s 



338.13 

 A7mva 

 Nov/Dec 2002 



i\/i <z> rM~r>^ isj AK 



Value 



Added 



MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 



inillllllllllllll Illil|!ll[|;l1l|lllll|tl|lllin| 



3 0864 0014 9024 5 



NEWS IT E T T E R 



Montana Department of Agriculture 



November - December 2002 



From the Director 



i*"Agncultural development is difficult yet 

 wonderfully challenging. Here at the department 

 we are doing our utmost to foster positive 

 domestic and international relationships that will 

 benefit Montana agribusiness. 



Through efforts by the Montana Department of Agriculture, that 

 benefit is now being realized in Montana. After a long period of 

 negotiauon and numerous meetings, Busch Agricultural Resources, 

 Inc. announced in a press conference with Governor Martz, that they 

 are beginning construction on a barley handling and storage facilir\^ in 

 Sidney. The facility is scheduled to be fimshed by August 2003 and is 

 estimated to cost just over S7 million. The new Anheuser-Busch 

 facilit}' has die capacity to receive and ship 100,000 bushels per day 

 with the capacity to store 1.5 million bushels. 



This announcement brings a wonderful opportunit}' for Montana 

 agriculture. We are pleased to have a new value-added market for 

 Montana producers to utilize and with which to expand. Anheuser- 

 Busch commented diat Montana is an ideal locadon because of 

 available water for production, possible acreage expansion and the 

 commitment of the producers to grow the kind of quaUt}' barley 

 needed for their operations. The facilit)- provides another avenue for 

 producers; is estimated to have a $30 to $60 miUion-doUar annual 

 impact on the local economy, and will bring seven new jobs to 

 Sidney 



The department also recendy delivered a food ingredients promotion 

 tided "A Chef for AH Seasons" in Kumamoto, Japan. Using funds 

 leveraged dirough the Western United States Agricultural Trade 

 Association, the department's international marketing officer 

 introduced a variety- of Montana food ingredients to chefs, buyers, 

 distributors and importers in the Japanese Hotel and Restaurant 

 industn' (HRI). Chef Carl Kurokawa of Billings traveled to 

 Kumamoto with the department and demonstrated ways to 

 incorporate quality Montana ingredients into menus and recipes 

 during a series of technical seminars. The program generated 

 considerable interest in Montana products. Some participating 

 companies have already been contacted by Japanese companies, and 

 the project has opened the way for building business relationships 

 with buyers, importers and distributors in Japan. Follow-up activities 

 to support this program are in the works. 



We are excited about the progress being made toward adding value 

 to agriculture in Montana. As you develop and continue your 

 agribusiness venture, remember the Department of Agriculture's staff 

 is always available for support. Our staff is qualified, knowledgeable 

 and prepared to offer assistance in the areas of domestic and 

 international marketing, industn,^ development, business development, 

 and other areas related to the ever-evolving field of agriculture. 

 Please feel free to contact the department at any time. 



Best Wishes for the Holiday Season, 



"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who 

 did it. Autograph your work with excellence." 



-Mark Twain- 



Canadian Sheep 



Producers Buy Montana 



Rams 



Canadian sheep producers bought 24 

 of the 302 breeding animals sold at the 

 annual Montana Ram Sale held in 

 Miles City, according to the Montana 

 Department of Agriculture. 



"We hosted nine Canadian producers at 

 the sale this year. The buyers were 

 impressed with the quaUt}' of Montana 

 rams, and they backed up their 

 comments with purchases," says Ralph 

 Peck, director of the department. 



The Montana Woolgrowers 

 Association sponsored the 53"" annual 

 Montana Ram Sale. The Montana 

 Department of Agriculture, in 

 cooperation with the U.S. Livestock 

 Genetics Export, Inc. (USLGE) and 

 USDA's Foreign Ag Service, hosted the 

 Canadian buyers at the two-day event 

 Sept. 11-12, 2002, in MHes Cm^. 



The department's international 

 marketing effort is part of the Vision 

 2005 goal to increase the value of 

 Montana's agricultural industry' 

 generally, and specifically the value of 

 sheep and wool produced in the state. 



In 2001, die first year of the 

 international marketing effort, five 

 Canadian buyers attended the sale and 

 purchased 13 rams. Ten additional rams 

 were purchased direcdy from Montana 

 producers after the 2001 sale. Three 

 of those buyers returned to the sale this 

 year. 



For more information about the 

 department's livestock and meat 

 marketing efforts, contact Misti Pilster 

 of the department's Agricultural 

 Development Division (406) 444-2402, 

 or by e-mail at agr@state.mt.us. 



'fi' fc-:^'-"^''''' 



