Montana

What is the Perfect Montana Inspired Potato Chip Flavor?

Published

2 years ago

June 10, 2024

What is the Perfect Montana Inspired Potato Chip Flavor?

What if we had a Montana-flavored potato chip?

I’m a salty snacker and potato chips are one of my top choices when reaching for a treat. The fat, the salt, the crunch – yum! Potato chips are one of my few borderline food addictions. I can easily consume a “Party Size” bag of Lay’s (now just 12.5 ounces, thanks to shrinkflation) in two to three sittings.

Credit: Lay’s

Lay’s has rolled out a fun new assortment of seasonal flavors for 2024.

The seasonal, limited-edition flavor combos always catch my eye on the endcaps of grocery stores. This year, the company has four new limited-edition chip flavors. Three of those are designed to represent regions of the United States; West Coast, East Coast, and Midwest.

The West Coast flavor is Crispy Taco, East Coast is BLT Sandwich, and Midwest is Fried Pickles with Ranch. The 4th limited-edition flavor is Lime and Cracked Pepper (kettle chips) at select retailers.

Canadians love ketchup chips. Credit Canva

Canadians supposedly love ketchup-flavoured chips. Credit Canva

Remember the ketchup-flavored chips?

Canadians have reportedly loved ketchup-flavored potato chips since the 80s, and are somewhat popular in pockets of the US. In 2018 Lay’s released their ketchup-flavored chips nationwide as part of its “Taste of America” series.

They’ve done all kinds of wacky food combo chip flavors over the years, including Deep Dish Pizza, Crab Spice, Chili Con Queso, Beer and Brats, and many more. I’ve tried most of them, loved some of them, and was less than impressed by others.

Rocky Mountain Oyster Flavor? Credit Canva

Credit Canva

If Montana had a chip flavor…

Food and Wine gushed that Lay’s 2024’s nostalgia-inspired chip flavors will “remind you of home.” Which made me wonder what flavor of potato chip would best represent Montana. Smoked Trout flavored potato chips don’t sound very appealing, no matter how clever the marketing.

Credit Popshoplife.com/Canva

Steakhouse Chips? Sweet and Zesty Huckleberry BBQ?

The company already makes a Ribeye Steak flavored chip, available in China and online at specialty import shops. Rebranded as a “Steakhouse” flavor, this chip might make me think of Big Sky Country. Many Montanans might enjoy a “BBQ Huckleberry” flavored chip, which would portray the Treasure State taste profile relatively accurately.

What other wacky Montana-inspired flavors could the food scientists at Lay’s whip up? We’d love to hear your thoughts, serious or silly. Drop a comment if you’re reading this on Facebook, or send a message on our App Chat.

The 5 Highest-Paying Remote Jobs for Montanans

Sometimes it’s time to make a change. There’s no harm in that, and with these 5 remote jobs, you’ll be a success in no time. All are entry level and have no educational or experienced-based requirements.

Gallery Credit: Devon Brosnan

Top 10 Driving Violations for Montana

Here is a look at the most common driving violations in the state of Montana

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Montana

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

Published

16 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.

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Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

BUTTE — MSU-Northern and Montana Western pulled a pair of upsets Saturday at the Butte Civic Center to wrap up the quarterfinal round of the Frontier Conference women’s basketball postseason tournament.

The fifth-seeded Skylights started the day with a red-hot shooting performance to down No. 4 Rocky Mountain College 82-74. Western, the sixth seed, used a third-quarter surge to defeat No. 3 Carroll College 65-56.

MSU-Northern (17-11) and Western (14-13) now advance to Sunday’s semifinal round, where the Skylights will play No. 1 seed Dakota State at noon and the Bulldogs will face No. 2 Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m.

MSU-Northern 82, Rocky Mountain College 74

MSU-Northern sizzled in the first quarter, making seven 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead, and put together a crucial third-quarter run to get past Rocky and advance to the semifinal round.

Becky Melcher splashed four 3s in the first 10 minutes, and Taya Trottier, Canzas HisBadHorse and Shania Moananu added one apiece as the Skylights built a 29-13 lead. Melcher scored 14 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 30 on 10-of-19 shooting (7 of 15 from 3-point range). She added 11 rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals to her stat line.

Rocky battled back to tie the game at 36-36 in the second quarter on a Brenna Linse basket, but MSUN responded with consecutive triples from Trottier and Melcher and took a 44-38 lead into halftime. The Bears eventually stole the lead back in the third quarter following a 9-0 run capped be an Isabelle Heggem bucket.

But the Skylights again answered — this time with a 13-2 run to take a 60-51 lead. MSUN led 66-59 going to the fourth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. The Skylights trailed for less than two total minutes of the game.

As a team, MSUN made 14 of 26 3s in the game. Ciera Agasiva was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, and Trottier was 2 for 3. Trottier had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Agasiva had 13 points.

Paige Wasson led Rocky (20-9) with 29 points but was 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts. Heggem had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Montana Western 65, Carroll 56

After neither team led by more than five points in the first half, Western broke open a 25-25 tie game by outscoring Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter.

Bailee Sayler scored 10 points in the quarter, including making two 3-pointers, to help the Bulldogs take control. They led 45-34 going to the fourth, and Carroll wouldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Fighting Saints were just 18-of-65 shooting (27.7%) for the game.

Sayler scored an efficient 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2 for 3 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the free throw line. The Missoula native also had nine rebounds.

Isabella Lund added 16 points for the Bulldogs, and Keke Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Carroll (19-10) was led by Kenzie Allen with 12 points. Willa Albrecht and Meagan Karstetter scored 11 points apiece for the Saints.

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