Border Wars over Pulse Crop Checkoff

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A boarder war of sorts has begun between the Montana and North Dakota pulse crop industries.  

This situation comes to surface as Montana producers take more and more pulse crops to elevators in North Dakota. The issue at hand is checkoff fees that Montana farmers are paying in both Montana and North Dakota the Montana department of agriculture says that the North Dakota pulse crop industry is holding onto $300,000 dollars collected from Montana producers- after the North Dakota Dry Pea and Lentil Council did not want to sign a negotiated agreement.  Northern Ag reached out to the ND Dry Pea and Lentil Council and did not receive comment, but was able to speak to the Montana Deputy Secretary of agriculture Kim Falcon.

The Montana Pulse Advisory Committee will suspended funding to the Northern Pulse Growers Association in reaction to a check off funding dispute with North Dakota. Kim falcon explained to about the breakdown in cooperation between the states.     

 

 

The Montana Department of Agriculture also is providing Montana producers resources for them to request a refund of the check off they are charged from the north Dakota Dry and Pea Lentil Council.

According to the Associated Press, Pea and lentil officials in both states say they've butted heads in the last year on the issue of remitting assessment fees to the state where crops are grown.

The chairman of the North Dakota Dry Pea & Lentil Council says his state stopped trying to count Montana crops separately last year because Montana failed to accurately track North Dakota crops.

 

The withheld fees were first reported by The Billings Gazette.

CLICK HERE to read the full article

 

© Northern Ag Network 2015

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