Remote Montana ranch rare source of critical blood

The wide, treeless plains of Golden Valley County seem a long way from the world’s international centers of medical diagnostic testing. North of the small town of Ryegate, sheep and cattle browse for grass among clumps of sagebrush and greasewood, and antelope outnumber humans by more than two to one.

Yet lab techs, doctors and university professors from Tel Aviv to Singapore are all aware of this remote locale — or are at least familiar with one isolated Montana ranch that provides the world with one of the most critical components of human diagnostic testing — animal blood products.

"It’s something that the average person will never think of, but it’s very, very important to the medical industry," said Jennifer "J.R." Tonjum, quality control consultant for the Quad Five Ranch http://quadfive.com/ . "There’s a huge market for it and we provide what we feel is the best quality blood product in the world."

David Murray, [email protected]

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/12/16/remote-montana-ranch-rare-source-critical-blood/77465998/