
hardy souls who produce it, on
display for all to experience.
The show included a petting
area, small acreage land management
lectures, branding history
and everything in between.
What set it apart from a county
fair is that all of the exhibi –
tors, presenters and workshops
had something to do with local
agriculture. Exciting and educational workshops
were designed for kids and for the young at heart.
These included planting tomatoes, making butter,
meeting milk cows, and even one on edible soil.
Events for grown-ups were as diverse as they
were informative: Horse training, tractor restora –
tion, meat processing, pig raising, leather work –
ing and home canning were among many of the
demonstrations and workshops.
To round it all off, live demonstrations were
conducted on various topics including sheep
shearing, wool spinning, goat husbandry, draft
horse shoeing, milking and
basket weaving.
With my whole family in
tow, we were glad to have
some great food on hand.
Miller Farms, Desert Rose
Catering, Rendezvous
Catering, Kettle Corn and
Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream all
provided eats.
The Ag Theater presented
short films and lectures on
local food, raising Angus
cattle in Russia, and a
screening of the documentary
“Sweetgrass.”
For evening entertainment
the Farm and Ranch
Show served up some boot
stomping bluegrass music
by the Bridger Creek Boys
and whiskey tastings from
Roughstock Distillery.
The 2012 Montana Farm and Ranch Show literally
had something for everyone. Missed the show?
All of the lectures were recorded and are available
on DVD at montanafarmandranchshow.com.
See you next year.
