Montana’s first federally inspected nonprofit processing facility officially open for business

WGM Group is proud to support local ranchers as they work to end hunger in our communities

What began as an effort to boost food supplies in local food banks, food pantries, and community centers during the Covid-19 pandemic, has turned into a statewide campaign to end hunger in Montana. At Highland Livestock near Livingston, Montana, fifth-generation rancher Matt Pierson discovered a way to help those in need. Mr. Pierson started the nonprofit organization, Producer Partnership, which accepts livestock donations such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and domestic bison, and then processes and distributes the meat to those who need it most. At the height of the pandemic, Producer Partnership was able to provide more than 53,000 pounds of hamburger to people across Montana.

The Producer Partnership in Livingston, Mont., officially opened in summer 2022.

Even as food supply improved, Montanans continued to answer the call and give back to their communities. In order to keep up with the steady stream of donations and maximize the ability to provide food, Producer Partnership decided to build its own processing facility. Never one to aim low, Mr. Pierson also took on the challenge of becoming Montana’s first federally inspected production facility, a monumental first step to keeping Montana beef local and improving profit margins for the state’s ranchers.

Construction of a federally inspected processing facility is a multitiered project that includes water and wastewater management. Due to the variability in waste that is largely dictated by facility processes and the total amount of animals processed per day, this can be one of the main challenges for a new processing facility. To ensure all regulatory standards and the needs of the facility were met, Producer Partnership teamed up with Friesla and WGM Group to develop a production and wastewater management system that is extremely efficient, economical, and environmentally sound.

An aerial overview capturing the initial installation of the Vertical Flow Treatment Wetland system at Producer Partnership in early July.

The quality of Montana-raised meat starts with access to good, clean water. WGM Group is proud to help our ranching and agriculture clients acquire or protect their water rights in order to keep their operations healthy and productive. We collaborate with carefully vetted attorneys throughout the state to make sure water rights applications get every detail right. We can also provide the objective expert testimony that helps keep neighborly relations intact if a water rights case goes to court.

Water will always be a precious resource in the West – and pressures continue to mount as our communities grow. Our water resource experts and hydrologists help our agriculture and ranching clients manage irrigation to get better yields with less water. We want to make sure the family ranches that have been feeding Montana communities are still here for the next generations.

WGM Group employees plant sedges at the new Vertical Flow Treatment Wetland system at the Producer Partnership site in Livingston, Mont., on August 5, 2022. The system uses a biological process to remove more than 98 percent of solids and 60 percent of total nitrogen in the waste stream.

WGM Group’s continued role with Producer Partnership included aerial drone survey, sample collection, process coordination, and design of a wastewater treatment system that provides excellent biological oxygen demand and nitrogen removal while addressing odor concerns and potential impacts to water resources. WGM Group’s design included management of wastewater by a Vertical Flow Treatment Wetland (VFTW) system that uses a biological process to remove more than 98 percent of solids and 60 percent of total nitrogen in the waste stream, resulting in effluent quality that meets Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) non-degradation requirements. VFTWs have proven reliable even in Montana’s cold climate. The VFTW system installed for Bridger Bowl Ski Area near Bozeman has been monitored extensively by Montana State University and earned DEQ’s confidence as a reliable Level 2 treatment option.

The treatment system includes modular design components to support future facility expansion. This allows Producer Partnership to manage capital as it ramps up to meet its goals of supplying 175,000 pounds of meat per year to the Montana Food Bank Network and becoming the model for micro-processors throughout Montana striving to keep more of our beef and profits local.

WGM Group is proud to support our friends and neighbors in the ranching community such as Producer Partnership and its mission to end hunger in our communities.

WGM Group employees pause for a picture after finishing up the first portion of the wetland planting in August 2022.