Grass Valley Farms – Missoula, MT

After staying at the golf course in Billings, Montana, we drove to Grass Valley Farms in Missoula, a Harvest Host location.

We arrived amidst a thunder storm and it took a while to find a level spot, but there was a large open field from which to choose from.  Two trailers were already there. We were later joined by two Airstreams and two Sprinter vans.

We got set up and called Cory, the owner, to ask for the location of his store. It was a short walk and when we arrived he was waiting for us.  We purchased some short ribs and sausage.

Cory was younger than we expected. He said he had only been farming for one year.  He was a biologist.  We noticed he had a microscope connected to a computer, side-by-side monitors and a big screen TV.  He uses the microscope to examine the soil.

We were impressed to find out that horse owners at the Kentucky Derby and other prominent places around the country were ordering hay from him. His hay has double the amount of selenium than most other growers.   Apparently selenium is very good for horses.

He held a seminar on how he uses compost to enrich his soil.  He developed his own method which he shared with us.  Very interesting.  He uses 60% wood, 30% green matter and 10% horse manure.  The mixture must be kept wet, at 50% to 70% moisture at all times.  He emphasized that the horses can't use a de-wormer or it will ruin the compost.

He also developed a method to get more oxygen into his compost.  He keeps his compost completely dark in order to grow fungi.  Mushrooms he says are an important component.  Once his compost is ready he mixes it with water to produce a gold colored liquid that he sprays on his fields at a rate of two pounds per acre.  We felt privileged to get a glimpse at the next generation of farmers.

That evening, we played a game of crib that started with the most amazing hands.  I had a 24 point hand, Karen had a great hand plus a 15 point crib so she was still ahead of me by 2 points.

We had a peaceful night's rest and the following morning we were off to Don and Ann's place at Nine Mile near Spokane, our final stop before coming home.