Herbert Karst is a graduate of Northern Montana College. He has farmed 35 years and is the third generation of his family to farm east of Sunburst, Montana. He raises wheat, barley, canola and hay on 4,500 acres near the Sweetgrass Hills. His specialty is malting barley and he has been contracting much of his production directly with breweries for the past thirty years. Herb was a director with the Montana Grain Growers Association for 12 years, having served as president in 2003.

Herb and his wife Carol have three children.