Governor proclaims Montana Soil Health Week

Press release

HELENA — Gov. Greg Gianforte held a roundtable discussion Monday to recognize Soil Health Week in Montana and raise awareness about how healthy soils can increase crop yields, improve nutrition, and strengthen food security.

“Montana Soil Health Week serves as an opportunity to highlight our farmers, ranchers, and all producers working toward better soil health stewardship,” Gianforte said. “By being good stewards, we are creating opportunities for the next generation and cultivating a future where Montana producers can continue to drive our economy and produce high-quality commodities.”

Joining Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark, legislators, ranchers, business owners, and community partners, the governor convened the group to highlight the importance of healthy soil for agriculture, food security, and nutrition.

“Working to maximize soil health is critical to maximizing profitability,” Clark said. “By implementing soil health principles like rotational grazing, cover cropping or no-till, our farmers and ranchers can preserve their operations for future generations while harvesting better profits.”

Last spring, the Montana Legislature passed a bipartisan resolution sponsored by Sen. Butch Gillespie, R-Ethridge, and co-sponsored by Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, designating the first week of April as Montana Soil Health Week and the first Wednesday in April as Montana Soil Health Day.

“Soil health is something we’ve been interested in on our ranch and have been practicing for a number of years now. It’s a neat time of year to highlight healthy soils because Mother Earth is waking up and things are getting warmer, so the seeds are starting to sprout and are ready to be seeded on our farmlands,” Gillespie said Monday.

Discussing ways to promote the stewardship of Montana’s soil, the group heard from Cole Mannix, founder of the Old Salt Co-op and owner of The Union restaurant set to open this month in Helena.

“Our market will showcase products that come from the landscapes of Montana, so I view soil health as a tremendous opportunity — an opportunity to increase fertility to increase crops. So, it’s a win-win,” Mannix said.

Concluding the roundtable, the governor read and signed the proclamation declaring this week Montana Soil Health Week.

The governor’s proclamation may be viewed online at https://gov.mt.gov/Documents/GovernorsOffice/Proclamations/View?doc=PROC_240401_soil_health_week.pdf .