News

The Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee is seeking proposals for demonstration projects, applied research, and market development projects designed to address needs and opportunities for Montana’s alfalfa seed industry. Proposals are due February 10, 2021.

For a complete list of guidelines and eligibility requirements, visit this link. Questions should be directed to the Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee, PO Box 200201, Helena, MT 59620-0201, or by contacting Dani Jones at (406) 444-2402 or via email at Danielle.Jones@mt.gov.

The Montana Oilseed Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Please see the agenda attached.

The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. To receive information to join the meeting, please contact Dani Jones at danielle.jones@mt.gov or (406) 444-2402.

The Agriculture Development Council will meet virtually Wednesday, February 17^th through Friday, February 19^th. See attached agenda for order of events. 

To receive information to join the virtual meetings, please email a request to agr@mt.gov or call (406) 444-0134.

The Agriculture Development Council establishes policies and priorities to enhance the future development of agriculture in Montana including the award of loans and grants offered through the Growth Through Agriculture program. Click here to learn more about the Agriculture Development Council. 

Governor-elect Greg Gianforte today announced his appointment of Mike Foster to lead the Department of Agriculture.

“Montana farmers and ranchers drive our state’s number one industry, and deserve a leader who will work tirelessly to help them capture more of the value they create,” Governor-elect Gianforte said. “With a robust understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by our producers and a strong commitment to meeting their needs, Mike Foster will serve Montana ag well.”

Foster joins the Gianforte Administration from the United States Department of Agriculture, where he served Montana farmers and ranchers since 2018 as state executive director of the Montana USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). As executive director, Foster helped Montana producers overcome difficult challenges such as drought, wildfires, excessive and ill-timed moisture, terrible blizzards, low prices, trade barriers, and a pandemic through FSA support.

Click here to read more.

The Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council will meet virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, January 13th from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Please contact Carol Bearden, Noxious Weed Program Specialist, at (406) 444-7880 or cbearden@mt.gov to receive information to join the meeting. 

Click here to view current members and learn more about the Noxious Weed Management Advisory Committee.

The Montana Pulse Crop Committee will meet to hear a legislative update from 9am-11am on Tuesday, December 22nd. 

For more information on the Pulse Crop Committee, visit their website. 

For call information, reach out to Dani Jones at (406) 444-2402, or at Danielle.Jones@mt.gov. 

The Montana Organic Advisory Council will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, December 8th beginning at 1pm.

Please contact Virginia Corbett to receive information to join the meeting at (406) 444-3156 or virginia.corbett@mt.gov.

For more Information regarding the Organic advisory Council, visit the webpage, here.  

Governor Steve Bullock announced a new crisis counseling hotline funded by a $1.6 million federal grant is now available to aid Montanans struggling with their mental health due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“We know Montanans in every corner of the state have been impacted by this virus in various ways and I’m pleased this hotline is available to support anyone in need,” Governor Bullock said. “I encourage Montanans to use the hotline now to receive confidential assistance and get connected to the appropriate services in their community.”

The Montana Crisis Recovery hotline is funded and available for at least the next nine months. Montanans in need of crisis counseling can call 1-877-503-0833 to receive free and confidential counseling services from trained crisis counselors Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On November 20, 2020, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue designated Big Horn and Carter counties in Montana as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (see http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/), these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional. These additional counties were named as contiguous disaster counties: Carbon, Fallon, Rosebud, Yellowstone, Custer, Powder River, and Treasure.  
 
Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information. 

The Montana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in cooperation with the Montana Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce the publication of the 2020 Montana Agricultural Statistics bulletin. The current bulletin can be found on the USDA NASS Montana website.

Click here to view the 2020 Montana Agricultural Statistics Bulletin.