New Montana Meat Processing Facility in our Future?

Potential for Montana Meat Processing Facility Studied by One Montana

Can a moderately sized, USDA approved multispecies meat processing facility operate in the state of Montana? That is the question a local nonprofit, in partnership with multiple entities, is working to determine.

One Montana http://www.onemontana.org, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization based out of Bozeman, Montana is beginning an in-depth study this month on this concept and expects it to be complete by spring 2014. Recognizing that the possibility of opening a facility like this has been talked about (even examined ) for years, One Montana’s goal is for this to be the definitive, impartial study that will clearly answer all the questions related to construction, operation and economic feasibility of such a plant.

"It’s true," says project manager Matt Bitz, "that studies have been done in the past, but we are taking a much broader approach. In the last ten years, consumers at the regional, national and international level have become more concerned with where their food comes from and how it gets to their plate. We are trying not to place any limiting factors regarding location, are taking a multispecies approach, and are including both traditional and alternative agricultural perspectives."

He adds, "We will be examining the best ways to design a plant that is a model for efficiency, humane slaughter, traceability, and food and worker safety. Bottom line–by the time this is done, we want the people of Montana to have a definitive answer to the question of whether this state can significantly increase the volume of meat production – and if it can help satisfy the growing desire to increase local sources of quality meat."

One Montana has enlisted the research skills of two Montana State University professors to examine the economic impact and environmental considerations of such a plant. RFP’s are being issued for the study of the marketing, labor and construction issues as well.

"If this proves feasible," says One Montana president, Bill Bryan, "it would be a huge economic boost for the state of Montana, not only because of the jobs it would provide, but because of the added value to our strong agricultural sector and increased local food options for Montana consumers."

The study also will investigate the possibility of how this facility could work with some of the small existing meat processing facilities in the state as well as mobile units and will examine how to process beef, lamb and bison in a Montana located plant.

"We recognize that there are a number of potential impacts we have to examine, " continues Bitz, "We’ll be looking at everything from potential jobs created to community acceptance of a plant to the impact on natural resources and more."

Bitz says that One Montana is also helping to identify potential investors and owners if a plant does prove to be feasible.

"Obviously, if our study says this can be done, then we want to see it happen," says Bitz.

Support for the study has come from the Economic Development Administration’s Planning and Technical Assistance Program, the Big Sky Trust Fund which is managed through the Montana Department of Commerce, the MSU Department of Ag and multiple private donors.

Bitz and Bryan will be talking about the study in more detail at the Montana Economic Development Summit hosted by Senator Max Baucus and being held in Butte on September 16th and 17th.

One Montana is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to moving Montana forward through rural-urban partnerships. They do this by the collaboration of likely and unlikely partners to build large-scale initiatives to solve our state’s challenges. Their projects focus on education, economic development and environment and work in areas where rural and urban are most interdependent like food, business markets and natural resources.

For more information about this project, please contact Matt Bitz at [email protected]. For more information about One Montana, please contact Bill Bryan or Lisa Grace at [email protected] or 406-522-7654.