| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Justin Hager |
| June 26, 2006 | (406) 444-2402 |
Agriculture Development Council selects GTA projects
~ Next Application Deadline is July 31, 2006 ~
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Agriculture Development Council has invested in Montana by awarding $333,635 in loans and grants to eight projects for agricultural development in Montana, according to council Vice-Chair John Franklin.
"Projects this quarter show the diversity of agricultural development projects in Montana, from apple cider and wine grapes to agri-tourism, bison meat processing, dairy expansion, wool processing, ethanol and bio-diesel," said Nancy K. Peterson, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture.
The Agriculture Development Council oversees the Growth Through Agriculture program, the source of funding used by the council for project investments. Since the beginning of the 2006 fiscal year, the Growth Through Agriculture program has invested $1,276,206 in 39 Montana agriculture projects.
In the latest round, the council awarded investment funds to:
-- Mountain View Orchards, Corvallis, for specialized equipment for the production of apple cider, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of $36,850.
-- Montana Mountain Bison Inc., Belt, for expansion of buffalo meat production and retail sales to the national level, with a $24,800 return-on-investment loan and an investment without repayment grant of $3,500.
-- Cook Center for Sustainable Agriculture in the American West, Bozeman, for design and implementation of marketing research and resources for agri-tourism businesses, with an investment without repayment grant of $38,200.
-- Richland Economic Development, Savage, for dairy herd expansion, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of $50,000.
-- Going To The Sun Fiber Mill, Kalispell, for start-up for a wool and exotic fiber processing mill, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of $50,000.
-- Earl/Fisher Bio-Fuel Plant, Chester, for equipment for a bio-diesel production facility, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of $50,000.
-- Chippewa Cree Ethanol, LLC, Box Elder, for engineering and plant construction design for an ethanol production facility, with an investment without repayment grant of $50,000.
--Identification and Propagation of Premium Wine Grape Vines, Missoula, for vineyard development, with an investment without repayment grant of $30,285.
Montana agricultural producers and industry representatives serve on the Agriculture Development Council. Council members are: Ervin Schlemmer of Joliet, chair; John Franklin of Sidney, vice-chair; Patricia Quisno of Harlem; Bill Koenig of Kalispell; David Tyler of Belgrade; Nancy K. Peterson, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture; and Tony Preite, director of the Montana Department of Commerce.
The next deadline for project applications to the Growth Through Agriculture program is July 31, 2006. The council plans to review the next round of project applications in early September.
For more information and application materials, contact Justin Hager, Growth
Through Agriculture program manager, at the Montana Department of Agriculture,
at (406) 444-2402 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
