Program to help local farmers

Jamie Doran

Valley Press

A program to help match up farmers and landowners has officially launched in Sanders County.

Land Link Montana, a program based out of Missoula, was founded by Paul Hubbard to help match farmers and ranchers with landowners in western Montana.

“The goal of the program is to help ensure farm and ranch land remains in production,” Hubbard said. “As generations come and go we need to ensure that beginning farmers and ranchers have the opportunity to get on the land and grow food.”

Land Link Montana started last year, mainly by word of mouth and around eight farmers and landowners have already enrolled. They held their official launch last week to hopefully spread the word and get more farmers and landowners involved in the program.

Hubbard said the program works with landowners who want to see their land farmed or ranched and match them with a farmer who wants to farm a ranch.

“We also try to bring in the appropriate resources to ensure that the landowner is set up with what they need,” he said. “In addition we encourage the farmers to do a business plan. We’ve got a lawyer who has offered to work pro bono to set up lease agreements for both parties.”

In order to get involved in the program a landowner or a farmer looking for land would fill out an application that gives Land Link Montana all of the relevant information on what they need out of a match.

“A farmer might say they are looking to have an apple orchard, they need at least 20 acres of land, a certain location, certain equipment they’re looking for, and whether they’re looking for a long-term lease or purchase,” Hubbard said. “We use those details to help find potential matches.”

He said that the more people they get to enroll the more likely they are to find good matches.

“By giving someone five possibilities instead of just one, then maybe the list will get narrowed down to one that will work out really well,” Hubbard said. “This is really all about giving landowners and farmers options.”

Land Link Montana is an offshoot of the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, which is focused on building a local food system where farmers and ranchers can thrive on the land, and where consumers can have access to fresh, affordable food that was grown close to home.

“One of the things we’ve realized in building markets for local food is that there is more of a demand than there is a supply,” Hubbard said. “We need growers, which means we need farmers on the land.”

Hubbard said that the area is watching its farm and ranch land get permanently converted to non-agricultural uses as the land gets subdivided.

“This is an opportunity to get farmers on the land and get them to grow food,” Hubbard said. “If they choose to help with local businesses, well that’s just great, but they can also export their crop if they want to.”

He said this program is the “field to fork” approach, to help conserve the best farm and ranch lands needed to help farmers and ranchers get on the lands and build local markets to help support family farms and give consumers better options.

“I’m thrilled we are able to offer this program,” Hubbard said. “We are very much a people oriented organization, we work with everyone on an individual basis.”

He added that Sanders County has some “excellent” farmland and that  he looks forward to hearing from landowners and farmers in the area.

“I’d encourage anyone who is interested to feel free to get in touch with me,” he said.

People who are interested in the program, which includes Flathead, Granite, Lake, Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders counties, can call Hubbard directly at 543-0542, or they can visit Land Link Montana’s Web site at http://www.landlinkmontana.org.