IN THE NEWS
GLACIER PROCESSING COOPERATIVE: ENSURING THE LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Flathead, Montana – USDA MPPTA Client Story
When a longtime business owner with one of the only two meat processing facilities in the Flathead Valley of Montana decided to retire, the community sprang into action.
With a waitlist of 18 to 24 months for meat processing, the closure of the Vandevanter Meats would leave local ranchers with a difficult choice: ship their livestock hundreds of miles to another USDA-approved facility or close their operations.
PRODUCERS STEP UP TO DEVELOP NEW PROCESSING COOPERATIVE
Vandevanter Meats has been serving the Flathead Valley in northwestern Montana since 1945; located in Columbia Falls, the processing facility has catered to a wide variety of producer needs – including certified organic operations – while also selling their specialty line of beef jerky and value-added meats through their sister business, Montana Jerky Co. In recent years, owner Ron Vandevanter has been gearing up for retirement, but without an interested buyer, he’s been forced to consider closing the business entirely; that’s where the idea for the Glacier Processing Cooperative (Glacier Processing) was born.
LOCAL MEAT PROCESSING FACILTY PLANNED
A newly formed cooperative geared to preserve and expand local meat processing in the Flathead Valley will begin accepting members July 31.
Producers and interested community members can learn more about the Glacier Processing Cooperative during the Membership Meeting July 31 at 7 p.m. in the Trade Center Building at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, 265 North Meridian Rd., in Kalispell.
The meeting will feature a panel discussion, information about how to become a co-op member, and the cooperative’s feasibility study that looks at the two-phase plan to purchase and expand the meat processing capacity at Vandevanter Meats in Kalispell.
GLAICER PROCESSING CO-OP OFFERS INCENTIVE TO JOIN
A cooperative focused on expanding meat processing capacity in the Flathead Valley is currently offering an incentive to producers who join by Sept. 30, with an informational membership meeting and barbecue planned for September 14 in Kalispell.
Interested producers can learn more about the co-op’s progress to purchase and assume operations of the current Vandevanter Meats, as well as have an opportunity to ask questions during the Sept. 14 meeting.
Flathead Farmers Union Local Meeting & Glacier Processing Cooperative Membership Picnic
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