Gianforte Continues 56 County Tour

Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour by travelling to both Blaine and Hill Counties late last month. He visited Bear Paw Meats in Chinook on May 27 and followed that with a stop at Northern Montana Health Care in Havre.

Starting off in Blaine County, Gianforte toured Bear Paw Meats (BPM), a family-owned processing facility. The business processes what owners Karla and Dexter Buck market as "Montana bred, Montana fed beef" so that they can provide "a circle of quality, from pasture to plate!" They make these products available locally at their storefronts in both Chinook and Havre and nationwide through online ordering.

Furthermore, the Havre store, managed by Ashely (Buck) Callahan, stocks a wide variety of bulk merchandise from grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes to snack mixes and spices. Pig and lamb are other available meat options, and a selection of wine, beer, coffee, tea, and Rocky Mountain Soda is offered as beverage accompaniments on the south end of Fifth Avenue.

Operated by Travis Buck and his wife, Jenny, Bear Paw Farms grows corn, barley, and alfalfa-grains that are used in the feedlots for BPM. As stated on their website, the facility also purchases roughage and grains from other Montana producers to ensure the cattle are fed quality fibers before going to slaughter.

The governor has suggested that "increasing in-state processing capacity and adding value to Montana's ag products is a top priority." Consequently, the state supports local meat processors and producers through Montana Department of Agriculture grants of up to $50,000 and loans of up to $100,000 through the Growth Through Agriculture program. BPM received one of those grants in 2022, using it to update their operation through equipment purchases.

About the governor's visit, Callahan speculates that his main goal was to check on businesses to see how they're doing. While at BPM, the governor spoke with Wyatt Matteson, a recently graduated senior who participated in a work study program at the meat plant in partnership with Chinook High School.

During his time at the plant working with Callahan and other professionals, Matteson learned safety procedures, humane handling, and labeling guidelines. He also operated equipment, gained table time cutting meat, and gathered insight about the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

As defined by the Food and Drug Administration, "HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement, and handling, to manufacturing, distribution, and consumption of the finished product."

Regarding Matteson's apprenticeship, Callahan stated: "Lester Weigand and Frank NezPerce, our two experienced cutters, are always willing to share their knowledge and experience with new people and are happy to see the apprentice program growing. They have done all sorts of cutting-from custom, state inspected, and now federally inspected production."

She added: "If the governor is able to get young people interested in apprenticeships, that's a beautiful thing, wonderful in fact."

In Hill County, the governor visited Northern Montana Health Care to highlight the importance of increasing access to health care in rural communities and to meet with recent graduates of the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) Apprenticeship Program.

In partnership with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (MDLI) Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), the health center launched the CMA program in December 2023. The program recently celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of apprentices. Currently, the center has five active apprentices participating in the program as they invest hours in on-the-job training and with educational coursework to obtain national certification.

Expanding access to apprenticeship opportunities for Montanans has been another of the governor's priorities. In 2021, at Gianforte's direction, the MDLI began a modernization of RAP. One of the targets for improvement was in the Program's rules, which regulate the ratio of apprentices to supervising journeymen. Specifically, the Department changed its requirement generally mandating two supervising journeymen per apprentice (2:1) to one supervising journeyman for two apprentices (1:2). As a result of this rule change, a record number of apprentices are now working in Montana.

Furthermore, bolstering the healthcare workforce is one of the six identified high-demand sectors as part of the governor's 406 JOBS Initiative. Designed to modernize Montana's workforce, the 406 JOBS Initiative was created on August 11, 2025 when Gianforte signed Executive Order 5-2025.

According to that Executive Order, the purpose of 406 JOBS is to "serve as the unifying statewide framework to coordinate workforce development efforts across state agencies, in partnership with industry, labor, education and training, and economic development partners."

Under this plan, the MDLI website names four Workforce Goals that intend to 1) Ensure every Montanan has a clear and actionable career pathway; 2) Reduce barriers for individuals who have exited the workforce; 3) Increase labor force participation, quarter over quarter; and 4) Expand the number of Montanans earning a self-sufficient wage.

In a press release from the State of Montana Newsroom dated May 27, Governor Gianforte is quoted as saying: "Our producers, healthcare providers, job creators, and small business owners add vibrancy to our communities and help make Montana the best place to live, work, and raise a family. The 56 County Tour is the best opportunity to hear directly from Montanans on their priorities."