The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in two flocks in Montana—a non-commercial, backyard flock (poultry) in Cascade County, and a non-commercial, backyard flock (non-poultry) in Judith Basin County.
Governor Greg Gianforte has announced that meat processed in Montana has doubled this fiscal year to date in facilities inspected by the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL).
Nearly $8 million in federal funding will support 17 meat processing projects in Montana, aiming to bolster Montana's agriculture producers and reduce consolidation in the meatpacking industry through expanding local meat processing capacity.
Designation by the Montana Department of Agriculture will boost economic development efforts in food and agricultural processing as well as renewable energy.