Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1526858
107 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org 2. Ride a combine during wheat harvest. Great Falls is at the tip of what's known as the "Golden Triangle," a massive wheat- growing region that stretches nearly to Glacier National Park and east to Malta, MT. Starting in late July, you can take part in where your bread comes from. Ride a lap around the field harvesting wheat on a combine – a giant machine that cuts the grain, shakes the kernels out of the heads and deposits them into its own bin. You'll learn about the high tech world of farming today, how crazy expensive it is to farm, and you'll meet some of the nicest people in the world. Warning…your children might demand farm toys for Christmas. 3. Fill your freezer with protein – raised by kiddos! The annual Cascade County 4-H Market Sale offers the very best in ranch- raised beef, lamb, pork and goat meat. In 2024, a new video will be available to teach customers how to purchase a critter, who to source for your butcher shop, and how to choose your cuts of meat most suitable for your family. You can attend the sale and be entertained by the lively adventuring of an auctioneer or have someone buy for you by proxy. You may not have room to raise a steer in the back yard, but this is a way to support local kids and have the best quality protein on your plate. It's also a great way to buy on behalf of your business while supporting your employees' dinner plates. 4. Yes, Heidi, you can plant a garden. This isn't your grandmother's garden today, everyone's on social media now! Montana State University's (MSU) Montana Master Gardener program offers gardening how-to classes right here in Great Falls, and they have a great Facebook page. Learn all about raising peas and carrots, no matter if you have room for small containers or a half-acre to fill. This MSU Extension program guides you through the trepidation of starting your own produce factory with an entire community of support. If you're feeling ambitious, you can even step into canning, sell at the Great Falls Farmers' Market, or give your extra produce to your neighbors (you'll be very popular). It's a wonderful service to your family, super healthy, you can control how much or little you want to do, and it offers many life lessons while raising a crop. 5. Take riding lessons…or ride the range for a day. If you're willing to buy some boots and drive just a tad (but with no traffic), sign up for riding lessons. The Great Falls region is brimming with ranches; some offer riding lessons by equine professional coaches and others offer the opportunity to hang with them as a guest doing ranch things for a day. You might take part in a branding, learn to throw a rope (note: it's not proper to say lasso), give vaccinations to keep cattle healthy, or even witness a baby calf born. The magic of horsemanship was not lost on Winston Churchill when he said, "No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle." Consider taking in ranch life; it promotes understanding about land stewardship, animal husbandry and yes, it is very good for the soul. Thanks to folks like MSU's Extension – Cascade County, Montana farm and ranch life is available to you even if you don't own a thousand acres. Extension is a great route to plug into any of these activities and more. We encourage you to connect with them at montana.edu/extension/cascade. And if you have high school kids in your house, help them explore a summer job in agriculture. You never know, they might love it so much that one day, they might be raising the food on your plate. A G R I C U LT U R E Lori Wickett Montana Wheat & Barley Committee