2000 Montana Agricitltur.\l Statistics 



Gener.\l 5 



MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The Department of Agriculture, through the Director, 

 is responsible for administration of a $13 million annual 

 budget with 108 full-time employees. The Director 

 oversees the department's three divisions and seven 

 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 provides services, 

 protection and compliance assistance to fanners, 

 agribusinesses, and the public through administration of 

 laws pertaining to pesticides, ground water, noxious weeds, 

 feeds, fertilizers, seed, grain dealers and warehousemen, 

 nurseries, produce, mint, apiaries, alfalfa and leaf-cutting 

 bees, pest surveys, and quarantines. The division licenses 

 and trains persons according to requirements of these laws 

 and registers labels for feeds, fertilizers and pesticides. 

 Label registration protects consumers by assuring that 

 labels provide adequate and fair directions, precautions, and 

 other information. A division laboratory in Bozeman 

 analyzes feeds, fertilizers and pesticides for the public and 

 for division programs. The groundwater program provides 

 protection through monitoring of Montana aquifers for 

 pesticides and fertilizers, administration of best 

 management practices, and compliance. 



The noxious weed program administers grants to 

 assist counties and community projects in controlling 

 noxious weeds. This program also administers a program 

 to certify noxious weed seed free forage. 



The division provides produce grade inspection 

 services and maintains two federally licensed inspectors 

 capable of issuing federal grade certificates. The division 

 inspects commodities being exported to certify that they 

 meet import requirements of destination countries. 



The division administers the bonding and licensing 

 requirements for commodity dealers and warehouses. 

 These requirements protect Montana producers by assuring 

 grain businesses have adequate finances and records. 



The apiary program registers Montana apiary sites 

 and inspects resident and migratory beekeepers to protect 

 honeybees from communicable diseases and to provide 

 adequate honey and nectar flow to commercial apiaries. 



The division certifies nurseries and nursery stock for 

 the pest management and freedom standards that are 

 expected by states and businesses that receive Montana 

 nursery stock. The division's quarantine program assures 

 that Montana is protected from introductions of non- 

 indigenous pests and prevents transfer of pests within 

 Montana. Yearly surveys of selected pests provide 

 information needed for pest management, commodity 

 certification, pest occurrence and other purposes. 



The seed program protects consumers by assuring 

 that seed labels contain truthful and accurate information 

 and seed purity and viability data. The division samples 

 seeds to check label claims and to assure that they meet 

 standards for weed seeds. 



The Agricultural Development Division is 



responsible for administering programs directed at 

 promoting and enhancing Montana agriculture. 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 State Hail Insurance programs insure any 

 type of crop grown in Montana from losses caused by hail 

 damage. 



The marketing program is responsible for market 

 enhancement and development through direct market 

 development activities, grants, seed capital loan 

 investments in new/innovative marketing, and product 

 development. Statewide agricultural statistics and 

 projections are developed through a Federal/State 

 cooperative agreement administered through the division, 

 which are made available through a comprehensive 

 agricultural statistics bulletin and grain movement summary 

 along with other production, price and income reports. 

 Research and market development efforts are promoted for 

 alfalfa seed through the Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee. 



The Montana State Grain Laboratory is located in 

 Great Falls, operating the only official USDA-FGIS state 

 grain grading laboratory in the state of Montana. The lab 

 provides unbiased grain grading, analytical services, and oil 

 seed analysis to the state's grain industry. 



The division is also responsible for promoting and 

 encouraging intensively scientific and practical research in 

 all phases of wheat and barley culture, production, and 

 marketing under the guidelines and policies developed by 

 the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. 



