LEWISTOWN — Before the first Harvest Train ever left the station, Bill Plouffe and his family were already giving passengers a closer look at Central Montana agriculture.
“It doesn’t come from the grocery store, it gets to the grocery store,” he said.
The Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce’s first Harvest Train on Friday, Oct. 2, took that conversation aboard the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, combining agricultural demonstrations, local food and time with people involved in farming and ranching.
WATCH Madison Collier’s report below:
Developed with Fergus County Commissioner Jennifer Saunders, the event brought elements of the traditional Ag Tour and Longest Table dinner onto the vintage train.
The Plouffe family’s livestock displays gave passengers a place to start asking questions about the daily work behind their food.
“Once again, it’s just to help people to know where their food’s coming from, and that there’s hardworking men and women right here in this area helping to produce food on an everyday basis,” Plouffe said.
MSU Extension’s 2025 Fergus County report describes approximately $149 million in cash receipts from crops and livestock across the Fergus-Petroleum area, with wheat, barley and hay among its major crops.
Local musicians played as passengers gathered at Hanover Boarding Station near Lewistown. After boarding, attendees could watch agriculture at work through the windows.
Each of the train’s seven cars had a Harvest Host to explain the landscape and answer questions. In the Indian Creek car, Harvest Ambassador Bill Miller pointed out features along the route.
Producers demonstrated tasks ranging from running a combine and baler to moving sheep, repairing fences and working cattle.
At the tables, passengers sampled food prepared by Carpenter’s Luncheonette, Rising Trout Cafe, The Wrangler and Main Street Treats. The meal featured locally grown and raised ingredients, including brisket from Montana RanchHers Beef Co. and flour from Lewistown Flour Company.
Blake and Quincy Buechler traveled from Billings to celebrate their anniversary, and while the food helped draw them aboard, Quincy said supporting local businesses was part of the appeal.
“I think we try to just support local as much as we can and give business back to people that make up the community and the state,” she said.
Before turning back, the train stopped in Denton, where local FFA and 4-H members briefly boarded to talk about their programs and involvement in agriculture. According to MSU Extension, 116 youth showed and sold livestock at the 2025 Central Montana Fair, where the livestock auction generated nearly $500,000 in sales.
Passengers also received samples of crops grown in the area, including chickpeas and lentils, provided by MSU Extension. Organizers’ educational materials included crop identification sheets, research information from the MSU Research Station and wool samples from the MSU Wool Lab.
On the return trip, Miller offered a closing thought about the food passengers had tasted and the work they had seen.
“I hope you enjoyed the taste of our local products and are departing with a broader understanding of the life we live and the living we make,” he said.
