MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 



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338.13 



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July/ Aug 2003 



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NEWS \TE T T E R 



Montana Department of Agriculture 



July-August 2003 



Tkere is notking more cliihcult...tlian to take tke lead in tke introduction oi a new order oi tkings. 



Niccolo Mackiavelli 



Letter From tLe Director 



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As part of our effort to promote and 

 enhance agriculture, Montana's number 

 one industry, the department recently 

 hosted the third Montana-Alberta 

 Agriculture Opportunities Conference in 

 Great Falls. The conference provided a 

 venue for producers, industry leaders and 

 government officials to disaiss trade between Montana and 

 Alberta. The more than 100 agricultural leaders attending 

 the conference also had an opportunity to listen to experts on 

 both sides oj the border regarding trade issues such as animal 

 health, transportation, legislative issues, and regulations. 

 Montana and Alberta have many things in common. 

 Although we have some new challenges, producers and 

 consumers on both sides of the border benefit from a free and 

 fair trade. Enhancing trade for our integrated agricultural 

 industries is vital to maintaining the strength of Montana's 

 agricultural economy. The Montana Department of 

 Agriculture remains committed to protecting and enhancing 

 all agriculture in Montana while continuing to foster positive 

 relationships with our trading partners. Please do not hesitate 

 to contact the department for your agriculture marketing and 

 business development needs; our staff is knowledgeable and 

 always willing to assist. 



Sincerely, 



X 



A^culture Development 

 Council Meeting 



The Montana Agriculture Development Council 

 is set to meet in Sidney, Montana, August 11-14, 

 2003, to review the most recent round of Growth 

 Through Agriculture (GTA) program applications 

 that meet tlie July 31, 2003, deadhne. 



The GTA program provides funding through 

 investments and loans that assist Montana 

 agribusinesses develop agricultural ventures and 

 market value-added agricultural products. Tlie 

 Montana Agriculture Development Council oversees 

 the GTA program, and is a five-member council 

 comprised of farmers, ranchers and agricultural 

 business people as well as the directors of the 

 Montana Department of Agriculture and the 

 Montana Department of Commerce. 



The current quarterly GTA deadline is July 31, 

 2003. For more information please contact Quinn 

 Holzer, GTA Program Manager at 406-444-2402 or 

 by email at agr@,state.mt.us . 



International Malting Company Breaks 

 Ground in Great Falls 



On July 2, 2003, Governor Judy Martz and Director Ralph 

 Peck joined International Malting Company (IMC) officials in 

 Great Falls for groundbreakmg ceremomes. IMC is a subsidiary 

 of Lesaffre International, a fainily owned firm specializing in 

 yeasts, malt barley, and other products used in food 

 manufacturing. Lesaffre International Chairman Maurice 

 Lesaffre and liis son Darmen Lesaffre, President of 

 International Malting Company, expressed a great deal of 

 appreciation for the work that had been done to bring IMC to 

 Great Falls. 



Representatives of IMC first met with officials from the 

 Cm- of Great Falls, Cascade Count\- and die Montana 

 Department of Agriculture in October of 2001, and discussed 

 the possibilit}- of developmg a malting facilit}' in the State. Since 

 that time, IMC, companies and citizens, cit}', county, state and 

 federal officials have all worked cooperatively to make land and 

 water available for the project, and have walked through the 

 financial, legal and regulatory aspects that must be in place to 

 ensure the project meets its targets and deadlines. 



IMC's facikt)- will result m new jobs for Great Falls and 

 Cascade Count)- and will enable Montana to process between 12 

 and 1 6 million bushels of its malt barley annually when it is 

 completed. In addition to the obvious benefit of added 

 processing and job creauon, die facilit}' also helps producers. 

 Having a malting facility in their backyard allows producers to 

 enjoy reduced freight costs on their crop. The freight savings 

 and stable demand for barley in area will make a lot of 

 producers more secure as they consider cropping choices. 

 Additional impacts, such as livestock feeding with malting by- 

 products and feed barley that didn't make malt quality, or 

 brewing with identitv' preserved Montana malt, are expected to 

 develop. 



It has taken a lot of hard work and cooperation to arrive at 

 tins point, but the message is loud and dear. Montana is a 

 competitive place to do business, and our collective effort at 

 agricultural and economic development in the state is paying off 



JJo You Sell Product In Canada? 



A final rule requiring nutrition labeling of all prepackaged 

 foods has been issued by Canada's Department of Health, and 

 companies doing business in Canada must be in compliance by 

 December 12, 2005. To help firms gear up for this change, the 

 Food Institute has published a Primer on Canadian Nutrition 

 Labeling, autirored by Olsson, Frank & Weeda, PC. Log on to 

 \vww.foodinstitute.com/anadianlabeling.cfm?storeid=2&AFID=6> 

 to order your copy. For more information please contact Sarah 

 Goan, Marketing Officer for the Montana Department of 

 Agriculture at 406-444-2402 or by email at agrfSistate.mt.us . 



