Montana Eggs opened its new $9 million, 58,000 square-foot egg grading facility in Great Falls, Montana.

A new 197-acre development site called AgriTech Park opened in Great Falls in 2016, offering customized, shovel-ready, heavy industrial lots with rail access. The new Montana Eggs facility will bring 20 new jobs to the region.

According to the Great Falls Montana Development Authority the new facility, at 1015 38th Street North, will process more than 280 million eggs annually from a supply of 1.2 million chickens.

"The demand for Montana-grown free-range organic eggs is expected to double over the next few years and this facility will help us meet the demand," says Mike Kleinsasser, Secretary-Treasurer of Montana Eggs.

The facility is owned by a partnership of 30 Hutterite colonies that make up Montana Eggs. For over 70 years, the colonies have been setting new trends in Montana agriculture, driving the dairy industry and producing 98% of Montana's eggs.

"Montana Eggs' expansion has the potential to draw in more than $13 million for the state's economy," says Jolene Schalper, Vice President, Great Falls Montana Development Authority. "Companies from around the world are realizing the potential of our region's strong workforce and the large number of agricultural products we can process."

According to the GFMDA, the Great Falls region is home to several large agri-processing companies, based both locally and internationally, including Montana Milling, General Mills, Graincraft, and Timeless Seeds. The region has also attracted foreign direct investment, with four Japanese-owned companies including Columbia Grain, Montana Specialty Mills and Helena Chemical, and French-owned MaltEurop.