BILLINGS — The Dairy Farmers of America sent a press release to MTN News Wednesday saying the milk-quality problems at the Meadow Gold plant in Billings are fixed. Hours later, the Montana Department of Livestock says that is not what its investigators found.
On July 29, state inspectors dismantled equipment at the Meadow Gold facility and found it to be non-compliant. The Montana Department of Livestock said its investigation is ongoing and has not concluded — directly contradicting the DFA cooperative's claim that the situation has been resolved.
For weeks, customers across Montana and northern Wyoming were sharing social media posts about their milk spoiling before its sell-by date. The Montana Department of Livestock launched an investigation and identified sanitization, cleanliness, and equipment issues at the Billings plant.
Despite the state's findings, the dairy farmers issued the unsolicited statement to MTN telling consumers that all milk with a sell-by date after July 25 is safe to drink and should last through its expiration date. The co-op did not specify what changes were made to address the problems. MTN has requested a statement from Meadow Gold but received no response.
Here's the full statement from the Dairy Farmers of America:
"We are aware of recent consumer complaints regarding milk spoiling before the identified Sell-By date. Impacted products include white milk in packaging containing the plant identification number 30-02 purchased from retailers in Montana. This issue has been resolved, and no other milk products with Montana Sell-By dates after 7/25/26 are impacted. We remain committed to producing safe, high-quality dairy products. We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience this may have caused. Consumers with affected product may return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a full refund or contact the customer service number on the package with questions."
The cooperative said consumers with affected product may return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a full refund.
MTN requested a response from the Department of Livestock. Here's the full statement:
"The Montana Department of Livestock’s investigation into premature milk spoilage originating from the Meadow Gold milk processing facility located in Billings, MT is ongoing and has not concluded. An additional inspection was conducted today (7/29/2026) and equipment was dismantled and found to be non-compliant. This non-compliance may or may not be the cause of the premature spoilage."
The state has not determined whether the non-compliant equipment is the direct cause of the premature spoilage.
MTN reached out to the DFA asking for any evidence they have that problems have been fixed. No response was sent Wednesday.
Consumers with questions can contact the Montana Department of Livestock at 406-444-2788.
Related:
Sanitation, contamination problems found at Billings Meadow Gold milk plant, but no recall issued
Billings milk spoiling before expiration date prompts state investigation
