prairie star-mt rancher creates platform for meat to be donated statewide

Back in the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 had struck Montana hard, Matt Pierson wanted to help. As a cattle rancher himself, Pierson felt he could make a difference by finding a way to get fresh hamburger into local food pantries. His brainchild essentially exploded overnight, and within just a few days, local butchers were processing local beef into hamburger and Pierson himself was delivering the meat to food banks around Livingston, Mont.

Within a short period of time, Pierson could see he was in fact making a difference and he instantly knew he needed to take this idea to the next level. If Pierson and other local ranchers and meat processors could make such an impact on one Montana community, he could only imagine what could happen if meat could be donated statewide.

It turns out, despite the fact times are so turbulent, there are a lot of Montana producers who are primed and ready to make a difference. All it really took was for Pierson to think about taking his idea statewide. The effort has manifested on its own since then.

“This idea has absolutely just skyrocketed. I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting it’s been just to have people jumping on board,” Pierson said during a phone interview on Aug. 25.Officially named “The Producer Partnership,” Pierson’s original idea now has a board of directors and a website. Additionally, the program has filed for 501(c) (3). After applying for and receiving a $25,000 grant from the state of Montana, it has since been a whirl-wind of growth for the project. “The idea of helping people really just sells itself,” Pierson stated. Pieces of the puzzle just kept rapidly falling into place, and since delivering the first few boxes of donated hamburger this past spring, The Producer Partnership has now donated around 15,000 pounds of hamburger. Pierson attests however, things are just getting warmed up. The Producer Partnership has ordered their own freezer trailer, one equipped with their logo on it, so the picking up and delivering of hamburger for further distribution will soon be much easier. Up until the freezer trailer, Pierson himself delivered most all of the meat in the back of his pick-up truck. A couple of other key connections have really accelerated this effort’s impact and overall success. First, The Producer Partnership was able to establish a relationship with the Montana Food Bank Network, based in Missoula, Mont. The Producer Partnership will handle the collecting of donated animals and the transport of said animals to processing facilities. After the beef has been processed into hamburger, the Montana Food Bank Network can use their already established system to distribute the hamburger to food pantries all across the state.

Another exciting addition to The Producer Partnership happened when Yellowstone River Beef, a USDA federally inspected meat processing facility in Williston, N.D., wanted to come on board with the project. A federally inspected facility offers increased processing capacity and its location makes it ideal for beef being donated from eastern Montana area ranchers.

Pierson explained, the goal with this project was never to reinvent the wheel when it came to donating meat. Rather, the hope is The Producer Partnership can act as a platform, connecting Montana producers with those that can distribute food.

“It was always our goal to help those that are already helping others and for a lack of a better term – connect the dots,” Pierson added.

And connecting the dots they are. Generous ranchers are keeping Pierson’s phone ringing nearly off the hook. Just before this interview took place, Pierson fielded a call where a producer was interested in donating 50 cows to the program. Each cow can yield somewhere between 350 and 400 pounds of hamburger, so this singular donation is a huge boost to the program. A Hutterite colony has also reached out and is interested in donating 20 hogs.

While the animals on the hoof are donated, everything else about the program requires funding. It costs money to feed the animals at the drop off locations, it requires gas to haul them to the butchers and The Producer Partnership pays for the animals to be processed. Just like the animals however, monetary donations keep rolling in, as well.

Pierson was been both floored and humbled by the selflessness being expressed by Montanans.

“This project is moving forward faster than I can hold on to,” he concluded.

This is just the beginning for The Producer Partnership. Pierson has no intention of taking the project beyond Montana’s boarder, but he says there is still plenty that can be done within the state. Those interested in donating to or being a part of this project are encouraged to check out their website, www.producerpartnership.com. Pierson can also be contacted directly at 406-220-7223.