Snow goose producers in Montana have created a new way to feed themselves, and a delicious treat.
Producers and ranchers in the state have taken the business of hunting for snow geese from the government, and have turned to a local industry that can produce their own meat, eggs, and cheese.
In an interview with National Geographic, a snow geesper named John said the industry has changed from being a job that pays only a fraction of what it used to be to one that pays a living wage.
Producer and rancher John F. Johnson is a partner at the Snow Goose Produce Company, based in Bozeman, Mont., which he runs with his brother, Mike.
The company makes frozen ground beef and pork products, which can be served as a meal for a family.
Johnson said he has a full-time partner who makes the products.
They produce a meat product called “Snow Goose Lite,” which can come in a variety of flavors, he said.
It is a combination of ground beef, chicken, and pork, and it is also a source of protein for cattle, he added.
Snow geese are the largest land animal on the continent, but their numbers have been declining in recent years.
The last snow goose population was estimated at 5,500 in 2000, and there were just over 300 left in 2017, according to the National Snow Goose Association.
Johnson estimates that by 2025, the industry will have to lay off about 20 percent of its workforce, or perhaps more.
He expects that number to fall to less than 2 percent.
Snow geese were once the backbone of Montana’s economy, but in recent decades, they have been hunted for their meat, and their eggs, to feed livestock.
“They have really been a source for a lot of people in the Montana economy,” Johnson said.
“That’s why we’re seeing so much demand for these products.”
Johnson said his company has not been able to compete with traditional snow goose farms, but it has been able make some money.
He said that in 2018, the company paid $1,200 for the eggs that they sold for $150.
Johnson said he does not think he will be able to keep that much of a profit.
“I think we will probably just get rid of them,” he said, “so that the state can continue to feed itself.”
Snow gees are hunted in Montana for their eggs.
This is a typical product for the company.
This snow goose egg is being sold in Montana.
Johnson, who grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Montana, said that the economic situation has made him feel like a second-class citizen.
He has a child and grandchildren that are young, and he worries about how they will be raised.
He does not want them to be able in the future to have a working, living wage, he explained.
“You can’t just be the next John, because if you are you’re going to be the last,” he added, explaining that he has to be careful to make sure that he is not working in a way that is harmful to his health or his family.
Johnson’s company is trying to make a difference by making a difference.
“We’ve got to make it work,” he told National Geographic.
“We’re just trying to do it the right way.”
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