HAVRE, MONT. – The Montana Premium Processing Cooperative (MPPC) and the Montana Farmers Union (MFU) recently announced that Bill Jones was hired as general manager to run the new operation.

Before joining the MPPC, Jones worked at Amsterdam Meat Shop and Feddes Family Meats, where the companies saw strong demand for locally produced and processed meat. 

The MPPC facility in Havre, Mont., is near the end of construction and will open soon. The plant is expected to be a year-round operation that can process cattle, hogs, sheep and bison. MFU said the plant will be USDA certified.

“Bill has been very energetic and really embraces and is excited about the co-op model as a processing facility,” said Matt Rains, chief of staff for Montana Farmers Union, which has organized the project.

While working as general manager, Jones also plans to partner with Montana State University-Northern (MSUN) to train meat cutters at the cooperative. MSUN continues to work on a future meat processing curriculum, which would give students meat cutting and business skills. The cooperative would give students hands-on experience.