WSE member producer Montana Wagyu Cattle Company was recently profiled in the Bozeman Chronicle for his booming business. Rick’s successful niche market has resulted in a problem that we find from time-to-time amongst other member producers: a demand that exceeds his supply capacity. All-in-all a good problem to have. Read the full article here.
“Fresh” Screening Comes to Bozeman
WSE is proud to announce co-sponsorship of the screening of Fresh at the Emerson Cultural Center on Friday, January 21st 2011.
Fresh, a film by Ana Sofia Joanes, looks into the food we are eating and illustrates the importance of eating fresh foods. This documentary “celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are reinventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.” It explores the issues behind WSE’s program work, particularly our Market Connection Program and Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection.
Come join WSE on Friday, January 21st the Emerson Cultural Center in Bozeman at 6pm for a no-host food & beverage meet & greet with local producers and fellow sponsors of the film. Screening begins at 7:30.
Need to Dispose of Your Wine Corks?
We just met with some of the staff and management of 2nd Street Bistro here in Livingston, and learned that they are collecting waste wine corks. Their commitment to the local economy and sustainability–most visible in their menu which features many local (and WSE-certified) producers–is continually evolving. The Murray Bar, next door, is using the corks to construct sound proofing. Have extra corks? Help out the Murray, and reuse your waste, by taking your corks with you next time you visit 2nd Street Bistro.
Managing Habitat for the Greater Sage Grouse Can Produce Some Delicious Pastrami
On October 13th WSE staffers joined Steve Hoffman, executive director of Montana Audubon, for a drive to the amazing Centennial Valley in southwest Montana and a tour of the J Bar L Ranch. The tour was led by Bryan Ulring, J Bar L Ranch Manager, and holistic ranch management consultant Roland Kroos. Roland has worked with the J Bar L for several years to establish holistic grazing techniques and land monitoring.
Owing to pasture leases, as well as a shared vision for the Centennial Valley, the J Bar L coordinates with its neighbors to conserve the natural resources of the Valley. Representatives from the neighboring organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, and US Fish and Wildlife Services/Red Rocks Lake National Wildlife Refuge also joined the tour.
Of particular interest to many of the tour participants were the largely positive effects of grazing and other range management techniques on sage grouse habitat and the restoration of altered grasslands. As Roland noted, and the participants saw first-hand, “we can have positive effects with our management…and without the gardening mechanism of livestock hoof action we would have limited regeneration of vegetation.”
Added bonuses of the tour included a lunch featuring Yellowstone Grassfed Beef pastrami sandwiches and end-of-tour appetizers from the J Bar L kitchen.
