Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1527954
78 | SIGNATURE MONTANA To advance to the next level, Cole teamed up with Dan Miller, the founder of Steward, a company breaking new ground in finance by supporting regenerative agriculture through crowd and community- based lending. Steward has financed over 100 businesses like Old Salt nationwide. Miller explains, "Really, the goal is how do we get the money in the hands of these producers and these regional supply chains so they can do what they do so well." Miller's deep-rooted passion for agriculture stems from his upbringing in Eastern Maryland, where his family has farmed since the 1880s. During this time, he observed the detrimental impacts of large-scale farming and overfishing in the Chesapeake Bay area. Embracing the community spirit, Miller invited like-minded producers to the Old Salt Festival, including James Beard Award- winning chef Spike Gjerde, who has also benefited from Steward's lending. Gjerde and his team enriched the event with their culinary expertise, delighting aendees with regional delicacies like oysters on the half-shell and showcasing their respective areas' rich flavors and traditions. "It's just so cool to be at a festival where the food and the conversation really measure up to some of the highest and most interesting thinking around food, including what Dan is doing with Steward," Spike remarks. "We are just so happy to bring our passion for our region, Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, and do this incredible mash-up with Montana beef and all these other great ingredients." e event epitomizes the ethos of the meat company, blending crasmanship with commerce and adopting a sophisticated economic approach to foster a more sustainable ecosystem. "e Festival was meant to be one more way we demonstrate, not just talk about, the community that surrounds these landscapes," says Mannix. "Not just about producers and the way they manage land, but about a lile mini food economy of people who share a set of values." e common thread uniting all involved is a shared commitment to the right principles. ey care about the land, the producers, the animals, and the customers who complete the circle. "I'm just so happy to be a part of something that deeply cares about our food and where it comes from," asserts Gjerde. "If we're not paying more aention, we are not going to have a delicious future." Old Salt is not aiming to compete with industry giants; instead, they are establishing an alternative system where the customer plays a crucial role alongside the producer, the butcher, and the chef. "What we do to the land, we do to ourselves," imparts Mannix. "e health of the land is our health. Our tagline sums it up best: Land is kin." Born and raised in Montana, Colter Pedersen enjoys the idea of the outdoors from the comfort of the indoors. Almost handsome and just shy of charming, his know-it-all attitude has tested the patience of many. But in a fun way. S MT "What we do to the land, we do to ourselves. The health of the land is our own health," says Cole Mannix (pictured right). Montana-raised and processed beef was the original inspiration for the Old Salt Co-op. The Land Talk Lounge hosted various speakers, including a live recording of the Mountain & Prairie podcast.