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farm406 26 hy would ranchers start a cooperative? "In rural Montana, cooperatives have paved the way to provide telephone and internet service, electricity, and farming supplies to rural areas," said Tracy McIntyre, Executive Director at Montana Cooperative Development Center. "ere is a resurgence in the cooperative model as Montana emerges from the COVID-19 economic shutdown. e cooperative model can help people provide services for themselves in virtually all segments of the economy. " Two groups of ranchers have become fully incorporated because they have seen the value of a cooperative in going forward with meat processing operations. Old Salt Co-op ree Montana ranches—the Mannix Ranch at Helmville, the Hibbard Ranch at Adel, and the Anderson Ranch at Melville & Centennial Valley—wanted to connect with a customer base who could appreciate the guiding principles utilized to raise livestock and care of the land. "Even today, 95 percent of the 5000 head of cale sold from our ranches are purchased somewhere by someone who does not know the integrity behind its production," said Cole Mannix, spokesperson for the Old Salt Co-op. "We have pride in the way we care for our animals, as well as the land, water, and wildlife. We are here for only a short time, striving to leave it beer than we found it. is is important to share with customers." ese ranchers decided they had to market their beef in a way that could strengthen relationships with those in Montana's urban centers. "To beer understand each other, we need to actually meet our customers and have them enjoy the food that comes from our ranches," said Mannix. e Old Salt Co-op concept calls for opening retail facilities, whether a restaurant, a butcher shop, or a combination, with the primary purpose to promote a direct-to-consumer meat delivery service that will begin next year. To make this happen, the ranchers, who have their own skill sets, needed to team up with a talented group of chefs, butchers, and creative folks who FULFILLING W A NEED:

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