Our Mission

Christie Walsh is the co-owner of Township Road Farm near Worden, Montana. She and her husband purchased a 5 acre plot 18 years ago with the dream of filling it with a myriad of fruits. All these years later, they are finally on their way to making their dream a reality. Their farm motto is ‘we grow a little bit of everything’. Their orchard has 32 fruit trees (mostly apples), three large raspberry brambles, a plum thicket, a few rows of Haskaps, a whole corner dedicated to currants, dwarf sour cherries, and 256 wine grape vines. Their vineyard will acquire another 384 grapes next year. Aronia berries, Serviceberries, Sea Buckthorns and Buffalo Berries are on the list of additions that will soon be adorning the farm as well.

Catherine McNeil and her late husband, Ken, have spent their lives in agriculture. Their family owns Apple Bar Orchard in the Helena valley of Montana, one of the original homesteads in the area dating back to the early 1900s.

The McNeil family farm hosts seven acres of hay fields and 1.5 acres of fruit. The orchard got its start as a research site for MSU Extension to determine what kinds of berries could be grown in Montana on only .25 acres. The successful berry cultivars gained footing and expanded fruit production to its current acreage, and is now occupied by haskaps, currants, saskatoons, aronia berries, sour cherries, and various apple and pear varieties.

Products from Apple Bar Orchard can be found across the state of Montana in various value-added products such as jams, jellies, juice, kombucha, beer, wine, seltzer, pies, tarts, scones, and other baked goods. Catherine loves the nutritional aspects of the haskaps and other Montana-grown berries, and hopes they become a healthy option for Montanans in the future.

Melissa Allred is the owner of Aspen Grove Farm in Corvallis, MT. She started Aspen Grove in 2019, but has over 20 years experience as both a fruit and vegetable farmer in the Bitterroot valley. Her six acre farm is home to five acres of honeyberries and one acre of raspberries, strawberries, currants, elderberries, saskatoons, gooseberries, rhubarb and a young fruit orchard.

Aspen Grove produces a line of jams and syrup made from her farm-grown berries. These value-added products can be found in retail and grocery locations throughout the state. Aspen Grove Farm sells fresh and frozen berries at several local farmer's markets as well as U-Pick at the farm during the growing season.

Melissa loves to have her hands in the soil, growing and nurturing her beautiful berries. Introducing people to the flavors of freshly grown berries, especially the honeyberry, is her life's passion.