3rd Governor’s Summit on Local Food & Agriculture:
Maximizing Montana’s Agriculture Opportunity
Oct 23-24, 2026 | Helena, MT
Summit Themes
Healthy Soil
Supporting regenerative and climate-healthy agriculture ensures long-term productivity, land stewardship, and food security.
Resilient Markets & Economy
Growing local and regional markets creates good jobs, boosts farm income, and builds a more self-reliant and shock-resistant food economy.
Healthy Food & People
Expanding access to Montana-grown whole foods supports farmers, reduces food miles, and improves our health when included in our diets.
BACKGROUND:
The Governor’s Summits on Local Food & Agriculture bring together Montanans from all sectors to assess the current state of local food and farming. The goal is to identify opportunities to strengthen the food system and build networks and action plans that support future growth. A more resilient, self-reliant, and accessible food system keeps more food dollars in Montana, supports rural communities and improves nutrition and food security for all Montanans.
Past summits in 2007 and 2016 led to key successes, including:
– Legislative reforms that simplified public purchasing of Montana grown food
– Creation of the Food & Agriculture Development Centers (FADC), including the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center
– Updates to food safety rules, allowing direct-to-consumer sales of non-hazardous foods
– Expansion of Farm to School programs and MSU Extension’s local food systems programming
INTENTION & OPPORTUNITY:
The 2026 summit aims to focus on designing a strategic plan to increase the Montana markets for Montana-produced food from their current state of 3% to at least 33% in the coming decade. Montana residents spent $5.2 billion on food in 2021, yet only $158 million (about 3%) was
spent on food produced in the state1. Increasing that share to 33% would redirect hundreds of millions of dollars into Montana’s economy each year. Local food spending has a strong ripple effect: for every $1 spent, an estimated $0.47 of additional economic activity is generated(2).
According to the USDA, farmers can retain up to four to five times more of the food dollar when selling through local channels. (3)
These gains would largely benefit rural communities and small to mid-sized producers, keeping more money and meaningful work rooted in Montana.
Institutional markets have the potential to generate significant economic returns. For example, if just one-third of the $76.6 million spent annually on MT school meals (4) came from Montana producers, it would represent over $25 million in additional local food sales each year.
Increasing local food consumption complements Montana’s existing reach into global markets. It diversifies farm income and strengthens food security by creating shorter, more adaptable supply chains. During COVID-19, local markets like CSAs and food hubs proved more resilient and accessible than national distributors, helping communities access food when store shelves were empty. (5)
FORMAT & CONTENT:
Pre-Summit (Sept 2025-Aug 2026): Vision, if funded: Meet with food and agriculture sector stakeholders, including trade organizations; tribal communities; human health organizations; and groups focused on soil health, food access, and ag resources, to establish a shared
understanding of the Summit’s purpose (see below). These sessions will inform the final agenda.
Summit (Oct 2026): Two days in Helena, MT. (Est. budget $100,000). Through a combination of keynote speakers, panels, and plenary and breakout sessions focusing on the four themes of healthy soil; healthy food and people; resilient markets and economies, and strong communities, the summit agenda will detail the future opportunities, where we stand today, pinpoint what’s working and where the gaps are, and develop plans for bridging the gap between our current state and desired future.
Areas of focus include:
● Market opportunities for commodity and local food producers
● Labor force needs to meet opportunities
● Getting food across our state and into rural grocery stores, restaurants, schools, institutions
● Soil health and why it matters for meeting the opportunities
● The role of fresh, whole food in raising future generations of healthy Montanans
Post Summit (Nov 2026-Sep 2027): Provide means for regular virtual connection, follow up on
commitments to action, and provide support for relieving blockers to action. Pursue
implementation grant funding to support executing the plans. The MT Department of
Agriculture’s Agriculture Development Council, Growth Through Agriculture program, and FADC
network will be key resources in helping achieve the summit’s goals.
References:
1 “Economic Value and Impact of Local Food in Montana,” Highland Economics, LLC. 2022.
https://growmt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Economic-Impact-of-Local-Foods-8.5-%C3%97-11-in-1-
combined-1.pdf
2 Economic Contributions of the Local Food Systems in Tennessee (Journal of Food Distribution
Research, 2021)
3 USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. (2016). The economics of local food systems: A toolkit to guide
community discussions, assessments and choices. Washington, D.C.
4 MT Office of Public Instruction. (2025). Montana School Nutrition Programs, School Year 2023-2024.
https://opi.mt.gov/Portals/182/Page%20Files/School%20Nutrition/School%20Nutrition%20Programs%20Annual%20Report.pdf?ver=2025-04-23-092340-630
5 Final Report: Local and Regional Food System COVID-19 Rapid Response (USDA, AMS, 2021))
https://lfscovid.localfoodeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Local-and-Regional-Food-SystemsResponse-to-COVID-19-Final-Report-004.pd
