BIG SANDY, MONT. — Old Salt Meat Co., based in Helena, Mont., is receiving nearly $1.4 million to finance increased local meat processing. Old Salt is a cooperatively owned meat processor of locally raised beef.

The funding will be used to establish a federally inspected slaughter facility. The co-op also plans to scale up its fabrication space under US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) inspection as well as expand its cold storage capacity.

“Montana makes beef and beef makes Montana, and I’ll always work to ensure our state’s producers can process that beef right here in our own backyard,” said Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who announced the funding on Sept. 20. “I’m proud to have secured this funding to expand operations at Montana’s own Old Salt Meat Co., and I look forward to seeing this funding strengthen our supply chains, bolster the local economy and create good-paying jobs in the process.”

Old Salt received the funding as part of the USDA’s latest investment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). Through this round of funding, the agency is awarding more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors across 12 states.

Other states benefiting from these grants include Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania.