LINCOLN — Hi-Country Snack Foods, one of the region’s biggest employers and a longtime staple of the Lincoln community, has laid off dozens of employees in recent months, leaving many families and the community facing uncertainty. The company has been producing and selling jerky for nearly 50 years and most recently employed more than 50 people.
Madelyn Heath reports from Lincoln - watch:
In 2019, big changes were announced when the company was sold to Travis Bylerly. At that time, Hi-Country Snack Foods received a $400,000 loan from the Montana Department of Commerce to help try and keep jobs in the area. Click here to read more.
In 2023, ownership changed again and was split with several additional owners..
Employees say they had worried about the company’s direction for months before receiving confirmation on July 11, 2025.
That day, workers received a group text message telling them not to come to work the following week, but assuring them they would still be paid.
“You know we all kind of felt it for a few months if not six months before this happened,” said employee Melissa Hollowell.
“There was a little bit of positive reserve that we are going to fire up in a week, but as it dragged on reality set in,” another employee said.
That return never happened. Roughly 40 of the company’s 50 employees in Lincoln and Bozeman were laid off.
Eleven workers have since been brought back, but after nearly two months of waiting, many former employees say they have moved on.
“You know it sucks…it was a good job…we had a great product and now I am afraid it may never be what it once was,” former employee Steven Phipps said.
Hi-Country co-owner Wyatt Nielsen said the layoffs were the result of financial struggles that date back long before the company’s current ownership.
“When we acquired Hi-Country in the Fall of 2023, our heart was and still is in supporting rural communities across Montana. The people in Lincoln have been amazing, and we’re grateful for the way this community has supported the business. Hi-Country has faced financial challenges for many years, dating back to before our ownership, and while we wish we didn’t have to take this step, we had to make some tough choices to keep the business going. Our hope is that by making these changes now, we can keep Hi-Country strong and healthy for many years to come, continuing to serve and support the Lincoln community.
Nielsen continued, “At present day, we have brought 11 employees back to work between Hi-Country manufacturing and the Trading Post retail store. As an ownership group, we have been working diligently, hand-delivering product to our customers, shipping orders, and buying materials to continue making products. Right now, our focus is on getting back to doing what we do best: making great beef jerky, taking care of our customers and employees, and continuing to be a positive, productive part of the Lincoln community,” Nielsen said.
The impact has been especially difficult for longtime employees.
“The harm that has been caused for people that live paycheck to paycheck, the indifference from these folks, the loss of this for Lincoln, they have not grasped it yet,” said Chris Castagne, who worked at Hi-Country for 35 years.
“It hurt for me, it hurt for the people that work there that I care about, and then to walk around our community and to be asked what is going on and not have an answer,” another employee said.
Governor Greg Gianforte’s office confirmed the state had not yet received formal notification of the layoffs but said resources are available to affected workers.
“While the State has not received formal notification of a layoff at Hi-Country Meats, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry has been assisting employees impacted. Since 1976, Hi-Country has been a staple of Montana, supporting producers all across our state. The governor is committed to supporting affected workers and their families as they navigate finding new job opportunities. For more information, please contact the Montana Department of Labor & Industry,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
