A Grain of Truth
Each bite of warm, freshly baked bread, flakey pastry or thick- crust pizza from Grains of Montana Restaurant and Bakery is prepared with care, conservation and community in mind.
Family Passion
In keeping with their passion for locally grown ingredients, Grains of Montana’s owners, Kyle, Travis and Mark Nielsen, produce their own McNeal spring wheat using a crop rotation system. The Nielsens alternate their fields between wheat and legumes, which naturally replenishes the nitrogen in the soil.
The Nielsen family is deeply rooted in the community and has family ties to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Northeastern Montana.
Linda Nielsen is a tribal member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Northeastern Montana.
“She has been quite active in our tribal ranch, as well as her own,” says Grant Stafne, Councilman on the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes Tribal Executive Board. “Her family leases a substantial amount of land for farming and pasture.”
Growing Benefits
The incorporation of locally grown ingredients into Grains of Montana’s products stimulates the local economy while promoting Montana’s agriculture industry.
“There are $66 million dollars worth of raw agriculture products being sold off the seven reservations in the state of Montana,” says Ross Racine, Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council. “Roughly 59 percent of the $66 million is livestock and 31 percent is crops.”
From the 15,000-acre fields of Nielsen Farms to the ovens of Grains of Montana, the superior Montana wheat is transformed into delicious baked goods that put money in the pockets of the locals and smiles on the faces of the bakery’s patrons.
“Sustainably utilizing food processing as an economic development tool helps the garnering of profit, creating jobs, feeding the respective community healthier food and lessening the carbon footprint of food production,” Racine says. “The Nielsens’ effort is a prime example of using local production and developing a plate-ready product.”