Archive for category: News and Events

While SB 180 successfully made it out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee last month (7-5), the bill was three votes shy of passing in the full Senate on March 1, 2021. You can see the full vote tally here.

This bill, introduced by Senator Pat Flowers, proposed to appoint a soil health task force to explore how Montana can promote and support farming and ranching methods that improve the health of Montana soils, and the yield and profitability of the state’s agricultural lands. SB180 was the first time a soil health bill was introduced in the Montana legislature and there was strong support for the bill despite it not passing. As we close the chapter on this bill, please consider taking one or more of the following actions:

1. If you know Senator Pat Flowers, live in his district, or just care about soil health, please thank him for his leadership on this bill. He was a great champion for soil health this session and continues to work tirelessly under challenging circumstances.
2. Thank your senator if they voted for SB 180. See the list here to find out how all senators voted. And, go here, to find their contact information. These lawmakers will appreciate hearing that their vote in support of soil health mattered to their constituents.  
3. If you or your organization wants to be involved in future soil health conversations, please reach out to Grow Montana at coalition@growmt.org, and any of the conservation districts, watershed groups, or other organizations working to advance soil health work in Montana.

Stay tuned for future updates on soil health from Grow Montana by following us on our social media at Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Double SNAP Dollars Bill passed the House Human Services Committee on with a vote of 14-5. Read the updated bill HERE and the Fact Sheet HERE. Stay tuned for future action alerts from us after the transmittal break.

Grow Montana has a history of helping develop state legislation that is collaborative and based on common sense.     

We urge our representatives to oppose SB 199, an unnecessary and potentially damaging bill that interjects language in existing law that has not been vetted by agencies or the public. The bill disregards existing state law and administrative rules, as well as federal regulations. The Grow Montana Food Policy Coalition urges our legislators to work with our public agencies and citizens to maintain the existing laws until they can be reviewed through a thorough, collaborative process. Grow Montana supports legislation that encourages and supports value-added pursuits such as cottage food. It cannot support legislation that imperils already existing and thriving cottage food businesses.  

History of Collaborative Law Making & Enforcement

•  In 2013 Grow Montana worked with Kathleen Williams in the passage of HB 630, a study bill to support locally sourced and community-based food production, commonly referred to as “cottage food,” while ensuring food safety.  The bill initiated      a two-year effort with agencies and citizens to develop consensus recommendations. 
• The Montana Legislature recognized the value of this work and passed Montana’s current cottage food law, The Montana Food Policy Modernization Act,  in 2015 with unanimous bipartisan support. The Montana Food Policy Modernization Act has spurred a robust cottage food program. Today, over 300 Montanans operate food businesses, producing more than 6,000 food products from their home kitchens that are sold directly to consumers without a food license. 
• Stakeholders continue to work together to simplify the application process for cottage food operators and expand the list of allowable, food products. AERO (Alternative Energy Resources Organization) is working with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services right now to assemble a working group of cottage food operators, farmers, and public servants to propose changes to the cottage food rule. You can learn more about the project here (https://aeromt.org/what-we-do/cottagefood/)

The 2021 legislative session is ignoring these accomplishments by advancing a bill that undermines the Montana Food Modernization Act. The existing Montana cottage food law represents agreement between agencies, legislators, producers, and consumers. It succeeds in supporting value-added cottage food businesses, while also protecting Montana consumers from unsafe food. 

Action     

This bill has passed the senate and has been moved to the House. Please contact your legislators and encourage a NO vote on SB199. 

You can find your elected officials and their contact information by visiting https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/. 

Use the following link to contact the legislators or email them directly:  https://leg.mt.gov/web-messaging/ .

Please see the  talking points MEHA has generated about this bill HERE. 

On 2/26/21 the Senate Natural Resources Committee passed the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill (SB 180) 7-5. SB 180 is now moving to the Senate floor and will go up for vote in the next week. We need your help to make sure Montana’s senators vote in favor of soil health and pass SB 180.

You can find your elected officials and their contact information by visiting https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/.

Please call your senator and ask them to support the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill (SB 180). Below is an example script you can use. We encourage you to personalize it before contacting your senator. Every call helps to pass this bill through the Senate floor.

“Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [INSERT YOUR TOWN HERE]. I am calling to ask you to support the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill, SB 180. Healthy soils allow farmers and ranchers to keep more money in their pockets, build resilient farms and food systems, and protect water quantity and quality. Keeping soil healthy is especially important to Montana, where agriculture is a leading industry. The task force proposed in SB 180 can address the unique needs of and challenges faced by Montana’s producers as they work to scale up the use of soil-building practices. Investing in a soil health study will lead to a stronger and more resilient Montana.

Please support the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill, SB 180 and ensure it passes through the full Senate. I appreciate your time and consideration.”

Tips for calling your representatives:

• Let them know that you are a constituent. Be sure to say the community you are from. Elected officials are most interested in your opinions if you are their constituent.
• Know your facts. Be sure you have the basic information about your topic in front of you when you call. You should be able to specifically describe the topic about which you are calling and state your opinion on what your legislator should do. To learn more about SB 180, please visit http://www.growmt.org/policy. 
• Add your own words. The provided script is useful, but you should make the phone call as personal as possible. Representatives and staffers want to hear your individual story and how the issue impacts you on a personal level.
• Note your expertise. If you have professional experience with the issue you are calling about, be sure to mention it (e.g. farmer, rancher, member of an agriculture organization, etc.). This will establish your credibility on the issue and may even prompt the aide to ask you for some guidance on the issue.
• Be brief. Elected officials receive a high volume of phone calls every day, so keep your call short and to the point.

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We encourage you to call your senators—it’s one of the most powerful ways you can weigh in on SB 180. However, if you prefer to write to your elected officials, please contact them through this form to ask for their support the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill. Below is a template you can use. We recommend you personalize it before sending it to your senators.  

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Dear Senator [INSERT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL HERE]:

I live in [INSERT YOUR TOWN HERE] and am writing to ask you to support the passage of the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill (SB 180).

Healthy soils allow farmers and ranchers to keep more money in their pockets, build resilient farms and food systems, and protect water quantity and quality. Keeping soil healthy is especially important to Montana, where agriculture is the leading industry. While federal programs support the adoption of soil-building practices, state leadership can address existing gaps and provide for the unique needs of and challenges faced by Montana’s producers to scale up the use of soil-building practices. The task force established through this bill will identify those gaps and provide recommendations for how to close them so that Montana’s farmers and ranchers get the resources they need, the way they need them. 

The Soil Health Subcommittee Bill builds upon important work that has already been done in the state by:

• Establishing a task force made up of 16-members to make recommendations on the role of a state soil health program.
• Involving broad public input from stakeholders for feedback on local needs and the best ways to address them.
• Assessing soil health conditions and researching soil health programming and resources in Montana to identify the most effective ways to invest in our state’s soil health.
• Reporting findings and recommendations for protecting and building soil health in Montana.

Soil is one of our greatest natural resources. The thoughtful approach to soil health proposed in the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill (SB 180) will address necessary economic, environmental and agricultural issues and lead to a stronger and more resilient Montana.

Please support the Soil Health Subcommittee Bill (SB 180) and ensure it passes through the Montana Senate. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

[ADDRESS]