Most conversation around meat tends to focus on themes such as farm-to-table journey, animal handling, and food processing but what about the ‘why’ and how we got to these discussions? Taking a look at the history of the meat production industry and why we have the processes we have today supports educated recommendations for future legislation and standards.

The USDA reported in 2021 that cattle ranked #1 in Montana’s cash receipts by commodity and, while the cattle industry remains ahead of the herd in the state’s agriculture industry, there has been legislative efforts to expand opportunities for the livestock and meatpacking economy. A report produced by Legislative Services Division (LSD) staff titled Unpacking the Meatpacking Industry provides a detailed summary of this journey. This report defines the different ways of processing meats and who are the inspection authorities, timeline of the industry history, consolidation and cooperation efforts, and trends in the trade. Another resource produced by staff is a data dashboard that provides a visual of US Trade in Agriculture Commodities so that one can examine agriculture trends in the nation.

Agriculture production topics are being studied by the 2023-2024 Economic Affairs Interim Committee (EAIC). The next EAIC meeting will be January 17, 2024, at the State Capitol where the meatpacking industry, as it relates to Montana, and other state agriculture production programs will be highlighted by LSD staff, the Department of Livestock, and the Department of Agriculture.

Visit the meeting page here for further information.