Supporting the Montana Ranchers that Feed Montana Families

Montana produces some of the healthiest beef, pork, lamb and poultry in the nation. WGM Group is proud to support the ranchers and butchers keeping our food supply and regional economies strong with access to clean water and expanded processing capacity. 

The quality of Montana-raised meat starts with access to good, clean water. We’re 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. 

Giving Montanans more options to eat local and support our local economies

This winter we actively engaged the Montana Stockgrowers Association, economic development groups like Beartooth RC&D, and state officials in a conversation about expanding local meat processing in our state to add value to our ranching clients’ operations and give more Montanans the opportunity to eat local.  We toured processing facilities in Columbus and Big Timber to get a first-hand view of the hard work and quality products Montana producers send to market.

When COVID-19 hit, we all witnessed how precarious it is to have our food supply threatened by the closure of corporate slaughterhouses.  We applauded Governor Bullock pressing the USDA to allow local processing of Montana-raised meat in order to feed those hit hardest by COViD-19 through our community food banks. We are beyond supportive of that effort. Our clients in the ranching and meat processing business are our friends and neighbors. These folks take pride in their work and deliver a product we can trust. 

It's time to support our local butchers and create jobs in our communities!  Earlier this month we were happy to see $2 million of COVID economic relief channeled toward creating the Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant. That’s a great first step. When longer-term policies are in place to support infrastructure development, our teams of planners and engineers  have the skills necessary to design innovative processing infrastructure that saves resources and improves efficiency. 

Putting our money where our mouths are

We're grateful for the abundance of fresh Montana-raised and processed meat products in our local grocery stores. This summer we’ll have even more options for Montana beef, pork, lamb, and dairy products at Farmers Markets across the state. As community members we’ll continue supporting Montana ranchers with our wallets while we champion bigger picture economic development efforts.