http://www.newwest.net/index.php/city/main/C586/L/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2011 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:55:46 MST Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:55:46 MST http://www.newwest.net/city/article/montana_coffee_idaho_beer_take_home_national_good_food_awards/C586/C586/ Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:36:41 MST Two small companies--Montana Coffee Traders and Grand Teton Brewing--were honored among much bigger competitors at the inaugural 2011 Good Food Awards in January. While most of the winners are based in larger markets, including Public Domain coffee in Portland, Ore., and Bison Brewing in Berkeley, Calif., the Rocky Mountain businesses impressed a series of judges to earn the Good Food Award seal for high-quality and environmentally-produced food and beverages. When Barb and Scott Brant started Montana Coffee Traders in Whitefish in 1982, they were the only coffee roasters in the state. "In the '80s, people didn't really know about good coffee," Barb Brant said. "Most people had never heard the word 'latte' before." From the beginning, the Brants wanted to offer fair trade and organic before those words were common in the coffee aisle. The company now also sells special blends that contribute to causes. A dollar from each pound sold of the Grizzly Blend, for instance, goes toward supporting habitat for grizzly bears. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/trouble_in_toyland_silverton_colorado_vs_mountain_boy_sledworks/C586/C586/ Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:13:25 MST Mountain Boy is a niche sled manufacturer, focusing on traditional wooden designs with updated features such as a "lightning-fast" plastic skids and innovative kick sleds. Mountain Boy produced about 100 sleds in Silverton, by hand, until 2004 when it moved much of its production to China. This year, two craftsmen will make about 500 sleds locally. The sleds are sold worldwide with distribution handled exclusively in Silverton. So many of the sleds are in Silverton, all are distributed from Silverton, but as of late November, none of them are available for purchase in Silverton. Following an 18-month dispute with officials over zoning, building codes, occupancy ratings and the sign code, Brice and Karen Hoskin decided not to sell their sleds locally as a means of denying sales tax revenue to the town. Since the inception of the company, Mountain Boy had been selling sleds to locals at wholesale pricing, as much as 50 percent off the retail price. At the crux of the dispute is whether the Hoskins' sledmaking enterprise, as well as their other business, Montayna Rum Distillers, conform to the town's code for businesses within the downtown area. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/farming_the_perfect_lesson_in_surrender/C586/C586/ Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:39:19 MST One Friday in early September, I dragged myself out to the field to harvest for the next day's market, ready to spend hours picking, weighing and sorting the overwhelming bounty a September harvest day brings. Instead, when I arrived, Jacob shouted from across the field four little, but fearful, words: "We got a frost." The forecast had called for 38 degrees, but just in our little spot, that 38 degrees meant freezing. We'd just harvested the first of the tomatoes the week before and the peppers were just starting to put on fruit. It was a cool, wet summer and most of our hot or long-season crops had been seriously hampered. We'd been waiting, hoping, for an Indian Summer. Some of the winter squash -- what would feed us and our customers all winter -- had just started to flower. We still had five weeks of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) deliveries for our customers and four weeks of farmers' market tables to fill.  http://www.newwest.net/city/article/kalispell_medical_marijuana_clinic_draws_huge_crowd/C586/C586/ Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:09:57 MST Hundreds of people gathered at the Kalispell Red Lion hotel for a public clinic on medical marijuana Friday held by the Montana Caregivers Network, many with the goal of obtaining a physician's statement proclaiming that they are eligible for a state-registered medical marijuana card. Along with the steady stream of people lining up to be seen by one of the doctors at the clinic, there were roughly 30 tables of licensed marijuana caregivers available to answer questions from prospective patients. John O'Mailia and his wife Katie came up to Kalispell from the Bitterroot Valley to advertise their business, Affordable Montana Caregivers. He said there were only four caregivers present at an August clinic last year, and the influx of new businesses is partially a result of the recession. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/top_missoula_radio_stations_bought_by_local_group/C586/C586/ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:29:00 MST Bucking a long-standing trend that has seen radio station ownership nationwide consolidate into handful of large chains, a troika of Missoula media entrepreneurs have acquired the Trail 103.3 and two other local radio stations. The stations have been run since 2006 by Salt Lake City-based Simmons Media, but Simmons decided not to renew its operating lease on the stations, and the lease will now expire at the end of this year. The new ownership group includes Kevin Terry, a radio engineer and programmer and the original founder and owner of the stations; Ross Rademacher, former owner of the Maverick Group, a Hamilton-based marketing agency; and Becky Smith, a long-time Missoula media operator with experience in radio, print and online. In addition, Dave Cowan, who was responsible for creating the hugely successful programming format for the Trail, has returned to the station group as director of programming. