State of Montana Newsroom
Governor Gianforte Celebrates National Ag Day at Multi-Generational Potato Farms
RONAN, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte celebrated National Agriculture Day today by visiting the Lake Family farms, potato farms in operation for more than eighty years in the Mission Valley.
“We’re celebrating Montana agriculture today and the farmers and ranchers that drive our state’s number one industry,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. “Our commodities like potatoes, wheat, barley, beef, and pulse crops are recognized throughout the world for their superior quality, and family farms like the Lake’s serve as the cornerstone to rural communities across our state.”
During the visit, Governor Gianforte toured the on-farm seed lab and observed hundreds of pounds of potatoes being shipped from the farms to market.
Montana is a major growing area for high-quality, certified disease-free seed potatoes that are shipped across the U.S. and throughout the world. Montana growers produce a wide array of potato varieties including traditional russets, red skinned and gold fleshed varieties, as well as heirloom, purple skinned, and blue and red fleshed varieties.
On Monday, Governor Gianforte proclaimed March 23, 2021 as Agriculture Day and the week of March 22, 2021 as Montana Agriculture Week to celebrate Montana’s agricultural producers and their way of life.
###