COLUMBIA FALLS Glacier Processing Cooperative off Highway 206 in Columbia Falls was officially formed in 2023 after a group of ranchers came together to purchase the processing facility when longtime owner Ron Vandevanter decided to retire.

Just two years later, the cooperative now serves the livestock processing needs for more than 40 local ranchers in Northwest Montana.

It connects consumers with fresh, wholesome, clean product, it allows them to know the ranchers, to see where they are working, to know what they are getting, its a huge benefit all around, said Glacier Processing Cooperative Board President Mark Siderius.

Watch to learn more about the Glacier Processing Cooperative:

Five ranching families in the Flathead came together in 2023 to secure a USDA-backed loan to purchase

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