Phillips County Beef headed to Malta Public Schools

RCAN and Phillips County CattleWomen have been working over the past year to introduce locally-raised beef to our school nutrition programs. Actually, this project has been worked on for years, with a lot of time and consideration taken to make sure that we are meeting all of the necessary criteria to offer our students healthy, fresh nutrition safely. However, as with any pilot project, there are a lot of logistics to coordinate, and our community understandably has questions, some of which we hope to answer in this article.

First and most importantly, why? For any community, providing the freshest and most nutritious food is so important for developing youth. We believe that locally-sourced, fresh beef is the best source of nutrition for ALL of our local students; yet although agriculture is a foundational industry in Phillips County, not every student, or adult, is aware of nor receives the benefit of the important resource the local beef industry produces. Incorporating local beef into the school nutrition program is a special opportunity for our community to showcase for our young people the quality beef produced in Phillips County and to demonstrate the complete supply chain of our food from farm to table.

Who is our focus? For the 2022-23 school year, RCAN and PC CattleWomen are focusing on the Malta Schools Nutrition Program for the pilot. This includes elementary, middle school, and high school. We have been working closely with the head cook at Malta Schools to determine the needs of the school, and the superintendent has approved moving forward with this project. If the project performs well, we will consult with other schools in the county.

What quantity of beef is needed? Malta Schools consume approximately 4000 pounds of beef each year; this equals approximately 8-9 head of live beef.

Where is the funding coming from? Of course, the goal is not to cost the school or the students and families more to benefit from local beef. We are arranging everything in our power to obtain funding so that the cost to the students is zero. Funding sources for this project will include project funding from RCAN and PC CattleWomen, which was used to purchase freezers for storage; grants to assist with processing; monetary donations and fundraising; the donation of live or processed beef (from an inspected facility, more about that below); and some of Malta Schools budget, though we prefer to preserve that funding source to supplement beef if we cannot meet the demand with donations. To date, we have been awarded the Montana Farm Bureau Mini-Grant and the Triangle 4-H Beef Grant, through which we will receive a quarter beef toward the school program. We are still waiting to hear about one other grant.

How can community members donate beef? All beef used in the nutrition program must be slaughtered and processed at a state or federally (USDA) inspected facility. This is a state regulation and will be strictly adhered to for the safety of our students. Bear Paw Meats is the closest inspected facility. Beef donations can be in the form of live or processed meat; if live, producers are NOT responsible for the cost of processing! RCAN/PC CW will assist with transport to and from a slaughter facility (Bear Paw Meats). A whole or partial beef can also be donated, so long as proof can be provided of butcher date and facility. Donations are tax-deductible! Live beef donations will be assessed at market value. At this time, we have a butcher date for August 24th, and we have NOT filled all spots with donations. If you have a beef to donate please contact us!

How can community members make monetary contributions? Monetary donations can be made by contributing directly to a designated account “Beef into Schools” at First State Bank in Malta; purchasing raffle tickets sold at Westside Self Service and Northern Prairie Designs; supporting fundraisers as they occur, and by contacting Katie Brown (RCAN) or Taylor French (PC CattleWomen).

We are excited to be coordinating this project to bring local beef to our students. We appreciate all of the support our community has already extended. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like more information, please contact Katie Brown (406-390-6581) or [email protected], or Taylor French (406-781-2827) or [email protected].