Volunteers needed for Producer Partnership beef project

Press release

A group looking to donate beef to help reduce hunger in Montana is looking for help as it prepares to ramp up its own meat processing.

A whopping 96,882 pounds of animal protein was donated by nonprofit Producer Partnership in the past two years, and this feat would not have been possible if it weren't for the generosity of Montanans across the state. In the past, the Producer Partnership has asked for donations in the form of cull animals and money - now, the organization asks for a donation of time.

In December 2021 the four modules of Montana's first ever federally inspected, nonprofit processing facility were delivered to Producer Partnership headquarters. The unit's doors are set to open this spring and Partnership employs are busier than ever before preparing an anticipated influx of business. This new venture leaves room for volunteers to donate their time and lend a helping hand.

"Over the past two years, so many people volunteered their time to help the Producer Partnership but, in all honesty, we didn't have much for them to do - until now," Producer Partnership President and Founder Matt Pierson said. "All those people who volunteered to haul a trailer to their neighbors house and pick up cull cows or said they'd run packaged beef from our place to the food bank; now is the time we'll be taking them up on that offer."

Another avenue of volunteering is boxing up packaged beef, a duty that does not require a truck and trailer.

"When I was in high school, my friends and I always looked for anything to get some volunteer hours as it helped meet requirements for scholarships," Producer Partnership Program Administrator Mayzie Cremer said. "Wouldn't it be amazing to see a school bus or a few carloads of students come up the driveway to help out for an hour every now and then?"

The Producer Partnership said this is a unique opportunity for middle school and high school students interested in agriculture. This is also a unique opportunity for local 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to get their hands dirty and exemplify the FFA motto as it proudly states "living to serve."

"If any 4-H or FFA kids want some volunteer hours, we've got their fix," Cremer said. "They can call, text, email, or even send a direct message on Instagram and we'll give them more information. The same goes for anyone out of school who wants to volunteer. We'll need people to haul cattle and boxes of beef to and from; volunteer opportunities aren't limited to students."

Pierson added that the organization welcomes the help of all generous Montanans and referenced the Partnership's vision statement, an explanation of the organization's Heart P Bar logo which reads, "The Heart P Bar is more than our brand: the Heart is a symbol of our gratitude, love, and respect for the land and the food bounty it provides us every day; the P represents a collaborative partnership of generous individuals, businesses, and community leaders; and the Bar binds us all together as one state working together to end hunger in Montana."

"Our vision statement and our mission make it clear we just want to help those in need. It may take a village to live up to those goals and standards, and we want anyone and everyone to be a part of that village," Pierson said.

People who would like to donate their time to the Producer Partnership can visit https://www.producerpartnership.com/volunteer , email [email protected], or call Pierson at (406-220-7223 or Cremer at 903-905-6029. Forms for completed volunteer hours will be available at Producer Partnership headquarters.

Background information

The Producer Partnership is a non-profit organization whose mission is farmers and ranchers working to end hunger in Montana. The steps to achieve this mission are simple: cull, process, donate.

Depending on cattle prices, producers have two choices when removing a cull animal from the herd: sell it (in most cases) for a very low price or bury it on the ranch. 

A producer now has a third option - partner up with the Producer Partnership to process their animal - the partnership will coordinate pickup and pay for the processing - the producer donates the burger, and, in return, receives a tax deduction depending on their personal or corporate tax statu for the fair market value of the donated meat.

Through this simple and generous process, the Producer Partnership has donated over 96,882 pounds of beef within one year of operation.

For more information about the Producer Partnership, people can visit http://www.producerpartnership.com or follow the nonprofit on Facebook @producerpartnership or Instagram @producer.partnership.

Anyone who would like to donate an animal or gift a cash donation can contact Pierson via email at [email protected] or call 406-220-7223 or Cremer via email at [email protected] or call 903-905-6029. People can contact Cremer for employee/volunteer opportunities as well.

How it works

Step 1: The producer, a farmer or rancher selects an animal(s) from their herd. This may be cull animal.

The producer contacts Pierson or one of the partnership's local volunteers offering the donation of the animal to the partnership. If the animal meets the Producer Partnership strict health and condition criteria, the process moves to Step 2. 

Step 2: The producer or an approved Partnership volunteer loads the animal and transports it to a USDA or state processing facility that has been vetted and selected by Producer Partnership. When an approved processor is not available locally, the partnership will pick up the animal from the producer and transport it to an approved holding corral.

When ready, the animal is processed into hamburger and the partnership pays the bill.

Step 3: When the frozen meat is ready for pick up, the partnership contacts the local food bank, community cente or other approved non-profit agency. The meat is either delivered by a partnership volunteer or picked up by the receiving organization for individual distribution to people with food insecurity.