The Montana Department of Agriculture is currently hiring a Insurance Claims Technician based in Helena. Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2018. Visit the Employment page for more info and other job openings with the Montana Department of Agriculture.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2018 – Early bird registration is now open for the 95^th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), the largest annual meeting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This two-day event will take place on Feb. 21-22, 2019, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.

WASHINGTON, October 24, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the first update since 2013 of the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (PDF, 340 KB).

The organic industry may now utilize the USDA Electronic Trade Document Exchange System (eTDE) to submit and approve organic export certificates and send them to participating foreign trade partners. Foreign trade partners can electronically review information about shipments leaving the U.S., validate printed export certificates, and pull electronic certificates directly into their own systems.

Click here or contact the Montana Organic Program at agrorganic@mt.gov to learn more about the eTDE organic option.

Are you a restaurant sourcing local ingredients? Looking for another reason to source local? Click Here for more info and join the Taste our Place program – it's free!

Click "Read More" for the full video.

Click here to view the MDA Video on Food Safety Modernization Act & Produce Safety Rule Basics, or click here for more info on Food Safety in Montana.

The Growth Through Agriculture (GTA) program is a grant and loan program to strengthen and diversify Montana's agricultural industry through development of new agricultural products and processes. Click here to view and listen to a recording of the webinar on the Montana Department of Agriculture YouTube channel, or click here to download a PDF of the GTA Webinar Powerpoint Presentation. 

The recently announced informational webinar about the Proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard is now available online. The pre-recorded webinar provides an overview of the background, provisions and potential impacts of the proposed standard.

The informational webinar is now available for viewing on the BE Disclosure and Labeling page on the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service website under Resources.  

Hello Montana Growers!

The FDA’s Produce Safety Rule is in place (and was adopted by the Montana legislature) and is being implemented. The Montana Department of Agriculture has received a grant to provide support and technical assistance regarding produce safety to farmers. Food safety regulations are changing, and we want to ensure you have the information you need to be successful.

In coming weeks, we will be conducting brief phone calls to gain a better understanding of the number and scale of produce growers in the state. If you would rather submit your information through an online form, please go to www.foodsafety.mt.gov and click on “Submit Info for the Food Safety Modernization Act Inventory”, or, if you are unsure if the Produce Safety Act applies to you and your farm, click on "Determine if the Produce Safety Rule Applies to You" to answer a few questions and automatically see if you are exempt or if the law applies to you.

If you have questions, please call 406-444-0131 or email foodsafety@mt.gov.

Thank you from the Montana Department of Agriculture Food Safety Program

Helena, Mont. - The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now accepting petitions for new plants to be added to the Montana Noxious Weed List. Interested parties who feel that a plant should be listed as a noxious weed in Montana can fill out a petition form (found at agr.mt.gov/weeds) and send it to Dave Burch at dburch@mt.gov. 

Helena, Mont. – The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) has been awarded $52,158 from USDA’s Quality Samples Program (QSP) to further develop the market for U.S. beef genetics in Nicaragua. Through January 2020, MDA will use the funds to send semen and embryos from Montana ranches to Nicaragua.

After each growing season, the Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage (NWSFF) Program analyzes the number of acres inspected by field inspectors. The graph shows the season end summary for three years. This summer had a significant de-crease in straw acres inspected; one possible reason for fewer acres of certified straw produced may be the increased need of feed for cattle operations due to the extreme fire season Montana experienced. Two other decreases this year: new pro-ducers and total producer participa-tion. In 2016 there were 40 new pro-ducers and 191 producers participat-ing in the NWSFF Program.

Click here to view/download the complete Tidbits newsletter (PDF format).

Helena, Mont. –  Montana cherry growers have voted to eliminate the Montana Cherry Research & Market Development Program. The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) will now take the necessary steps to eliminate the checkoff program.

Helena, Mont. – Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Ben Thomas joined state and provincial counterparts from the United States, Mexico and Canada last week to stress the necessity of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for agriculture and to call on their respective federal governments to ensure a modernized NAFTA does not harm agriculture. North American state and provincial agriculture officials gathered last week in Denver, Colo. for the 26^th annual Tri-National Agricultural Accord. The Tri-National Agricultural Accord represents a longstanding commitment among the senior state and provincial agricultural officials of North America to work together collaboratively on agricultural trade and development issues.