The Main Study: Western Montana Growers Co-op

Nicole arrived in western Montana in late March to begin the main phase of her dissertation research with the Western Montana Growers Cooperative (WMGC). 

WMGC was founded in 2003 with help from the Lake County Community Development Corporation and a USDA Community Food Systems grant. WMGC follows the regional food hub model of aggregating, marketing and distributing local produce for a multitude of growers in the area. Today, WMGC works with around 40 member growers and serves retail, wholesale and institutional markets on both sides of the Continental Divide. 

Source: www.wmgcoop.com

WMGC was selected as the main case for this study for several reasons, most importantly because of its unique location. WMGC is currently headquartered in the very rural Census-Designated Place of Arlee, in Lake County. In addition to its rural location (30 minutes north of Missoula), WMGC is also within the bounds of the Flathead Indian Reservation. These two factors combine to present WMGC with a complex set of geographic, social and economic challenges, but also provide interesting opportunities for community revitalization. 

Entrance sign for the Flathead Indian Reservation on 93 North

Within this context, Nicole is working with WMGC and other local organizations to: 1) measure the level of impact WMGC as a food hub has had in Lake County and surrounding regions since its establishment; and 2) further explore the statistical relationship she found between food hubs and female farmers. 

Based on a mix quantitative data and qualitative data from interviews, Nicole will ultimately evaluate the capacity of food hubs to bring about positive change for a variety of groups, including female farmers, living in lower-access and/or lower-income communities.

Here is a look at what she has been up to over the last few weeks:

A WMGC member-grower feeding his two horses.

So far, Nicole has interviewed 12 WMGC member growers (7 women and 5 men), and two non-member growers (both women) located throughout the Mission Valley. Interviews include four sections, which together cover the respondent's personal background, their experience with WMGC, their perceptions of female farmers and gender equality in agriculture, and their notions of community change and/or development over the last decade. 

Three of the 14 total respondents also act as key informants, meaning they are in official positions to provide specialized knowledge or information on a subject. At this time, key informants include: 1) the general manager of WMGC; 2) the center director of LCCDC's Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (MMFEC); and 3) an agricultural extension agent for the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service's (NRCS) office in Lake County. 

A member-grower's hoop house, built with financial aid from USDA-NRCS programs.

In order to include both sides of the local food system, both producers and consumers will be interviewed for the study. However, Nicole decided to focus only on interviewing growers during this round of fieldwork. She will interview consumers, including both WMGC's CSA members as well as non-members, when she returns to Montana in the summer of 2015 during peak market season.  

In the coming week, Nicole is scheduled to speak with more member-growers, along with a tribal agricultural extension agent from the Salish Kootenai College and the director of the North Missoula Community Development Corporation. 

Wild buffalo roaming on the National Bison Range

Check back soon for further updates on Nicole and the project!