Meat processed in Montana more than doubled in last year

On Tuesday, Governor Gianforte announced meat processed in Montana facilities more than doubled in the last fiscal year.

“Montana meat processors continued their strong momentum, more than doubling the amount of meat processed over the last year,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This news is a testament to the Montana work ethic, and it’s a strong signal that our targeted investments in local processing are working.”

According to data collected by the state’s Department of Livestock Meat and Poultry Inspectors at state-inspected and custom exempt processing establishments, 54,431 more animals were processed in state Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) than in Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21).

In FY22, state-inspected processing facilities processed 105,332 animals, up from 50,901 in FY21.

Increasing meat processing capacity in the state to add value to Montana commodities is among the governor’s top priorities.