Page 31 - Flathead Beacon // 6.25.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM JUNE 25, 2014 | 31 AGRICULTURE
BUSINESSMONTHLY
Kirk Passmore is the final holdout for a sweet- smelling but fickle crop
The Last
Mint Farmer in Montana
BCy MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon
RESTON – Kirk Passmore stands in his farmland, looking at the green mint plants sprouting from the fertile Flathead Valley soil. Not far off, his farm dogs are foraging
for whatever it is farm dogs like to roll in, panting and happy in the sunshine.
It’s peaceful here on the last mint farm in Mon- tana. The skies are finally blue after the prior week’s deluge of several inches of rain, and the view into the
Glacier National Park’s west border frames the fields. The spearmint field next to the Passmore’s farm- house is well on its way to being a hardy yield come mid-August. The mint smell is impossible to miss, and plucking a deep green leaf releases a refreshing
spearmint flavor.
Peppermint plants are just starting to come
into their own in a nearby field. Passmore stands in the dirt and wonders aloud why
See Mint PAGE 33
Kirk Passmore describes his mint farming operations.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON