Designation by the Montana Department of Agriculture
will boost economic development efforts in food and agricultural processing as
well as renewable energy
Great Falls, MT - October
31, 2017 - The Great Falls Montana Development Authority (GFDA)
announced today it has been selected by the Montana Department of Agriculture
as one of the state's four Food & Ag
Development Centers. This announcement comes on the heels of Great
Falls businesses including Montana Specialty Mills and
Montana Eggs expanding dairy and agriculture operations in the area.
Food and agricultural
processing has long been a target industry to grow and diversify the Great
Falls regional economy, support the creation of higher wage jobs and expand the
region's tax base. Other Food and Ag centers in Montana include Havre, Joliet
and Ronan.
"Montana ships about 85
percent of its agricultural production out of state without adding more value,
creating tremendous opportunity for ingredient and product production,"
says Jolene Schalper, vice president and interim director of the new center.
"We have enjoyed many successes in winning private investment in this critical
industry sector, attracting businesses like MaltEurop, Timeless Seeds, The
Front Brewing Co., Windrift Hill, Pasta Montana, Montana Specialty Mills, Cut
Bank Creek Brewery, Montana Eggs, and more!"
"Montana farm and ranch
earnings were down over 50% in 2016, making it even more important to create
new local markets for our world-class agricultural production," says Kim
Mangold, deputy director of the Montana Department of Agriculture. "We are
proud to have Great Falls join the statewide network."
GDFA has partnered with the
Montana Department of Agriculture to target niches in food and agricultural
processing that offer growth opportunities for the Great Falls region.
With funding support from
the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Montana Growth Through
Agriculture program, the authority has published eight business cases in
targeted niches. These include: Pulse Fractionation; Pulse Butters, Dips and
Spreads; Pulse Snacks; Specialty Malting; Sprouted Grains; Specialty Pasta; Wheat
Ingredients; and Barley Ingredients.
"We're using these
business cases to help convince local entrepreneurs, existing businesses and
companies outside the state that our region offers numerous market
opportunities to process food and agricultural ingredients and products right
here where it is grown," continues Schalper. GDFA offers business
coaching, technical assistance, gap and bridge financing, site selection and
other assistance to businesses.
Cut Bank Creek Brewery
worked with GFDA and recently opened in Cut Bank, Montana. "The service
GFDA provided was invaluable. Without their help, Cut Bank Creek Brewery
wouldn't be a realization. I don't know if we would have ever made it,"
says co-owner Louis Stoltz. "They are priceless to us," says co-owner
Kim Stoltz.
In 2016, GFDA opened the
Great Falls AgriTech Park to provide fully-served heavy industrial sites for
food and agricultural processors, as well as other industry. The 197-acre
AgriTech Park offers customized heavy industrial lots ranging in size from
seven to 300+ acres. It's the region's first industrial park to offer ready to
build lots with access to utilities and rail.
GDFA invested more than $8
million for the construction of the AgriTech Park. Earlier this year, the site
was given an Excellence in Regional Transportation Award for its rail system by
the National Association of Development Organizations and was certified by the
BNSF as part of its Premier Parks Program.
Current AgriTech Park
tenants include a cross section of local and foreign direct investments
including Montana Specialty Mills, FedEx Ground, Pacific Steel & Recycling,
and Japanese-owned Helena Chemical.
About the Great Falls
Montana Development Authority
Founded
in 1992, the Great Falls Montana Development Authority is an economic
development organization that works to create higher paying jobs and promote
growth and diversification throughout the Great Falls region of Montana. The
public-private partnership includes a trade area of 13 counties that extend
from the Eastern slope of the Rockies to the Canadian border. The Great
Falls Montana Development Authority sees its role as engaging, leading, guiding, and facilitating
regional efforts to build a prosperous and sustainable future for its
community.
About
the Montana Food & Ag Development Center Network
The Montana Food and
Agricultural Development Center Network helps Montanans innovate and grow
businesses that produce and commercialize food, agricultural and renewable
energy products and processes, creating wealth and jobs in our communities and
on our farms and ranches. The centers - located in Great Falls, Havre,
Joliet, and Ronan - operate as a statewide network serving community-based
businesses throughout Montana. The centers support economic development by
ensuring that more of the state's food, agricultural and energy dollars
circulate in Montana. The network provides training, coaching and technical
assistance, including: product development, testing and analysis; regulatory
compliance training; food processing; business planning and development; market
research; business networking; access to financing; cooperative development;
and education on industry dynamics and technologies.
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