THE YOUNG FARMER COOPERATIVE

Katie made her way to northwest Montana in the spring of 2015, drawn to the mountains and to a farm apprenticeship at Harlequin Produce in Arlee, Montana. She worked for two seasons at this diversified organic operation. 

Katie is a native of the Adirondack Mountains of New York. She got her start in agriculture after spending a summer interning at Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle, New York. She soon found herself consumed by the intensity and beauty of farming. After meeting Max Smith in the Fall of 2015 she decided to join he and Kenny at MGVC for the 2017 growing season. Her favorite past-times are skiing deep powder and steep terrain, trail running, pruning tomatoes, and experimenting in the kitchen.

Look forward to seeing her at the farmer’s market stand! (it's one of her favorite spots to be!)

A passionate and gentle man, Kenneth (or Kenny as he's known) made his way to Montana's precious lands all the way from Utah. 

Having grown up on the East Coast, and having farmed as far North as Maine, he is a character.  He fills up the crew with smiles and shares his reverence for the natural world that we are a part of.  He shows on a daily basis that he has respect for more than his own body.  He has interest in the health and well-being of the people around him as well as the landscape he contributes labors to. 

When in doubt, you can him in the fields or in a yoga pose or atop a bicycle, cruising through the Bitterroot at a pleasurable speed.

Not growing up on a farm or inheriting land and equipment has not stopped him from making a go at being a solar energy commodities broker (a farmer).

Max studied a few basic courses on communities and their relationship with food and farming at the "home school" (The University of Montana) in 2009. From there he knew that growing food was a solution to many of the problems we face. He jumped ship for Montana State University in 2010 where he absorbed everything he could from soil and microbiology courses in the SFBS Program.

Known as the farmer behind weekly newsletter and farmers market hooliganry, Building on what he learned at Prairie Heritage Farm and the Towne's Harvest Garden, Max was the early vehicle behind the Missoula Grain and Vegetable Co. He landed a farm lease in 2013 on Craigslist where he grew for a year before meeting Kenny and starting to grow more seriously for the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys. Max also has ambitions to start the first grain CSA in Western Montana, built largely on the grassroots community-driven fundamentals of a project North of the border near Nelson, B.C.