BILLINGS — This year severe drought dealt Montana farmers and ranchers one of the most challenging years in history. A new documentary “Bone Dry” gives viewers an in-depth look at the trials and tribulations farm families faced during the 2021 growing season.
“It really went from this basic on the ground feel of what was happening in Montana to this larger scale human interest piece on producers and the challenges they face that are completely out of their control any given year,” said Montana Wheat & Barley Committee director Cassidy Marn.
The film was made possible through a partnership with the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee, the Montana Pulse Crop Committee, and AgriStudios, which produced the documentary.
“Even though it's a really tough subject to film this year, it was great to be able to document the resilience and the positivity that farmers still have as they go into 2022 growing cycle,” said AgriStudios creative director Riley Slivka. “They know despite these tough times; they're still going to be around. So, capturing this was definitely really powerful. I didn't want this film to be just kind of a big sob story about what happened here in Montana and 2021. I wanted to document this resiliency because it's something that's just so cool to see in the ag industry.”
The crop updates and now this documentary are also very powerful resources for reassuring export customers that despite this year’s challenges, Montana farmers remain committed to raising the high-quality grains and pulses their known for and the world depends on.
“It's really important to keep that relationship,” said Marn. “The reason they come to Montana isn’t just because we have a superior end product, but also because they trust that we're going to tell them the full story. And we've developed these relationships over the years, so being able to maintain this connection is very essential, and I think that this video series really helped us do that.”
If the video above doesn't play, click here to watch it on the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee Facebook page.
