EDITORIAL: Agriculture - A Flathead tradition

The Flathead Valley put itself on the map back in the 1890s as one of Montana’s prime agricultural locations, and for the next 100 years it entirely lived up to that reputation.

In the last few decades, of course, we have seen a dwindling of the agricultural economy as markets and traditions have changed, but that doesn’t affect the underlying value of our valley’s farm industry.

Nor should anyone underestimate the importance of agriculture to all of us — not just for its economic value (or food value!), but also because of its contribution to our rural way of life and open spaces that have made the Flathead Valley such an iconic place.

For all those reasons and more, we were glad to read a report in Sunday’s Inter Lake that there is a positive outlook for the short term. Of course, we recognize that everything is “short term” for farmers, who are dependent on forces of nature and forces of government as well as market forces for every penny they earn.

Nevertheless, to hear Mark Lalum, general manager of CHS Kalispell, confirm that “there’s great moisture so far, and everything is looking good” provides a glimmer of hope for an industry that has more than its share of storm clouds.

We also recognized that an MSU expert in agriculture policy gave excellent advice for both farmers and consumers when he touted local food distribution as a key buffer against unpredictable market forces.

Local schools, hospitals and wholesalers have played an important role in supporting our local ag economy. The more that trend grows, the more likely we are to ensure that agriculture will still be benefiting the Flathead 100 years from now.