Opinion: Madison Food Park – Opportunity or a Stinking Problem?

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By Maggie Nutter

“I am proud of where I live and will continue to fight for our quality of life, environment, and to keep industrial agriculture and meat processing on this massive scale out of Montana. I do believe meat processing is an important value-added component to our agricultural community, but on a much smaller scale. This facility, if built according to original plans, will be the largest meat processing slaughterhouse in the Northwest United States and one of the biggest in the country. This puts our region at risk of Industrial agriculture, negatively impacting our local farmers and ranchers. In other parts of the country, when the large meat processing facilities have moved into rural areas, this opened the door for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) taking over the agricultural sector. We should not let ourselves be taken advantage of or exploited and we must protect our rural heritage and our Big Sky Country.” https://ecitybeat.com/unbiased-zoning-board-adjustments/

I am not sure I agree with the above statement. Large meat processing in Montana may be what saves the livestock industry.   When the high-speed grain processing and loading facilities came into Montana there was difficulty in changing our farm operations to hold and truck grain according to the railroads schedule. Yet it was important the infrastructure be available to get massive amounts of Montana grain to the coastal port.  80{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} of Montana wheat is exported.  We are seeing processing plants built for garbanzo beans and pulse crops we didn’t even know the names of 10 or 15 years ago.  The agriculture industry changes with the consumer demand and the need for efficiency.

As it becomes more difficult due to regulations and expenses to ship livestock to out of state feedlots and slaughter facilities, Montana ranchers need to look for solutions to those issues. A large food processing facility could be that solution.  A facility built with the most modern technology available. This is not the meat packing plant of 20 or 30 years ago.  It would be multiple species, dairy, grain and valuable by-products of those processes.

Montana has over 2.5 million beef cattle and 18,000 dairy cattle. We produce more beef than Montana could ever eat, yet we don’t eat much Montana beef.  There are a few small processing plants here in Montana, but most grocery stores, food service, and restaurants are selling beef that was not born, raised, fattened and harvested here in Montana.  Montana cattle are shipped to out of state feedlots to fatten then shipped to large processing plants that have wholesale customers that then redistribute the meat products.  Also thrown into that processing plant mix is imported cattle.  If this facility was built it would be totally possible for Friesen Foods, LLC to supply grocery stores such as Albertsons, IGA, Super 1 and Smiths with Montana beef, pork and poultry.   There are currently a few grocery chains that try to supply local meat, but this would allow almost all chains that opportunity.  Restaurants, schools and other food service would have the opportunity for not only Montana beef but pork and poultry. 

Montana milk is currently picked up and shipped out of state for processing and packaging and then trucked back to our grocery stores.  The Madison Food Park could provide opportunities for our suffering and dwindling dairy industry here in Montana.

It is important to note that Friesen Foods, LLC, who is building the Madison Food Park, is modifying their permit and building plans to address many of the expressed concerns of odor, water consumption, water pollution and solid waste disposal.  Since their first meeting and press releases they have committed to using technology to reduce water consumption and capture and recycle the water that is used.  The water purifying and recycling company they plan on using is out of Missoula, Montana. (http://clearaswater.com/)  This technology will capture the water used in the facility, purify it, and reuse it.  There will be by-products from the algae process that will be beneficial for animal feed and fertilizer use.  The solid waste will be put through a bio digester to collect gas for energy production to operate the facility and there will be solid waste similar to compost put out by this process.  This technology is improving all the time and the use of it will help in the sustainability of the facility. 

Madison Food Park does not plan to have onsite livestock holding pens of feedlots.  Animals would be off loaded from the trucks directly into the kill line. Unlike many plants that may hold animals in pens for 24- 72 hours, they plan on the animals from the first truck being on the kill floor by the time the next truck is unloading.  This will take extremely tight planning and scheduling for truckloads of livestock. The trucks will have to clean out or be washed before leaving the property. The resulting waste from that process will have odor control via foam covering and water treatment also. 

The company plans on using an instate labor force.  Friesen Foods, LLC will start their employees according to a study completed again by a Missoula company that determined a “living wage” for Montanans. They hope to have career paths for employees so as to retain them and not have high turnover rates that most slaughter plants and food processing facilities have. Due to the high amount of technology that will be used at this facility Friesen Foods is already in contact with the local university to provide education for future employees.   Todd Hansen mentioned the unemployed loggers in the Libby area, the Missoula wood mill workers, and the declining coal mining industry.  This facility could provide jobs to help replace those that are being lost in those other industries.  Great Falls was a good area because they have the ability to house new workers, provide adequate education and medical care.  Smaller area’s may not have the ability to provide the basic services as we saw in the Bakken area during the start of the oil boom there.

If this facility is built there will be opportunity for those currently in Montana agriculture to add another income stream or add value to the products they currently sell.  There is opportunity for feedlots and farmers to produce feed for those feedlots.  There will be opportunities for poultry production that have not been available before in the state of Montana. Broiler chicken production would open up and perhaps the ability to do it seasonally in a cageless production method.  There will be opportunity to grow the pork industry in Montana with non-conventional production methods.  Perhaps the time will come again when the local farmer could haul pigs to the auction yard or have small contract opportunities.  Grain would be needed for distilling and the produced alcohol for beverages would provide opportunities for those wishing to produce custom Montana spirits.  Also, the distillers grain by products would be excellent livestock feed. We haven’t even mentioned the dairy processing.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have Montana produced dairy products to sell right here in Montana? 

This is not to ignore the challenges, obstacles and concerns that large processing facilities can produce, but to say, would it not be more constructive to look for ways to mitigate those concerns of water usage, pollution, odor and road traffic, then to tear down and destroy a project that could benefit Montana’s largest industry, Agriculture. 

It is important that all agriculture producers demand good and ethical behavior from Friesen Foods, LLC but also that we stand as a unified voice in support of them.  If we wish to see this come to fruition we must look at the possible impacts, good and bad, then work though them in unity.  The goal should be to find solutions to the problems, not kill the opportunity.  If agriculture is silent, groups like the Great Falls Area Concerned Citizens will make certain this opportunity is never seen.

I would be glad to hear other’s thoughts on this topic.

Maggie Nutter is the co-owner of the Certain Creek Ranch at Sweetgrass, Montana 
and current President of the Marias River Livestock Association

 

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