Before the Second World War, Montana produced 77% of its food. This was apples and onions, honey and butter, poultry and pork, dried beans and salad greens, not just the beef, wheat, barley, and cherries well-known today. Our valley was famous for its many dairies and sweet pea farms; peas canned in Bozeman were consumed around the country. Montana is now nowhere near this percent. It all changed in the 1950s. American agriculture became more regionalized and industrialized when fuel was cheap and the post-war economy was booming. More than half of the nation’s vegetables are still grown in California, namely its Central Valley.

While we’re close to California relative to most of the U.S., reducing shipping costs, Covid and other recent events have caused supply chain issues and labor shortages. What if it slowed further, or all came to a screeching halt? What would people eat? (Venison is best with some veggies.)

Meanwhile, Montana has 147,000 square miles and largely arable land. Almost 60 million acres are devoted to farming or ranching, the second highest number in the country. But most of the food leaves the state to be processed elsewhere. Ground into flour, malted for beer, corn-finished for slaughter, and so on, largely in the Midwest.

Another meanwhile: we continue to condo-cover the best soil in the valley, right here around Bozeman. A Belgrade-area dairy farmer once joked with me that Bozeman and Logan are backwards. “They should’ve built the large town where the weather’s nicer, but the dirt’s not quite as good and rainfall is lower,” he explained. “The east valley should all be farms making veggies, grain, cream, and cheese.” Some of the richest soil in the state is under Bozeman. Fortunately, there were still many open acres in and near the city. However, entire areas are now under giant “apartment villages,” towns within towns. Yes, more housing —affordable housing— was and is still needed. But why not save some of that land for community gardens at each development?

It’s not all gloom and doom. We have some alternatives providing fresh produce and serving as examples for the future. There are some local farms growing food directly for the community. We’ll highlight one that has been here for almost 20 years: 3 Fiddles Farm in Bridger Canyon.


3 Fiddles, run by Matt & Karin Broughton, began in 2009. That spring, they found land to lease, sources for seed, and started acquiring tools. They registered the business, broke ground, and began working the soil. They started planting that May and harvesting and selling a month later. That same year they started a roadside stand. The stand ran for 10 years, but they now focus almost entirely on farmers’ markets. They reach more people this way, providing more ways to nourish the community and put joy on their tables. 

The farm sits at 5,300’, leading to some intense sun —there’s more UV and IR the higher you go. They also straddle USDA Zone 4b, which prompted some people to tell them they’d never make it work. Although the growing season is a bit shorter than Bozeman’s, cold air often pools lower in the canyon versus at the farm. More importantly, USDA zones are based on coldest possible temps, not growing season. This affects fruit trees more than annual vegetable types. Belgrade at 4,450’ has a longer growing season than MSU campus (4,900’), but it’s also in a colder hardiness zone. Bozeman is in Zone 5a, but notably, there are areas of 5b and even some 6a in Madison and Gallatin counties. Over the Divide, NW Montana is full of 6a and 6b (like most of UT, KS, MO, CT).

3 Fiddles Farm grows around 40 different types of produce on 1.5 acres. This includes close to 200 varieties annually. For example, this year they’ll have around 40 varieties of lettuce, an amazing number. Most home gardeners, even those on a half-acre, only attempt three or four varieties. Many commercial farms only grow one or two. As the years have progressed, they’ve grown more and more greens —types and pounds. As well as greens, another major part of their production is onions. They’re also known for their carrots, cucumbers, squashes, and garlic, among other produce types.

Planting seeds indoors in Bozeman begins in March. Some seed is saved and some is bought each year, only from certified organic sources. They start 40,000 seedlings to transplant by hand (no tractor or other machines) from early May to early July. That’s 40,000 baby plants. The rest is direct-seeded at the farm. They transplant many successions of different types, something people don’t often consider. Lettuce can be harvested by cutting leaves and leaving roots. However, if the whole plant is pulled and cleaned another plant can take its place. Succession (staggered) planting ensures continuous crops. Soil preparation, weeding, summer maintenance harvesting (also ensuring some types keep producing), farm-to-market selling, and fall harvesting take up the rest of the time.

Many people, including native Montanans, often wonder why local farms don’t have pumpkins in June or baby lettuce the third week of October. People have forgotten the rhythm of the seasons and eating seasonally. Root vegetables and large, picked crops are usually ready in September and October. Leaf and small, picked crops start earlier and can run longer with succession planting.

Farming, especially sustainable farming, isn’t only physical work. Much consideration goes into their planting schematic each year. It’s not just crop rotation, it’s about knowing which crops take out or add which nutrients. This is biodynamic, science-based farming. The farm had relatively good soil to start, but they’ve maintained and even “crafted” the soil they have. This is without using chemical fertilizers or even animal manure. Matt relates that this often surprises people: They say, “No sh--?!” and our answer is, “No sh--!” Instead, they use plant-based “green manures,” focusing on humic acid development and soil fungus health for colloidal nutrient availability. Most soil fungi and bacteria are beneficial, not pathogenic.

3 Fiddles Farm also uses no pesticides or herbicides (which also kill soil fungi). As for insect control, they have a wise and effective approach: grow varieties that are less susceptible to insect damage. Most of all, keep the plants healthy and happy and they’ll be less susceptible in the first place. Healthy soil makes healthy plants, healthy plants make healthy vegetables, and healthy vegetables make healthy people. Everything is connected and it all boils down to the basics. Nutrient-starved plants are more prone to aphids, mites, and flea beetles than nourished plants.

Karin explains, “We do not fight the bugs. We care for the soil and plants to reduce stress, and accept loss when insect pressure is too high. Part of organic production is accepting loss.” Their focus on growing many types and varieties means that if one has low yield that year, there’s plenty to make up in production. Another plus to chem-free farming is that beneficial spiders and insects like ladybugs, yellow-jackets, and lacewings are still around. These eat many times their weight in bad bugs. This also preserves the native bees and bumblebees, Eurasian honeybees, and other pollinators. Due to Montana overlapping the PNW, Northern and Central Rockies, and Great Plains, we have the highest bumblebee diversity in America, with going on 30 documented species. Montana also has a few hundred species of native bees. Many of these live in the valley. People spraying every spring dandelion they see are doing more harm than they realize.

As for weeds, they do basic removal. However, it’s inefficient for farmers to make everything look weed-free. Some “weeds” compete much less with vegetables than others. Weeds can act as deterrent plants for some insects and as sacrificial plants for others. Also, they help minimize erosion during hard rainfall. 3 Fiddles does not use plastic mulch or plastic on the soil for weed control, often known as solarizing. Plastics can leach chemicals into the soil which end up in the food and water. Wind and hail shred plastic into small pieces which persist for decades. They consider the future.

3 Fiddles’ harvest fresh for each and every market. They’re at all Gallatin Valley Farmers Markets at the Fairgrounds, Sat. 9AM - noon (June-Sept.); all Bozeman Farmers Markets at Lindley Park, Tues. 5 - 8PM (June-Sept.); and some Winter Farmers Markets at the Fairgrounds, Sat. 9AM - noon (Oct.-May). Wondering what to do for dinner Tuesdays and lunch on Saturdays? Each market offers prepared food as well. Karin & Matt say, “We think the Bozeman markets are fantastic and hope that more people shop at them this year!”