Helena, Montana. The Agriculture Development Council and the Montana Department of Agriculture have announced a change to the Growth Through Agriculture application deadline schedule for the upcoming fiscal year. The Growth Through Agriculture (GTA) Program normally supports two annual rounds of matching-fund opportunities for Montana food and agriculture companies engaging in value-added agriculture products and job creation projects.
This year there will only be one funding deadline for the GTA program: Thursday, September 15, 2016. In order to maximize the amount of funding available to agricultural companies, and in line with the directives of the Main Street Montana Project, the Council and the Department have determined that hosting only one funding deadline will aid in cutting program costs associated with additional meetings, application review procedures, and staff time.
“Agriculture is Montana’s #1 industry, with over $5 Billion in production value in 2014. Montana is also consistently ranked #1 in entrepreneurship and small business ownership,” says Agriculture Development Council Chair Amy Kellogg. “Montana’s aptitude for both agriculture and innovation makes the Growth Through Agriculture program a perfect fit for Montana food entrepreneurs looking to diversify and grow their agricultural businesses.”
Examples of cutting edge projects funded by the GTA program include the Homestead Organics and Living River Farms poultry processing facility in Hamilton and the Crooked Yard Hops farm in Bozeman. The poultry processing facility will increase producer capacity to provide state inspected poultry to serve schools, restaurants, and hospitals across the state; the hops farm is capitalizing on Montana’s ideal climate and soil conditions to produce Montana hops and hop products for the booming microbrew industry in Montana, as well as nationwide.
The application deadline for all requests for Growth Through Agriculture funding will be September 15, 2016. Further program information and application forms are available on the program website at www.gta.mt.gov. Companies interested in applying for this funding are encouraged to work with the Food and Agriculture Development Centers and Small Business Development Centers across this state to prepare their GTA funding applications.
The Montana Department of Agriculture’s mission is to protect producers and consumers, and to enhance and develop agriculture and allied industries. For more information on the Montana Department of Agriculture, visit www.agr.mt.gov.
Source: Montana Department of Agriculture
