Distinctly Montana Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.distinctlymontana.com/i/1479010
w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 63 Mary believes Kalispell Creamery and Lifeline Dairy in Victor are the only dairy cattle operations in the state that process their own milk. Kalispell Creamery is a vertically inte- grated system, so all production from cow to sales to distributing is done at their facility. Cows are milked two times a day, seven days a week. The raw milk is then run through a pasteurization process to make all the different products. Mary explains that the creamery's milk is not overprocessed. The cream remains on top which makes the milk thicker and richer. If you visit their farm store at the right time of day, you can see the entire process. The Tucks and Hedstroms take pride in the fact that their operation is open to the public and that their milk hits the grocery store shelves less than 24 hours after it's produced. Mary says, "We really hold to the idea of 'know your farmer and know your food.' Everyone is welcome to come out and see our cows. There's a trust factor there you're not going to get anywhere else. " There are many factors that play into Montana's success in all things agricultural. Natural resources like fertile soil and clean water are important as well as wide open spaces with little development. Arguably, the most vital resource is the people who thoughtfully use these natural resources to pro- duce food to feed their neighbors. The more you spend your hard-earned money locally, the more money you invest in your community and the more you support your neighbors. Here are some ways you can help support local farmers, ranchers, and producers: - Visit your local farmer's market. - Look for products on store shelves with the "Made in Mon- tana" label. - Sign up for CSAs in your area or contact farms directly to ask how you can support them. - If you don't find local products in the grocery stores where you shop or on the menu of the restaurants you visit, talk to the owner and express your eagerness to support local. Get answers for commonly treated conditions such as indigestion, or flu and cold symptoms from your cellphone, computer or tablet with b2VirtualCare.com today. Dowload the b2 VirtualCare App to talk to a doctor after hours, today. Get answers from doctors. Not some randos on the internet. b2Cares.com