Montana Agricultural Statistics 2003 



Montana Department of Agriculture 



The Department of Agriculture, through the Director, is 

 responsible for administration of a $13 million annual budget 

 with 108 employees. The Director oversees the department's 

 three divisions and six bureaus. The function of each division 

 is summarized below. 



Central Management Division performs technical, fiscal 

 and administrative support functions for the department. 

 Responsibilities of the division include activities for internal 

 operations of the department. 



Agricultural Sciences Division is responsible for the 

 registration of 7,025 pesticide products; the training, 

 certification and licensing of 1,510 commercial and 

 government applicators, 1,677 operators, 447 pesticide 

 dealers, and 8,200 private applicators. 



The division provides evaluation of pest management 

 problems and programs; training and licensing of government 

 and commercial pesticide applicators and dealers; and 

 analytical laboratory and consultative services to other 

 agencies and the public. In addition, the division is 

 responsible for the administration and enforcement of 

 regulatory laws controlling the production, manufacturing, and 

 marketing of agricultural commodities exported from or 

 distributed within Montana. The division investigates 

 consumer complaints; performs technical expertise and 

 licenses for 480 nurseries, 656 feed dealers, 234 fertilizer 

 dealers, 320 seed dealers and 105 grain merchandisers. The 

 division also registers 2,698 pet food products, 1,200 

 fertilizers, and 5,030 bee yards. 



The passage of the Montana Agricultural Chemical 

 Ground Water Protection Act (1990) charges the department 

 to protect ground water and the environment from impairment 

 or degradation due to the use of agricultural chemicals. The 

 Vertebrate Pest Management program provides on-site 

 demonstrations, educational materials and technical bulletins 

 to assist producers in reducing damage caused by field 

 rodents, birds and other large mammals. 



The Weed Management program is responsible for 

 administering statewide efforts aimed at control and/or 

 eradication of noxious and other undesirable weeds. The 

 Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage Program provides a 

 certification mechanism that allows producers to market 

 various forage crops as being noxious weed seed free. 



The Agricultural Development Division (ADD) is 

 responsible for administering programs directed at promoting 

 and enhancing Montana agriculture. Within the Division are 

 four bureaus, the Rural Development Bureau, the Wheat and 

 Barley Bureau, the Agriculture Marketing and Business 

 Development Bureau, and the Montana State Grain 

 Laboratory Bureau. 



Councils and Boards attached to the Agriculture 

 Development Division include the Montana Alfalfa Seed 

 Committee, Agriculture Development Council, Montana Potato 

 Advisory Committee, Wheat and Barley Committee, State Hail 

 Insurance Board, and Agriculture in Montana Schools. 



Statewide agricultural statistics and projections are 

 developed through a Federal/State cooperative agreement 

 with the National Agriculture Statistics Service administered 

 through the division. This information is made available 

 through a comprehensive agricultural statistics bulletin and 

 grain movement summary along with other production, price 

 and income reports. 



The Rural Development Bureau serves Montana through 

 the Agriculture Finance Program, the Commodity Check-Off 

 Enabling Act, the State Hail Insurance Program, and Montana 

 Agricultural Statistics Service. The Bureau is charged with 

 assisting producers and entrepreneurs in enhancing our 

 agricultural industry and the Montana economy. 



The Agriculture Finance program is responsible for 

 making grants and lower interest rate loans for rural youth, 

 rural youth organizations, and other qualified farmers and 

 ranchers. The Agriculture Finance Program also provides 

 funds for Rural Community Development Grants, BuildingOur 

 American Communities, and the Young Ag Couples 

 Conference. 



The State Hail Insurance Program insures any crop grown 

 in Montana from losses caused by hail damage. The Program 

 was established in 1917 to provide producers with basic hail 

 insurance coverage to protect producers input costs. 



The Agriculture Marketing and Business Development 



Bureau is responsible for market enhancement and 

 development through direct market development activities, 

 grants, and seed capital loan investments in new and 

 innovative products or process, marketing, and product 

 development. Marketing and agri-business development 

 personnel work closely with individuals and organizations to 

 promote and enhance our agriculture industry. 



The Montana State Grain Laboratory Bureau is located 

 in Great Falls and operates the only official USDA-Federal 

 Grain Inspection Service grain grading and inspection 

 laboratory in the state of Montana. The lab provides unbiased 

 grain inspection, grading, analytical services, and oil seed 

 analysis to the state's grain industry. 



The Montana Wheat and Barley Bureau Is responsible 

 for marketing, promoting and encouraging intensive scientific 

 and practical research in all phases of wheat and barley 

 culture and production under the guidelines and policies 

 developed by the Wheat and Barley Committee. 



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