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/in_conservative_circles_calls_for_citizen_grand_juries_grow/C586/C586/ Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:59:28 MST The idea of changing state law, or the state Constitution, to allow citizens to convene grand juries in their counties appears to be gathering steam in some conservative circles of Western Montana. The concept would allow citizens to summon juries comprised of members of the public to investigate alleged crimes -- not just judges, as is the case currently. With a Bitterroot man crafting language for a proposed ballot initiative and a Hungry Horse man forming a group to work on draft legislation, a measure allowing for citizen grand juries, in one form or another, seems poised for broader consideration in the coming year -- by either the public or, possibly, lawmakers. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/a_true_turkey_story_and_not_for_the_faint_hearted/C586/C586/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:51:57 MST Getting a turkey from pasture to table is no small task. Nor is it one for the squeamish. But, if you're going to enjoy the bird and all its trimmings this Thanksgiving, you might as well know where they come from. This last weekend, 75 pasture-raised heritage turkeys met their demise and made their way to tables across Montana and photographer Anne Medley was there every step of the way. In this multimedia piece, Anne documents butchering day at Prairie Heritage Farm near Conrad, Mont. (owned and operated by NewWest.Net editor Courtney Lowery Cowgill and her husband Jacob Cowgill) and the community that turned out to make it all happen. You can read more about the Cowgills' operation and their turkeys in this piece in the Great Falls Tribune or on their blog. Note to readers: This piece is not for the faint of heart. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/bozeman_co_op_booted_from_farmers_market/C586/C586/ Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:21:02 MST "Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian." -- Dennis Wholey We thought the idea was so simple, and such a great fit, that there would be no way there could be trouble. After all, what could be a better match than selling Co-op bread at our local farmers' market? We weren't looking for conflict or confrontation. We just wanted to peddle our humble loaves of bread. Trouble, it turns out, can plague even the most innocent of pursuits. We've been making our own bread for a few years now, and we are proud of our little operation. We use organic wheat grown by farmers near Big Sandy, Montana, bringing you, our members, fine artisan and sandwich loaves that are significantly cheaper than other bakeries in town. Based on the daily sales and very loyal and repeat customers, we know we are on the right track. we received a rather tense phone call informing us that we were no longer welcome as vendors at the Saturday Market. They refunded our forty bucks, and that was that. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/for_montanas_mint_tradition_flathead_is_the_final_frontier/C586/C586/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:49:28 MST If you're brushing your teeth with Colgate toothpaste, there's a chance you're supporting local farmers, in a roundabout kind of way. After all, Flathead County is home to the four remaining mint operations in the state, but even those farmers know there is more history to Montana's mint farms than there is future. But Flathead's enduring mint farmers are intent on staying upright in a market that has become increasingly saturated by foreign operations in countries such as China and India. They know they have the proper climate and the willpower to keep growing mint, but whether they have the appropriate economic conditions remains to be seen. http://www.newwest.net/city/article/political_sparks_begin_to_fly_over_boat_crash/C586/C586/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:29:11 MST In a blog I wrote about two weeks ago I wondered out loud how long it would take before the Aug. 27 boat crash into the rocks of Wayfarer's State Park became fodder in Denny Rehberg's 2010 reelection bid. And the answer is ... not very long at all! Democratic challenger for Rehberg's seat, Dennis McDonald, has been issuing press releases almost daily blasting Rehberg for how he handled the accident and its aftermath, saying his drinking was irresponsible and asserting that Rehberg bears some responsibility for the injuries suffered by his younger staff members for allowing them to get on the boat driven by Kalispell Republican state Sen. Greg Barkus -- who had been drinking that night, though it remains unknown how much. Let's be clear: McDonald is not making subtle allusions. He is coming out guns blazing and calling Rehberg's handling of the crash a "cover-up."