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42 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org A G R I C U LT U R E Montana Agriculture Brought to Your Table Food might only be second to oxygen for the things we take for granted. We gather guests around it, watch competitions about it, buy really impressive tools for it, and design cute lunchboxes for kids. Sometimes we pay attention to its nutrition, and sometimes we just want a giant bowl of ice cream. If you've just arrived in Great Falls, your first mission was likely to find a restaurant or grocery store. And that might be all you really know about food. Montana Agriculture: Location, Supply Chain and Nutrition In Montana, food starts with our number-one industry, agriculture: the science or practice of farming, including cultivating soil for the growing of crops and raising animals to provide food, fiber, and other products. Let's discuss why agriculture in Montana is a big deal. First, location matters in a quality food supply. Great Falls rests at the base of the Golden Triangle, an area of about 9,100 square miles with a vast landscape of big grasslands, clean waters and mineral-rich soils. This union produces the highest quality protein wheat in the entire world, along with top quality beef, thanks to Montana farmer and rancher ingenuity, stewardship, and if lucky, rain. Farmers also raise more malt barley than anyone else in the nation, making absolutely wonderful beer. You can even find a map of breweries thanks to the Montana Brewers Association. In the 1800s when ranchers to the south drove their massive cattle herds 1,500 miles north, they were seeking a feed supply that would produce better quality beef. They found it on the Montana high prairie and as a result, the Treasure State is the number-one seedstock supplier in the world. That simply means that Montana ranchers raise more registered cattle whose genetics determine the tenderness, flavor and nutrients of your filet mignon. Mastering genetic lines combined with sustainable, high quality feeding programs work the same for quality lamb and pork. At Central Avenue Meats in downtown Great Falls, you'll find knowledgeable, friendly folks to guide you in purchasing your favorite meat cuts, sourced from Montana producers.