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Kent Wasson, a farmer/rancher from Phillips County, admits agriculture has been his heartbeat for as long as he can remember. For that reason, he has spent much of his life giving back to the industry by serving on various boards. Additionally, Wasson has a deep seeded passion for value- added agriculture. As a generational agriculturalist himself, he understands there is no greater reward than being able to pass your operation on to the next family member in line --a tradition that is becoming harder and harder to sustain. Wasson firmly believes value-added agriculture and diversification is the key to maintaining the traditions of Montana agriculture. He also says value-added agriculture has a positive trickle effect on rural communities by providing job opportunities. It was his service on a Montana State University College of Ag Experiment Station Advisory Board where Wasson interacted with like-minded individuals who saw the potential in value-added agriculture. It was the early 2000s and a new crop was starting to be grown in Montana's fertile Golden Triangle: canola. At the time, canola was a relatively new crop to Montana, but producers quickly learned it rotated great with their wheat crop, and there were plenty of marketing opportunities. However, the issue was that none of those opportunities were within state lines. If a producer wanted to sell their canola, they had to look elsewhere to get it done. e wheels got to turning in Wasson's mind, and he shared his thoughts with other Central Montana producers, many of whom were on the MSU Ag Experiment Station Advisory Board with him. ey all agreed that a feedstock crop processing facility would do well in the Big Sky State. is is where Jim O'Hara enters the story. In November of 2002, O'Hara, a farmer, and Chouteau County Commissioner, just so happened to be in the Chouteau County Courthouse the day Wasson and his cohorts walked in looking for a meeting place. ey wanted to brainstorm ideas for starting a bio-diesel refinery. Intrigued, O'Hara asked to sit in on the meeting as he, too, has a passion for value-added agriculture. "e rest, as they say, is history," O'Hara chuckled. Discussions and brainstorming veered the group away from bio-diesel specifically. ey incorporated under the name Peaks and Prairies LLC, procured grant funding, accrued s ome debt, and in 2004 they leased an oil crusher and set up shop in an abandoned airplane hanger at the Phillips County airport. At the time, the business was crushing oil specifically to be used by Argo, a Colorado-based bio-lubricant producing company. e First Twist in the Story e deal with Argo never materialized too much. Sales of their bio-lubricant products were dismal, but Peaks and Prairies was undeterred. ey had a mission to accomplish. "We all watched our children grow up and leave the state because there weren't any jobs, especially in these small communities. at was our whole idea- we wanted to create jobs and a market for canola," O'Hara stated. Jim O'Hara Kent Wasson 37 farm406

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