Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** gallatin county is one of the…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** gallatin county is one of the largest and most populous counties in montana. Two gaps remaining in our food recovery hierarchy are the rescue of food from restaurants and more farms (feed hungry people and animals), and the availability of a large-scale COMPOST facility (COMPOST). Therefore, the over-arching goal of this project is 1) to reduce the amount of food waste entering the landfill, instead 2) feeding people and animals, and 3) to generate a COMPOST product for agricultural production from the food waste that does make IT to the landfill. This project aligns with the cfwr goals: reduce food waste and divert residential and commercial food waste from landfills; generate COMPOST; increase access to COMPOST for agricultural producers; reduce reliance on, and limit the use of, fertilizer; improve soil quality and increase rainwater absorption. The county's solid waste management district owns and operates the county's only landfill. We landfilled 185,370.54 tons of waste last year. Based on national averages and a waste audit by a local community, IT is estimated that 35,000-40,000 tons of this is easily compostable food waste. Through this project the district would expand their biosolids COMPOST operation to include this food waste and produce COMPOST of a quality that would be beneficial for and distributed to agricultural producers. Two existing commercial composters, yes COMPOST and happy trash can, will help support this effort. In addition, there is opportunity to divert food waste further up on the food recovery hierarchy. The human resource development council of gallatin county operates food banks, food production gardens, montana's first and only pay-what-you-can restaurant and food truck, the shelter, and the public transportation system. In its operations hrdc actively rescues food from grocery stores, farms, and bakeries and feeds the community, and secondarily donates food to animal farmers and rescues, such as grizzly encounter. In 2022, hrdc rescued 730,639 pounds of food. With this project, hrdc would expand their food rescue operation to include restaurants and more farms to feed those in our community who are hungry, rescuing an estimated 100,000 additional pounds of food. Gallatin county will partner with the conservation district, hrdc, the open and local coalition, and the prospera business network for education, outreach, and COMPOST distribution efforts. This project addresses the USDA priorities of reducing food waste and loss, investing in infrastructure that can facilitate the implementation of climate smart agriculture and forestry practices, helping build community resilience to climate change, and building and expanding existing education and outreach efforts. IT also aligns with executive orders 14008 and 13985 in building infrastructure for a sustainable economy, advancing agriculture, and serving the socially disadvantaged, particularly in the provision of access to food (rescued from restaurants a, ND farms) and product (COMPOST) currently unavailable to our rural population, as well as equitable access for all. Operations of the landfill and future COMPOST facility align with executive order 13990 to protect public health and our environment, help ensure access to clean air and water, limit exposure to dangerous chemicals and pesticides, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change (particularly local risk from flood, fire, and drought). The project supports the USDA action plan for climate adaptation and resilience, specifically regarding soil health, outreach and education efforts, and engaging producers and land managers and encouraging their adaptation to a changing climate.