Hi-Country Snack Foods halts Lincoln production, lays off 7 employees

Longtime Lincoln jerky manufacturer Hi-Country Snack Foods has temporarily shut down its plant, laying off seven employees, its parent company said Friday.

“And yes, they will be paid in full for what they are owed,” Wyatt Nielson of Yellowstone Naturals, the Bozeman-based company that incorporated Hi-Country in 2023, told the Independent Record.

Hi-Country, founded in 1976 and a local employment stronghold, saw financial hurdles through 2025 that resulted in layoffs for 16 employees, as first reported by the Montana Free Press.

Bozeman-area meat entrepreneur Travis Byerly purchased Hi-Country in 2019 with the promise of bringing more jobs to Lincoln. At the time, it employed 40-50 people, which state business officials noted was “a big amount anywhere in Montana, and in Lincoln, that's a lot.”

The town reports its population at around 1,000 people, according to its tourism website.

On April 3, Nielsen didn’t say how long the current pause would last or what Hi-Country would be doing in the meantime.

“We’ve made the difficult decision to pause operations at Hi-Country and are actively working with all stakeholders to determine the best path forward for the business and the Lincoln community,” Nielson said April 3. “We care deeply about our team and the role Hi-Country has played in this community, and our focus right now is on handling this transition responsibly. We expect to share more information in the coming weeks.”

The latest pause came as a surprise to Lincoln business owner Roger Dey of antique shop Rusty Relics.

The 2025 employee culling was a big hit to morale, he noted, topping out in the dozens before some people were hired back. In the winter, he remembered seeing Nielsen speak with Lewis and Clark County government officials, and Dey got the impression Hi-Country was on an upward swing.

“I don’t really know what to expect, but it’s looking pretty thin out there,” Dey said.

Any threat to employment has a ripple effect in a town like Lincoln, he said. The folks who stay in Lincoln tend to be people who have lived there for years.

“Just from a community standpoint, jobs aren’t easy to find around here,” Dey said. “Doesn’t matter how many guys it is (who were laid off), losing that is still going to hurt.”

The plant’s closure was first reported by NBC Montana.