Gov. Greg Gianforte recently toured Glacier Processing in Columbia Falls, Montana, and highlighted the producer-owned cooperative that is prioritizing producers with its service-based slaughter and processing facility.
After the previous, longtime owner of one of the only two meat-processing facilities in the Flathead Valley retired, local ranchers and former customers of the plant came together in October 2022 to form a cooperative to purchase the Vandevanter operation.
In January 2023, a five-member board of directors was established by Montana natives and multi-generation ranchers. By August, the co-op was accepting members. As of April 2024, the co-op is composed of 36 members and has the capacity to process 25 head of cattle a day in their state-inspected facility.
Through their federally inspected jerky-processing facility, the plant is also home to Montana Jerky Company, with jerky sold to customers across the country.
