MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Prior to a major reorganization in 1977 the Department of Agriculture functioned 

 mainly as a regulatory agency. Restructuring enabled the department to perform its 

 regulatory responsibilities more efficiently and to enhance its duties to promote and 

 encourage agriculture in Montana. The reorganization plan called for the Department to 

 enter the 80's with a posture of progressively serving Montana agriculture. 



The Department Director is responsible for administration of the department's $5.1 

 million annual budget and its 79 full-time and 10 seasonal employees. He oversees the 

 department's four divisions and two units. The function of each division and unit is 

 summarized below. 



The Centralized Services Division performs technical, fiscal, and administrative 

 support functions for the department. Responsibilities of the division include 

 activities for internal operations of the department. 



The Environmental Management Division is responsible for the registration of 4,700 

 pesticide products; the certification and licensing of 1,257 commercial and government 

 applicators, 878 operators, 544 pesticide dealers, and 7,538 private applicators. The 

 division is also responsible for enforcement of the pesticide act and rules; providing 

 technical environmental services to agriculture; providing an evaluation of pest 

 management problems and programs; and providing analytical laboratory and consultative 

 services to other agencies and the public. 



The Plant Industry 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 inspections and surveys; issues 

 federal-state grade certificates; and provides regulatory technical expertise and 

 licenses for 5,200 bee yards, 550 nurseries, 650 feed dealers, 350 fertilizer dealers, 

 300 seed dealers, and 325 grain merchandisers. The division also registers some 3,300 

 commercial feed products and 1,000 fertilizers. The division's grain laboratory in 

 Great Falls provides the only official grain grading services in the state. 



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 available to 

 rural youth, rural youth organizations, and other qualified farmers and ranchers. The 

 division's Agricultural Assistance program is responsible for providing peer counseling, 

 financial consulting, and debt mediation assistance. 



The Weed Control program is responsible for administering statewide efforts aimed 

 at control and/or eradication of noxious and other weeds. The State Hail Insurance 

 program, under the guidelines and policies developed by the State Board of Hail 

 Insurance, insures any type of crop growing in Montana from losses caused by hail 

 damage . 



The Marketing program is responsible for identifying major needs and priorities by 

 coordinating agricultural product development through improvement of direct markets from 

 the producer to the consumer. The division, through the Alfalfa Seed Act, is 

 responsible for market development for alfalfa seed growing in Montana. 



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. 



The Wheat and Barley program is responsible for promoting and encouraging intensive 

 scientific and practical research in all phases of wheat culture, production, and 

 marketing under the guidelines and policies developed by the Montana Wheat and Barley 

 Committee. Producer assessment dollars are used to contract for work in areas such as 

 barley improvement, disease control, insect control, cropping practices, and for foreign 

 market promotion. 



