Farm to Crag // Joy Through Action
A time was had on Saturday! I spent twelve whole hours peopling for the annual Farm to Crag Bozeman event last weekend. And seeing how my peopling average during field season is zero, that was a lot. But it was lovely!
The day kicked off with one group going to a nearby climbing spot and a another group taking a bike ride through town to learn about the agricultural history of Bozeman. My climbing gear is in storage, so I opted for the ride. I learned a ton; It was an absolute delight, and I met a couple of new friends to gravel ride with.
After lunch a few climbers and riders headed to Chance Farm to do a little volunteer work. I grabbed a coffee, finished pinning up my last batch of bees from the Dakota Partnership Ranch, then jetted to the farm to set up a Bee Regenerative education station.
I nestled up next to the epic tasting table, overflowing with local bites and Patagonia Provisions snacks. The event was sold out, and there was a steady stream of bee-curios attendees that were excited to come chat.
I had a couple of boxes of bees that I had collected from Jar Bar L Ranch in Centennial Valley, MT, Anderson Pope Ranch and Grizzly Creek Ranches in Tom Miner Basin, MT, North Bridger Bison in Shields Valley, MT, and the Dakota Partnership Ranch in South Dakota. Folks were wowed by the size and color variation of these bees, all of the different ways they carry pollen on their body, and the fact that there are so much more than honey bees and bumble bees here in Montana.
I have been hoarding donations of honey over the last couple of months and was able to share an impressive variety of honey colors and flavors from upstate New York, the foothills of the California Sierras, the marshes of Georgia and South Carolina, multiple locations in Montana, and (of course) Bee Girl Honey from the Siskiyou Mountains in Southern Oregon. Thank you - Savannah Bee Co., Hindu Hillbilly Honey, and Mohawk Trading Co., for your generosity!! It was great fun to guide tasters through this little culinary adventure, while leading them to think about agriculture, forests, meadows, climate, and bee conservation.
Following a local farm-focused and abundant dinner, six panelists (including yours truly) walked the guests through our areas of expertise and pitched a “problem statement.” Guests then organized themselves at the six tables and we got to work.
Here is the breakdown of our groups and their leaders –
· Bee Regenerative - Sarah Red-Laird, beekeeping, native bee research, science and conservation communication. “Are the bees OK? Why or why not? Do you feel you can be a part of the solution in their survival?”
· Chance Farm - Josh Chance, first gen market vegetable operation and land access. “Why do/don't you buy local? What barriers prevent you from buying local?”
· Abundant MT - Sammie McGowan, 33 x 33 for Montana Initiative and consumer behavior. "Why don't you buy local? What barriers prevent you from buying local?"
· Montana Farmers Union - Samantha Ferrat, advocacy, policy and community engagement. “Identifying the roles of advocacy, policy & community engagement to move people from 'this is how it's always been' to 'what it could be' through the lens of local food systems.”
· Indigenous leader Latrice Tatsey - relationship based management, food sovereignty, food security, USDA. “Enough local food isn’t growing for me to purchase from producers who grow locally on the Blackfeet Nation”
· Food distribution - Wyatt Nelson of MT Local Food Distribution- the missing middle and affordability. “As new farmers' access to land gets pushed further and further from city centers, how do we ensure distribution of their products in a state as large as Montana stays affordable?”
As you can imagine, the conversations were deep, meaningful and brimming with ideas generated by heart-centered people who love the outdoors and strive to be part of the solution in Montana’s local and regenerative food future.
The end of the day was a blur for me – so I can’t quite recap the solutions that were built with the other leaders but am happy to recount ours.
We first answered the question, “Are the bees OK?” This is an existential question with a complex answer, but from a sky high view the answer is, “No.”
So we then defined the problem in a granular way – “Why?” I coached them through the “4 p’s” (they nailed them all with some hints): Pesticides, Pests, Pathogens, Poor Nutrition.
I left it to the group to work in pairs, then in small groups, then as a whole to come up with solutions to the problems.
I spend my summer so nose-down in the complexity of rigorous data collection, ranching, climate change, and human dynamics – that I forget that solutions can be simple and joy-filled. My group did a wonderful job re-grounding me in the “fun” of community-based bee conservation.
Our idea is to pitch an official city-wide campaign for “Now Mow May” and “Let the Leaves Lay” in the spring and fall. This will support pollinator habitat through nutrition and shelter, creating less-stressed, healthier individuals and colonies that will have a better chance at surviving the effects of pests and pesticides. We had two folks that have connections to the City of Bozeman volunteer to make a pitch to city staffers, and the whole table pledged to send messages to the city in support of kicking off an official campaign.
Right over the hill - the town of Livingston has organized a very successful, “Livingston Loves Bees” campaign – so there is already a great model for how to get started.
Early on in 2025 I made an intention to come out of the hills here and there and integrate myself more into the communities I work in here in Montana and South Dakota. I’ve had multiple opportunities to connect this year, and I’m grateful for every one of them! This event was truly special, and it was an honor to be included to share my passion for bees, local food systems, and regenerative agriculture.