Governor Gianforte Promotes Value-Added Ag, Montana’s High-Quality Grain

Visits Montana Milling Inc. in Great Falls

• February 02 2024

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Joining Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark, Governor Greg Gianforte this week toured the Montana Milling Inc. grain storage and processing facility to highlight their value-added agriculture production.

“Montana’s Golden Triangle produces the best grains in the world, and our farmers should be able to take advantage of that,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Montana Milling is doing a great job of providing both organic and nonorganic milling and cleaning of grains, allowing us to add more value to our agriculture product before it gets shipped across the county and around the world.”

Gov. Gianforte and Dir. Clark visiting Montana Milling Inc. in Great Falls

Employing over 30 Montanans at their processing plants in Great Falls and Conrad, Montana Milling Inc. has specialized in custom grain milling since 1972. In their state-of-the-art facilities, they process a full line of Certified Organic and conventional high-quality Montana whole grains, flours, flakes, cracked grains, and specialty mixes.

In March of 2022, Montana Milling Inc. was one of 30 Montana businesses approved by the governor to receive funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program for the development of agricultural business improvements.

Speaking to the impact of the grant, Montana Milling Inc. CEO Greg Thayer shared with the governor the investments they’ve made to improve efficiencies at their Conrad location.

“Thanks to the funding, we’ve been able to increase our processing speed on our dehulling line seven-fold and expand our processing to include other grains such as lentils, peas, and millet,” Thayer said.

Highlighting Montana Milling Inc.’s commitment to quality and service whether producing for a small-scale bakery or a large-scale food production facility, Montana Department of Agriculture Director Christy Clark addressed the group about the company’s role in the state’s economy.

“A large part of success in our agricultural industry is due to the ability to consistently deliver high-quality products,” Dir. Clark said. “Montana has a competitive market advantage by being able to deliver top-tier ag products and Montana Milling takes it to the next level with their capacity to cater to a diverse set of customer needs.”

To support Montana’s number one industry, the governor in 2022 announced the investment of over $7.8 million in value-added agriculture projects across the state to create good-paying jobs and expand business opportunities.

In addition, to help small businesses, as well as family farms and ranches, the governor increased the business equipment tax exemption from $100,000 in 2021 to $1 million, eliminating the tax burden for 5,000 Montana businesses.

The governor concluded, “With farmers and ranchers in mind, we delivered Montanans the largest tax cut in state history while investing in value-added ag, keeping land in production, and pushing back against federal overreach that threatens family-run operations.”

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