1200 lbs a year, assuming a half pound per serving, is only 2400 servings a year, or about six a day. I can't imagine six bowls of beans does much to pay the bills even in rural Montana.
A half pound of beans is an awful lot for a serving.
Really? The recipes I found seemed to use 3 1lb cans of beans per 4 people. That's 3/4 lb of beans per person. Also, this is Montana, they don't shy from larger portions, a pound a person wouldn't surprise me.