Three Forks farm gets state funding to support operations
THREE FORKS, Mont. — Montana’s Department of Agriculture invested more than $800,000 in 17 agricultural businesses, including one family-run farm in Three Forks.
Franck and Kari Groeneweg moved their family from Saskatchewan, Canada to Montana in 2020 and settled in Three Forks. They brought years of farming experience and now run Living Sky Grains.
Kari Groeneweg said farming full time came with ongoing pressure from dry conditions.
"We are at the mercy of the weather all the time and drought for us has been a huge concern since we’ve been here," Kari Groeneweg said.
The National Integrated Drought Information System reported Gallatin County is in severe drought. Those conditions affected thousands of acres tied to hay, wheat, haylage, cattle and sheep.
Kari Groeneweg explained regenerative agriculture had become a bigger focus for the farm through soil health and moisture retention.
The Montana Department of Agriculture awarded the couple a grant and loan through its Growth Through Agriculture program. The program required at least a dollar in matching investment for every dollar of assistance received.
Living Sky Grains is set to receive more than $85,000 in grant and loan funding.
The couple plans to use the money to upgrade farm equipment, improve packaging, strengthen marketing and promote their product.
"That just gives us a boost to getting going. To build that snowball, to build that value added side of the business and it’s just another way to have a Montana family farm succeed," Kari Groeneweg said.
"There’s so much innovation that’s happening in Montana and to be a part of that group is really special," Franck Groeneweg said.
Here's a list for the 2026 Growth Through Agriculture Awards:
Abraxas Farm LLC dba Far Out Feeds [faroutfeeds.com] – Big Arm
$50,000 grant “Increasing Producer Access to Montana-grown, Organic Livestock Feeds”
Bull River Farm [bullriverfarm.com] – Noxon
$4,731.50 grant “Cold Room”
CIVC LLC dba CIVC Montana [civc.us] – Belgrade
$27,405.20 grant and $71,531.23 loan “Expanding flour milling capacity at CIVC's Belgrade plant to meet rising demand for products grown and made in Montana.”
Excelsior Meats – Butte
$25,000 grant “Excelsior Meats Diversity and Growth”
Fat Toads Farm Pantry [fattoadsfarmpantry.com] – Bozeman
$15,506.35 “Increasing Fat Toads Farm Pantry's Cold Storage Capacity”
Solum Inc [solumtread.com] – Bozeman
$45,950 grant “Harvesting New Value Streams: Building a Montana Bio-Materials Economy”
$50,000 grant “Expanding Value Added Opportunities for Specialty Crop Growers through Juicing and Dehydration”
Last Best Organics – Missoula
$46,742.73 grant “Last Best Organics Expansion”
Living Sky Grains LLC [livingskygrains.com] – Three Forks
$45,500 grant and $45,000 loan “Living Sky Grains 2025 Growth Through Ag Grant”
Living Water Agriculture – Nashua
$26,624 grant “Aquaponic Produce for Northeastern Montana”
Montana Milk Producers Association – Cut Bank
$50,000 grant “Keeping Montana Milk in Montana Homes Through Dairy Transition”
Mont-Dulce LLC dba Cool Earth Creamery [coolearthcreamery.com] – Missoula
$33,500 grant “Cool Earth Creamery Gelato Production Expansion Grant”
Mulder Enterprises LLC dba Old Town Farmstand [oldtownfarmstand.com] – Three Forks
$39,000 grant “Old Town Farmstand Mobile Commercial Kitchen Expansion: Scaling Montana-Grown Value-Added Foods and Unlocking New Markets”
Project Meats LLC [ranchhousemeat.com] – Billings
$46,723.20 grant “Automating Growth to Retain and Attract Clients”
Rivulet Apiaries LLC [hinduhillbilly.com] – Alberton
$37,382 grant “Market expansion and scaling of apiary for value-added products”
Sovereign Warrior LLC [sovereignwarriormt.com] – Darby
$40,000 grant and $60,000 loan “Scaling Grassfed Bison Jerky Production in Underserved Darby, Montana”
Willow Mountain Winery LLC [willowmountainwinery.com] – Corvallis
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