Glacier Processing Cooperative in Columbia Falls is set to receive $1.3 million to upgrade its facility and equipment to better serve producers as part of a slew of grants doled out to meat processors throughout the country.  

The funds come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, which will distribute $57 million in grants to 40 states. In Montana, $2.4 million was awarded to meat processors to expand capacity and create new and better markets, according to the federal agriculture agency.  

Glacier Processing Cooperative in Flathead County will use its grant to upgrade the facility and equipment to serve producers, including purchasing new saws and cutting equipment, a packaging machine, and a smokehouse, as well as making facility improvements.  

Those improvements are part of an effort to expand and upgrade the processing facility, which also houses Montana Jerky Company. Co-op Board President Mark Siderius said the expansion was already planned, but the grant is a huge help toward bringing the facility up to speed with new equipment. 

"We basically looked at our list of needs in our expansion plan and we picked out mainly what was grant-eligible. But it's really going to help diversify our equipment. It will be a lot of updating of our current equipment that's 30 and 40 years old," Siderius said.  

A new building for processing will add 6,000 square feet to the operation, which will allow Montana Jerky Company to take over the entirety of the current building — also used by the harvest team to butcher animals and pack meat.   

There will be more space for packaging meat and more coolers for aging beef — enough to hold and age 100 head of beef at a time, according to Siderius. The expansion will allow co-op members to expand in the retail markets, like direct-to-consumer or supermarkets.   

With more hook space, Siderius told the Inter Lake in August that the extra room allows for a decade or more of growth. 

Glacier Processing Cooperative was formed in 2023 to ensure local fee-for-service processing continues to be available to nearby producers. The ranchers involved are also passionate about providing high-quality local meat to their community. 

"We're just really grateful and really excited about this grant. I mean it's pretty amazing that the local community and the farmers that have taken the leap to join this business — they're making this all happen," Siderius said.  

USDA Rural Development Montana State Director Bill Warden said in a press release that more consumers are wanting to know where their food comes from, and these investments will help make better connections between Montana producers and customers seeking locally raised and locally processed meat. 

“These investments show President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Rollins’ commitment to expanding opportunity for America’s farmers, ranchers and their rural hometowns,” Warden said.  

Through the federal program, Superior Meats, Inc. in Mineral County will be awarded $305,424, Bear Paw Meats LCC in Blaine County was awarded a $111,543 grant, Big Sky Processing LLC in Fergus County received $127,500, Lolo Locker LLC in Missoula County received $173,338, Prairie Meats, LLC in Liberty County received $124,832 and S Ranch Meats in Big Horn County was awarded a $250,000 grant.  

The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program is managed by Rural Development’s Rural Business-Cooperative Services through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural Development designed the program to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the United States meat processing sector and improve supply chain resiliency, according to the federal agency.  

There has been $200 million awarded to independent businesses under the program. 

For more information on USDA Rural Development investments in rural America, visit the Rural Data Gateway at rd.usda.gov/mt/.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.