(Re) Introducing Save Farmland

Farmland is rapidly disappearing.

Montana alone is losing over 100,000 acres of valuable farmland each year to development. Flathead Valley is losing nearly 4,000 acres per year. Not only that, local food is losing to big agriculture. Only 3% of the food consumed by Montanans was actually grown or raised in Montana. This used to be ~70% in 1950 and has declined ever since. 🤯

So what’s going on here? What are the repercussions of both of these issues? And how do we fix them?

These are the exact questions we’ve been asking ourselves for the past two years as we’ve prepared to officially launch Save Farmland as a new 501(c)3 nonprofit here in Flathead Valley, Montana. And today’s that day.

Save Farmland 2.0 — Beyond the Mural

You may have seen the “Save Farmland” logo around town, and thought to yourself — cool message, but what exactly is Save Farmland? What do they do? Is this even a legit organization? 

All great questions! Here’s the 1-minute history…

Save Farmland started as a slogan on a mural, to raise awareness for the farm and ranch land that was quickly disappearing across Flathead Valley. The Haskill Creek owners (Scot, Carrie & Craig) decided to paint it on the side of their store and donate $1 of every order to the cause. 

A year later, the Chisholms bought the 40 acres across from the store in Whitefish because it was set to be developed. Their plan was simple: protect this open space as farmland forever. But Save Farmland wasn’t a nonprofit yet. Outside of the 40-acre donation, it was just a mural on the side of a building. 

Then Scot met Robin Kelson, the Executive Director of Abundant Montana. Robin introduced him to many incredible people that had been working on this issue from a variety of angles for many years. From Gretchen Boyer at Land to Hand, to Sophie Albert at North Valley Food Bank, to Todd & Rebecca at Two Bear Farm, to Sean and Brooke at Wicked Good Produce.

This kicked off a two year period of deep community engagement. Listening more than acting. Why? Because there was much to learn. We didn’t want to duplicate existing efforts. And we didn’t want to launch just “another nonprofit”. 

So after countless conversations and working sessions, here’s what we heard back: 

There isn’t a single organization whose sole purpose is to protect agricultural land, and then support the farming, ranching and local community with the very land it secures.

So, Save Farmland 2.0 was born…

Save Farmland’s 3-Year Plan

Save Farmland’s mission is now clear: Protect the land that feeds us all. It started with the 40-acre parcel donated by the Chisholm’s, but we envision a future where Save Farmland has conserved thousands, if not millions, of acres someday.

However, we understand the need to crawl, walk, run as we build out a rock solid foundation for the organization. At its core, this means developing three major pillars over the next three years:

1. Recurring revenue model — Our goal is to put Save Farmland in a position of budgetary strength from day 1. This means a heavy focus on building a recurring revenue base through a group of recurring donors we are calling ‘The Keep‘. This amazing group will simultaneously fund a small operating budget, and help get our land acquisition and land use programs off the ground. As more land comes under stewardship, we anticipate additional revenue streams from our sustainability and land use initiatives.
   
2. Land acquisition program — The organization was fortunate to start off with 40 prime acres near downtown Whitefish. Since then we’ve had dozens of inquiries about donating land in Flathead Valley and beyond (with several in process). Thus, Save Farmland will prioritize the develop of a world-class assessment, due diligence and on-boarding process for donated land. Our approach will also include working proactively with families on legacy land gifts, and competing in-market for key parcels that align to our strategy — focusing on proximity to population centers and the potential for land interconnectivity.
   
3. Land use programs — Save Farmland will develop a comprehensive land use strategy depending on the evaluation of the land and the needs of the community. This could range from repairing the soil and strengthening the biological ecosystem, to making the land available to farmers, ranchers, food access nonprofits and the community at large. Other programs might include animal grazing, berry and fruit production, community gardens and markets.

We are already planning our first major project on Voerman road in Whitefish, to include 10-15 micro-plots that can serve new farmers, existing farmers and local nonprofits. We plan to start prepping the land in 2025 and launch in 2027. As of the writing of this post, we have reserved some of this land for three food access nonprofit organizations — Land to Hand, North Valley Food Bank and FAST Blackfeet — who serve local schools and local families in Flathead and Glacier Counties, including the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana.

To get program updates, you can join our distro here. 

Deep Gratitude

Since the Save Farmland mural went up in 2021, the organization was born from the community’s voice and vision. We want to express our deep gratitude to the individuals and organizations that have informed our approach so far:

Early Ideation, Brand, Mural 

• Scot & Carrie Chisholm, Co-Owners, Haskill Creek & Cannabis Counter
• Craig McViney, Co-Owner, Haskill Creek & Cannabis Counter
• Robin Kelson, Executive Director, AERO & Abundant Montana
• Colette Stroia, GM Retail, Haskill Creek & Cannabis Counter
• Krista Oge Kober, Save Farmland Mural Artist 

Farming Community

• Todd Ulizio, Two Bear Farm & Farmer’s Stand
• Brooke & Sean Bohannon, Wicked Good Produce & Farmer’s Stand
• Hans Helmstetler, Snow Country Gardens
• Cassady Daley, Raven Ridge Farm
• The team at Snow Country Gardens
• Dane Regan, Farm Manager, FVCC Campus Farm
• Jason Boyes, Farm Manager, Haskill Creek & Cannabis Counter

Ranching Community

• Cole Mannix, Old Salt Co-Op
• Jeremey Myers, Montana Longhorn Co.
• Johnny Shockey, Range

Food Access

• Gretchen Boyer, Director, Land to Hand Montana
• Sophie Albert, North Valley Food Bank
• The team at Abundant Montana

Sustainability, Regenerative Agriculture, Education

• Genevieve Bennett, Director Of Communications and Strategic Outreach, Forest Trends
• Andy Blanton, Head Chef, FVCC
• Alissa LaChance, Owner, Dirt Rich Food Scrap Pick Up & Compost

First Land Donation & Seed Funding

• The Chisholm family 
• Steve Lull

Thank you for your support & partnership. We couldn’t be more excited to kick this journey off together!

With gratitude,

The Save Farmland team

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To get updates join our distro here. 

To follow us on Instagram click here.

To make a recurring donation and join The Keep, click here.