It started small with 50 birds, a little trial run in the wide-open spaces of eastern Montana. Today, Deer Creek Meats is raising thousands of pasture raised chickens and numerous pasture raised hogs each season, selling high-quality meat across the region. Their journey isn’t just one of growth, but of grit, mentorship, and a turning point that gave the Kreilaus’s the confidence and tools to go all in.
How It All Began
Shaylee Wall from Great Northern Ag Development in Wolf Point has been a guiding light for Deer Creek Meats since day one. When they were just getting started, with those first 50 chickens, Shaylee was already helping connect them with resources, grant opportunities, and training. One day, she mentioned a conference that might be worth checking out: the Expanding Markets Conference in Billings, hosted by Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE).
The dream was to attend the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) Conference in Georgia, but with young kids and the realities of traveling cross-country, it just didn’t seem doable. So, when Shaylee suggested this Montana-based option, it seemed like a low-stakes opportunity; at the very least, it would be a little getaway to Billings.
“Our hopes weren’t real high,” Josh and Christina admitted. “We don’t run cattle, and in Montana, that’s usually the focus.” Still, they went, figuring it would be worth a look and maybe a hotel stay with the kids. What they got instead was a total transformation of their business.
The Turning Point
The Expanding Markets Conference wasn’t just useful, it was catalytic.
“We were really struggling with marketing,” they explained. “We could raise great animals and produce excellent meat, but we didn’t know how to sell it.”
That all changed at the conference. Presenters like Jenni Harris from White Oak Pastures and a variety of Montana entrepreneurs shared real-world strategies and encouragement. One moment that stood out was talking to a Missoula-based producer, Bart Morris of Oxbow Cattle Company, who successfully runs a self-serve farm store. “Just do it,” he said. “People will buy it.” That advice gave them the nudge they needed to start planning their own farm store along the highway.
Jenni Harris challenged the conventional approach to pricing based solely on a fixed margin over costs. Her perspective encouraged a more value-based approach, reminding them to consider customer demand and perceived worth rather than just formulas. That led Deer Creek Meats to re-evaluate its pricing and raise it. Now, with a more sustainable margin, they’re still selling out of product and sleeping better at night knowing they’re building a stable business.
From Conference Room to Cold Calls
Within three weeks of coming home from the Expanding Markets Conference, they had landed two wholesale accounts. What changed? Confidence.
“I didn’t know I could just pick up the phone and call a grocery store,” they said. “Now we’ve got our chicken and pork in stores, including the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub.”
They also returned to their roots in Miles City, where the journey began. “The market there doesn’t bring in tons of revenue, but the people are loyal, and it feels good to be back.”
They’ve expanded to South Dakota and Wyoming, too, with family and partners helping run the Saturday farmers markets. In just nine months, they went from planning for 2,500 birds to running multiple batches of 1,300 birds well into the fall, with hopes of stockpiling enough to get through winter. They bring 1,000 birds to a Wisconsin USDA-inspected butcher every four weeks and plan to continue this through November.
This past year, the Kreilaus’s built a new chick brooder that has become a pivotal part of their operation. Designed to house significantly more birds than before, the brooder has allowed them to scale up their production while maintaining the high standards of care that define their farm. With improved insulation, ventilation, and ease of access, the new setup has made brooding more efficient and less labor-intensive, giving chicks a healthy, stable start and freeing up time and energy for the family to focus on other aspects of their regenerative system.
Once chicks graduate from the brooder every adult meat bird is moved twice a day on pasture in a custom chicken tractor that Josh built himself, ensuring the birds have constant access to fresh forage and space to roam. It’s a labor of love and a true family effort. From daily chores to moving the tractors, the entire family plays a role in raising healthy animals and stewarding the land.
The Reality Behind the Growth
It hasn’t all been easy. “We’ve got some stretch marks and some tears,” they laughed. But the timing, in retrospect, was a blessing. Without the knowledge and support from the Expanding Markets Conference, they might have expanded too fast without a market to sell to.
“Other conferences left us inspired but not equipped,” said. “This one gave us practical tools and showed us people just like us who were actually doing it. Not just ideas but steps we could take.”
Deer Creek Meats is one of the few meat bird operations in Montana, carving out a niche in the regenerative poultry and pork market. A journey that’s been both challenging and rewarding.
Looking Ahead
They’re now exploring agritourism, planning on-farm processing clinics, tours, and maybe even hands-on experiences where visitors can pick and process their own chicken. Josh and Christina are continuing to connect with different organizations to build deeper community ties and food transparency.
The dream now? Keep growing, sustainably, keep selling, smartly. And keep believing that a tiny farm in “Podunk, Montana” can thrive.
Because with the right help, the right conference, and the courage to make a few phone calls, you can take action to have significant growth in under a year.
Follow Deer Creek Meats on Facebook or contact Josh & Christina Kreilaus @ jc@deercreekmeats.com
