Who’s Your Farmer?

By: Fiona Handler, Big Sky Watershed Americorps Member serving with Flathead Conservation District

It’s Farmers Market season! If you like fresh and locally grown produce you’ll be happy to hear that the Farmers Markets in Kalispell, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls are all in the midst of opening up for the summer. These markets offer a variety of different vendors who sell food and products grown or made here in the Flathead Valley. Here’s everything you need to know:

• Kalispell Farmers Market: Saturdays 9AM-12:30PM from May 1^st – October 9^th. Located at the FVCC South Parking Lot.
• Columbia Falls Community Market: Thursdays 5PM- Twilight from May 20^th – September 30^th. Located at 830 1st Avenue West, right off Highway 2.
• Whitefish Downtown Farmers Market: Tuesdays 5PM-7:30PM from May 25^th – September 28^th. Located at Depot Park.

Ever since the creation of the supermarket here in the United States, there has been a slow progression away from small family farms towards large agricultural industries. Although it is convenient to shop at large grocery stores, buying food from local farmers is an amazing way to support your local economy. Goods offered at Farmers Markets often come with large price tags that aren’t an option for many folks, but that’s where Farm Hands – Nourish the Flathead steps in.

Farm Hands is a local non-profit based out of Whitefish that offers assistance programs to those who may have trouble accessing healthy, fresh, and locally grown produce. They strive to implement, “ecologically-sound, socially just, and economically viable ways of growing food and making it accessible to everyone regardless of income.” One of the programs they offer is called Double SNAP Dollars, which is a grant funded program that not only helps people enjoy local food, but also directly supports our local farmers. The Double SNAP program allows people who may not have enough money to do just that. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was previously known as the federal Food Stamp Program. It offers monetary assistance to low-income households who may struggle to buy nutritious food with their current income.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the Double SNAP program, look for the Farm Hands booth at any of the three Farmers Markets listed above. The program allows you to exchange up to $20 of your SNAP balance for double the amount in tokens that can only be used at the Farmers Market. Farm Hands offers many different programs and they have also created this awesome map that shows you all the local farmers in the Valley.

Even if you are not a participant of SNAP, be sure to check out your local market for access to locally grown foods. It’s thousands of miles fresher!