6 General Montana Agricultural Statistics 1994 



SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE THROUGH MARKETING AND PROMOTION 



The mission of the Montana Department of Agricuhure's Marketing Program. 



by Carol Hannah 

 Senior Marketing Officer 



The primary goal of the Marketing Program is to assist Montanans in the 

 development and trade of our state's agricultural commodities and value-added 

 products. Program objectives are developed using producer input to ensure that 

 projects are beneficicd to the industry. The Montana Department of Agriculture's 

 Marketing Program staff are committed to assisting producers in reaching new markets 

 and expanding existing ones. 



Maintaining memberships and active participation in both national and 

 international marketing associations has proven to be of value to the Marketing 

 Program in serving Montana producers. The North American Agriculture Marketing 

 Officials organization consists of a network of marketing officials from U.S. state 

 departments of agriculture, Canadian provinces, and Mexican states. With the passage 

 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, these contacts are beneficial to Montana 

 producers as we work to expand trade beyond our borders. 



Two international marketing projects made possible through Foreign Agricultural 

 Service funding have resulted in opening doors for increased sales of Montana products 

 this year. Montana is the lead state for the project "Christmas Trees in Taiwan" and 

 joined three other western states for the project "Beef Cattle and Genetics in Mexico". 



The Marketing Program participates in a variety of trade shows each year and 

 assists agricultural producers and organizations with promotional activities for their 

 products. Examples of the shows attended are the Montana Food Distributors 

 Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show, the Montana Agricultural Trade 

 Exposition and the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. 



In addition to issuing informational news releases throughout the year. 

 Marketing Program staff have had articles published regarding Montana's agricultural 

 products and coordinated "Tastes of the Treasure State" grocery store promotions for 

 our value-added food industry. The Marketing Program is also responsible for 

 publishing the Montana Agricultural Buvers Directorv . a valuable tool to assist domestic 

 and international buyers in contacting Montana agricultural businesses and producers 

 for their supply needs. 



Leo Giacometto, Director of the Montana Department of Agriculture, states that, 

 "Developing markets for our agricultural products is a challenge we welcome each day. 

 We are excited with the potential our market development efforts offer Montana 

 producers and our state's economy". 



