Expo 2024 and AERO’s 50th Anniversary Events

This landmark event celebrates AERO’s pivotal role in Montana’s sustainability efforts over the past five decades and its present commitment to growing a resilient and reliable Montana food system for the future through its Abundant Montana program.
Expo 2024 theme is: #FutureGenMT: Designing a Path for the Well-Being of Montana’s Future Generations, a theme chosen in honor of AERO’s founders’ clear commitment to foster the development of sustainable communities for today and generations to come, and inspired by the book #FutureGen: Lessons from a Small Country by Jane Davidson. #FutureGen details how Wales passed the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act of 2015, the first country in the world to do so.
Friday will feature tours showcasing local collaborations promoting regenerative food practices, sustainable resource management, and community health. Participating sites include Charter Ranch and Livestock, Stone Soup Garden, Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, Blue Creek Marbled Meat and Processing, Agri Organics, Healthy By Design, and others. The Expo kicks off with AERO’s signature potluck dinner, cake auction, and a celebration of 50 years of impactful work.
Saturday and Sunday will include a series of speaker sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and workshops led by local experts and community leaders. Topics include nutrition impact on generational well-being, sustainable energy and food production, community engagement tools for lasting change, and steps to sustainable health-giving food access. The event will culminate in a collaborative mapping session for the developing “33 x 33 for Montana” campaign, aiming to have 33% Montana-grown food on every Montana plate by 2033.
Bonus Content: Attendees can look forward to a keynote by Latrice Tatsey (In-niisk-ka-mah-kii), screenings of two “Life on the Land” films by Stories for Action, and a Sunday morning “Gritogether” porridge party hosted by GRUFF Ancient Grain Grits. Meals on Saturday will be catered by Scratch Kitchen and Montana Meal Prep.