On the Rocky Mountain front outside of Power, Montana, nestled between irrigated fields of malt barley, is the home of Prairie Heritage Farm. Owners Jacob and Courtney Cowgill purchased the farm in 2012, but their organic farming enterprise has been steadily growing since 2008 when they raised their first flock of Narragansett turkeys and leased ground for vegetable and grain production. This endeavor represents a return to their roots, as both are central Montana natives. Jacob grew up near Sand Coulee and Courtney spent her childhood on a farm between Dutton and Brady. After college and professional careers, they have found their way back home. They wanted to find a way to make a life in central Montana and to give back to the communities who raised them; to be part of sustaining and reinvigorating the culture and economy of rural Montana. Prairie Heritage Farm is the kind of farm that existed in the region 50 to 100 years ago: diversified, small-scale, and locally-based.
The Cowgill’s certified organic farm has three enterprises: 1) a vegetable Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, 2) a grain and legume CSA, and 3) their heritage pasture-raised turkeys.
Prairie Heritage Farm has four acres under vegetable production, growing a wide variety to supply a 75-member CSA. The farm serves customers in Helena, Great Falls, Choteau, Power, Dutton, and Conrad. Organizing the weekly pickup of produce shares for 75 different families can be challenging in between constant weeding and watering, and varied harvests as different vegetables come into season. Because most CSAs are located within 30 miles of a major city, the remote location in central Montana also creates a logistics challenge for the vegetable CSA.
Initially, the Cowgill's traveled to Great Falls, Whitefish, and Helena, attending local farmers' markets and marketing their products to consumers. Now, a base of return customers spreads the message to new customers through word of mouth. The Cowgill's also sell vegetables to Daisy’s Deli and 2J’s grocery store in Great Falls, and to Mountain Front Market in Choteau.
“The most challenging part of the vegetable patch is the constant weeding and harvesting that requires a ton of labor; if I had to pay someone to weed and harvest the vegetables, it wouldn’t be economically feasible,” explains Jacob. An intern currently helps on the farm to keep up with labor.
Jacob’s passion is growing grains and his excitement shows when he talks about the ancient and heritage grains he started growing in 2009. He would eventually like to expand the grain and legume acres and reduce vegetable acres on the farm. Ancient grains are those grown by ancient societies thousands of years ago. Heritage grains are loosely defined as “grains grown pre-1940s or 50s.”
“We want to help preserve ancient and heritage grains; there may be some things that we can learn about these forgotten genetics. These grains may be better suited for our small-scale diversified farm,” explains Jacob. He started with a limited quantity of more than 200 different wheat cultivars in 2009, many of which came from the USDA Germplasm Repository. Over time, he has evaluated cultivars to determine which show the most promise and fit best into their operation. From the initial 200-plus cultivars, Jacob has settled on growing primarily two wheat cultivars, ‘Rusak’ and ‘Ethiopian Blue Tinge.’ However, he also continues to grow and experiment with other wheat cultivars.
Commercially, Prairie Heritage Farm is growing ‘Prairie Farro,’ an ancient wheat, and ‘Sonora Heritage’ wheat. The farm is also commercially growing wheat cultivars ‘Bronze Barley,’ and trials of ‘Australian Bald Skinless’, ‘Sumire Mochi’, ‘Masan Naked 1’, ‘Gopal’, ‘Black Egyptian’, and ‘Takeshita.’ The other grains include ‘Opopeo’ amaranth, ‘Duborskain’ rice, ‘Painted Mountain’ corn, and ‘Tom Thumb’ popcorn.
In the future, Jacob plans to add dry bean production to the grain CSA. He is currently growing eight different heritage cultivars of dry beans.
“There is a growing market for the planting seeds of some of these cultivars,” Jacob explains. He hopes to capture that sector of the market by expanding his grain production. Increased interest in the milling, baking and cooking qualities of these heritage grains is due to their unique flavors and nutritional values.
The Cowgill's knew they wanted livestock integrated in their operation from the beginning, and turkeys seemed to fit the bill.
“We are still figuring out how best to incorporate turkeys into the rest of the farm. Unlike commercial turkeys, heritage turkeys such as the Narragansett breed can fly and are very active, so managing them has had its challenges,” explains Jacob.
They currently purchase 100 chicks every spring and feed them out to be ready for Thanksgiving tables. The majority of their turkeys are pre-sold. The weekend before Thanksgiving on a day that is less than glamorous, family and friends come to help process the birds. “It's a big event; everyone jumps in and has their own responsibility and station in the processing line,” explains Jacob.
For those looking to build a farm on a similar scale to Prairie Heritage Farm, the Cowgill's have a few recommendations:
Create a network. “The help we have received from family and friends has been instrumental to our success. The network of growers we have connected with across the state has been extremely helpful. Organizations such as the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO), the Montana Organic Association, and individuals such as Bob Quinn, the owner of a dryland, certified organic farm near Big Sandy, have helped us connect with other growers.”
Gain experience in a low-pressure environment. “Work on as many other farms as you can to gain experience without the pressure that is felt when you are the boss and have to make the decisions. Save as much money as you can prior to starting, and slowly build your operation.”
Start slowly. “Don’t try to do everything at once. Start off leasing ground and equipment. Leasing ground isn’t as satisfactory as working your own ground, but it’s a good way to get your feet wet before taking on the land payment and the pressures that come with owning your own farm.”
The passion and commitment Jacob and Courtney Cowgill have for what they do can be seen in every aspect of their business. The appreciation they receive from their customers for providing them with quality, certified organic food helps keep them motivated. If you would like more information on Prairie Heritage Farm, visit their web site at www.prairieheritagefarm.com.