| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Ron Zellar |
| Sept. 1, 2005 | (406) 444-3144 TTY (406) 444-4687 |
New Wheat and Barley Bureau Chief Announced
HELENA, Mont. — Today Director of the Montana Department of Agriculture Nancy K. Peterson announced the hiring of Kimberly Falcon as the new wheat and barley bureau chief. This position also serves as the executive vice president of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee.
"I am honored to have Kim join our team,"
said Director Peterson. "She has extensive
experience with trade teams and foreign countries
and is extremely well versed in the issues that
face producers across Montana, including rail and
transportation issues. Kim has the ability to bring
it all together, to bring people together, to bring
nations together and ultimately to sell Montana."
She will begin her official duties on September
19, 2005.
Kimberly Falcon - Falcon is a field director for Montana Senator Max Baucus. She has ten years of strategic planning experience and 20 years of grant and contract work experience. She traveled with Senator Baucus to Havana, Cuba, and assisted with securing a $10 million trade agreement for the purchase of Montana agricultural products.
Falcon worked with the Columbian Grain Buyers and Columbian Embassy on a $10 million memorandum of understanding involving the purchase of Montana agricultural products.
She also worked with the Wheat Buyers and Embassy Staff from China in regard to a purchase of hard red winter wheat. Prior to working with Senator Baucus, Falcon was the co-director of institutional advancement at the University of Great Falls. She also served over five years as the grants director at the University. She was educated at MSU Northern and the University of Great Falls.
"We must enhance research and marketing for our wheat and barley industry to improve the economics which will benefit our Montana farmers, so the next generation can stay here at home," said Falcon. "Foreign countries are interested in our extremely high quality spring and winter grains to feed the world's most select markets. Every country needs to know and should experience the superiority of our grain crops grown here in Montana."
The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee is the producer-funded and directed checkoff organization for wheat and barley growers in the state. It is the mission of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee to protect and foster the health, prosperity, and general welfare of the industry by encouraging and promoting intensive, scientific, and practical research into all phases of the wheat and barley production, marketing, and end-use and, further, to aid in the development of markets for wheat and barley grown in Montana.
