Gov. Gianforte Highlights Producers and Value-Added Ag on 56 County Tour

Continues 56 County Tour in Cascade and Judith Basin counties

Governor's Office

MOCCASIN, Mont. - Governor Greg Gianforte today continued his 56 County Tour in Cascade and Judith Basin counties meeting with local agricultural producers.

"Farmers and ranchers work hard to feed the world and are continuing to innovate to meet demand and add value to Montana agriculture," Gov. Gianforte said. "It's great to be back on the road for the 56 County Tour to meet with the producers who are bringing new ideas to agriculture and continuing to provide for our communities."

Gov. Gianforte (right) and Eric Gray (left) touring Heartland Seed in Moccasin

Starting the day in Cascade County, the governor toured Third Day Family Farms, a flower farm in Vaughn that sells fresh flowers to the community. For nearly ten years, the Daugherty's have been producing flowers year-round for sale at its farmstand, in partner stores, and at the Great Falls Farmers Market. In the winter, they grow 53,000 of tulips in their greenhouse. The farm also operates a subscription service which delivers customers fresh bouquets weekly or bi-monthly.

"Having the ability to bring fresh flowers to our community year-round is a special responsibility," said Virginia Daugherty, owner of Third Day Family Farms. "We built high tunnels to be able to support production during the Montana winters. It's nice to see our arrangements be displayed around our community."

Continuing to Judith Basin County, Gov. Gianforte visited the Heartland Seed Company in Moccasin. For over 30 years, the company has produced high-quality seed and treatment solutions for farmers across the state growing wheat, barley, pulses, cereal forages, alfalfa, grasses, and cover crops. In 1995, two local farmers, Bing VonBergen and Steve Grove, founded Heartland Seed to supply Central Montana with high-quality seed and the newest genetics. Recently, the company was purchased by Eric Gray, the company's former sales manager, to continue operations.

"This operation has been in production for over 30 years," said Eric Gray, owner of Heartland Seed Company. "We are bringing good jobs for the community while producing products that our farmers and ranchers need for harvest. Taking over the business for the last year has been great, the community has been supportive. I look forward to continuing to serve and provide them seed for their farming operations."

During the visit, the governor also got an update on harvest season as pulse season begins.

"Harvest has been good for us back home in Highwood. Locally in Judith Basin, harvest was a little below average, but the prices have helped out a little bit," Gray added.

Supporting Montana producers who add value to Montana agriculture is a top priority for the governor. Under Gov. Gianforte's leadership, the Montana Department of Agriculture is focused on expanding value-added agriculture opportunities to allow producers to capture more of the value they create. To support producers and small business owners, the governor has raised the exemption on Montana's Business Equipment Tax to eliminate the tax for more than 5,000 small businesses, farms, and ranches.

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