Charley Overbay, who grows corn for Dave Christensen, had a great year this year. They are still processing it, but the rough estimate would be around 12,000 pounds this year! Every piece of corn cob has to be handled one piece at a time. Some kernels need to be removed one at a time to ensure that their genetics are preserved! To compare the crop from last year when they got 2-3 thousand. "Over eleven years, this year was by far the largest total harvest. But it was also the highest or the second highest yield per acre year since 2014."
Ole from Northern Frontier Farms also grows corn for Christensen.
"We have different grades. We have a genetic grade, which is the best. That's the stuff that we keep for ourselves to replant next year. We have seed grade, which is the best for bulk harvest. That's what we sell to our customers. We have food grade, which is good. It's quality for human food. With an open-pollinated population, there's a lot of diversity, and we have a certain type of cob we're looking for. They do this by visually looking at each one. You have to handle one of these and decide where they go individually. If the kernels are cracked, we're not taking a chance. They're more likely to have a little mold on them if they're cracked, and we don't take chances." They do give them to animals to eat. They showed me what they look like and how they remove one kernel at a time.
Dave Christensen is the leader and the genetic developer. "I decided what I wanted. The narrower cobs dry faster. Indians preferred them. White men make big fat cobs, which works for a warmer climate, but if you want these to dry before they freeze, the thinner is better. I also go for round kernels rather than squarish kernels, which have many different traits. I like uniform rows; originally, the Indian corn rows were all jumbled. You get freaks and throwsbacks all the time." He showed me one, and then he showed me examples of all the grades.
"We grow four different varieties: Painted Mountain, Blue Mesa Maze, Blue Mountain Flint, and Homestead Hero. The Homestead Hero is a solid yellow variety. We have those four different lines, and it's really important that we don't mix those lines because we're selling it for seed. Our customers are getting the pure variety.
"Our corn varieties offer a range of nutritional benefits. The yellow and light orange ones are particularly good for the brain and skin, especially the brain, skin, and eyes.
The darker brick red or darker orange varieties have antioxidant value, albeit less powerful than the other colors. However, they are especially beneficial for people with stomach lining issues. This information will help you make informed, health-conscious choices when it comes to your diet."
"Our corn protein goes between 12 and 14%, and commercial corn is six to eight. So, 12 is high, and 14 is rarely heard of. I've worked very hard on that. And that yellow one you saw, the Homestead heat, has a unique gene with the three amino acids missing in all grains you must eat. They're very low. Like all grains, you must eat beans or legumes with your corn to get a good balance. But with this corn, you don't need to eat the beans with it. So, starving people around the world can eat this corn, and it's never perfect to have only one thing in your diet. The more food you get, the better. But the truth is, starving people have one thing: to eat grain. So, this is going to have balanced amino acids. It's 14% protein, but that protein is 80% the quality of meat."
If you want to buy some of the corn, the local food corn customers are: Casa Del Gringo - Mexican Restaurant in Fort Benton; Grand Union Grill - a historic restaurant in Fort Benton; The Streatery, Sarah Manuel - a food truck, farm to table meals, freezer meals in Havre; Conservation Grain - mills Montana grown grain in Choteau. They mill and sell our Blue Mesa Maize.
Future customers they hope to work with: The Montana Food Coop in Great Falls.
Abundant Montana's Eat Local initiative has a campaign to promote eating locally. One of their key initiatives is the '33x33' campaign. The goal of this campaign is to ensure that 33% of the food consumed in Montana is produced locally by the year 2033. This initiative not only supports local farmers and businesses but also promotes sustainable agriculture
