By Tim Leeds
The MMPA (Montana Meat Processors Association) has issued a release naming several area meat processors award winners at its 14th annual convention and trade show.
Dave and Diane Anderson's Saddle Butte Custom Meat Smoking from Havre received the Reserve Grand Champion in whole muscle jerky and Walley and Loretta Beck's Big Flat Meat Company of Hogeland won Reserve Grand Champion in Polish sausage and Reserve Champion in summer sausage.
Robert Plouffe's Pay-N-Save of Saco won Champion in fresh cased uncooked sausage, meat snack sticks and restructured in the specialty class. It also won Reserve Champion in specialty ham and chopped and formed jerky.
More than half of the businesses represented at the convention entered the competition, the release said. There were 205 products entered in 16 categories. The contest was judged by a team with experience in the field, including meat science professors from the University of Idaho.
About 40 businesses attended the convention. Other local meat processors included Leonard and Linda Mingnea of L & L Meats in Malta, Chuck Terry of Chinook Meats and Max and Dawn Hofeldt of Hofeldt Premium Meats of Chinook.
Leonard Mingneau, past president of the MMPA, won a two-year term to the board of directors and Dave Anderson was re-elected to another two-year term.
MMPA, a non profit organization representing the meat packing industry in Montana, holds its annual convention the last week of April in different locations every year. It will be in Bozeman April 2002.
