Page 3. 



LEGAL REFERENCES 



The Constitution, in Section 1, Article XVIII, provides for the 

 Department of Agriculture. This Department is under the control of the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, who is appointed by the Governor, subject 

 to confirmation of the Senate, for a term of four years. The purpose 

 of the Department of Agriculture is to encourage and promote the inter- 

 ests of agriculture and allied industries in Montana. The duties and 

 powers of this department are enumerated in Section 3-107, R.C.M. 1947. 



ADMINISTRATION - The Administration Program is responsible for 

 the coordination of all the activities carried on in the department. 

 This includes fiscal and accounting services for the entire department, 

 personnel activities including recruitment, orientation, and training, 

 and compilation and distribution of agricultural information. The admin- 

 istration of the Rural Rehabilitation Laws (Section 3-2801, R.C.M. 1947) 

 is also a function of the Administration Program. This program is financed 

 by General Fund appropriation. 



Agricultural Statistics - Agricultural Statistics is a cooperative 

 program carried on by the Montana Department of Agriculture and the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture. The purpose is to prepare county estimates of 

 all crop and livestock items produced in Montana The information is then 

 published and distributed in bulletin form. Funding for this program is 

 derived from General Fund appropriations and matching monies from the 

 Federal Government. 



COMMERCIAL FEED & FERTILIZER - This program, under the direction 

 of the Commissioner of Agriculture, administers the Commercial Feed and 

 Fertilizer Laws (Section 3-1701 through 3-1728 and 3-2001 through 3-2024, 

 R.C.M. 1947) . These laws provide for the registration, analyzation, and 

 labeling of commercial feeds and fertilizers distributed in the State of 

 Montana. The program is supported by the appropriations of fees collected 

 for the administration of this program. The fees collected are deposited 

 into the Earmarked Revenue Fund. 



DAIRY DIVISION - The Dairy Division is responsible for the regula- 

 tion and sanitary inspections of all creameries, butter and cheese fact- 

 ories, milk and cream receiving stations, and frozen dessert factories. 

 This division enforces laws regulating the standards of all manufactured 

 dairy products, except whole milk, skim milk and condensed or evaporated 

 milk (Sections 3-2401 through 3-2403, R.C.M. 1947). The Dairy Division 

 is also responsible for the enforcement of the Egg Grading Law (Section 

 3-2301, R.C.M. 1947) and the Oleomargine Law (Section 27-501, R.C.M. 1947) 



GRAIN LABORATORIES - The Grain Laboratories provide grain grading, 

 protein testing, sedimentary value and official weighing services for 

 the grain industry, in accordance with Chapter 2, Title 3 R.C.M. 1947. 

 The program is carried out in two laboratories located in Great Falls, 

 and Bozeman. Mustard seed is also graded at Great Falls under the pro- 

 visions of Chapter 19, Title 3, R.C.M. 1947. The program is operated on 

 a self supporting basis. Appropriations for operations are made from 

 fees collected. Five percent of gross revenue is deposited into the 

 General Fund. 



