6 GENERAL 1990 MONTANA AGRICULTURAL STATiynCS 



MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The Department of Agriculture, through the Director, is responsible for administration of a $6.5 

 million annual budget with 81.33 full-time and 10 seasonal employees. The Director oversees the 

 department's four divisions and nine bureaus. The function of each division 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 grain laboratory unit, attached to the Director's office, provides the only official grain 

 grading service in the state. 



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

 products; the training, certification and licensing of 1,392 commercial and government applicators, 1,078 

 operators, 535 pesticide dealers, and 8,001 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 passage of the Montana Agricultural Chemical Ground Water Protection Act (1990) provides 

 that the department will 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 

 larger mammals. 



The Weed Control program is responsible for administering statewide efforts aimed at control 

 and/or eradication of noxious and other weeds. 



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 4,900 bee yards, 650 nurseries, 650 feed dealers, 250 fertilizer dealers, 400 

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

 products and 1,000 fertilizers. 



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 State Hail Insurance 

 program insures any type of crop growing in Montana from losses caused by hail damage. 



The Marketing Program is responsible for market enhancement and development through direct 

 market development activities and through grants and seed capital investments in new/innovative 

 marketing and product developments. 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 division is also 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. 



