The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA), having received a proper petition from oilseed growers, will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 10th, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. MT, to gauge public interest on the potential creation of an oilseed checkoff to be directed through an oilseed advisory committee.
Meetings will take place remotely via Zoom. To request information to join the meeting virtually, please email Dani Jones at danielle.jones@mt.gov.
One of the responsibilities of an advisory committee would be to determine which oilseeds would be included in the potential grower-funded assessment program. Previous iterations of oilseed advisory committees included canola, flaxseed, mustard, safflower, soybeans, camelina and sunflower crops.
According to the Annual Crop Summary conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Montana ranks third in canola production nationwide. Canola production in Montana totaled 173 million pounds in 2023, which is a 19.4% increase from Montana’s 2022 crop. Flaxseed production, ranking second nationally, totaled 902,000 bushels in 2023, an 85.9% increase from the state’s 2022 crop.
The Montana Department of Agriculture currently administers the Montana Potato Advisory Committee and the Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee along with the statutorily enabled Montana Wheat and Barley Committee and Montana Pulse Crop Committee. These programs annually contribute grower funded checkoff dollars towards research, marketing, and education.
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MT Dept. of Ag
