Montana Agriculture Development Council selects Growth Through Agriculture projects ~ Next Application Deadline is July 31, 2006 ~

The Montana Agriculture Development Council has
invested in Montana by awarding $333,635 in loans and grants to eight
projects for agricultural development in Montana, according to council
Vice-Chair John Franklin.

"Projects this quarter show the diversity of agricultural development
projects in Montana, from apple cider and wine grapes to agri-tourism,
bison meat processing, dairy expansion, wool processing, ethanol and
bio-diesel," said Nancy K. Peterson, director of the Montana Department
of Agriculture.

The Agriculture Development Council oversees the Growth Through
Agriculture program, the source of funding used by the council for
project investments. Since the beginning of the 2006 fiscal year, the
Growth Through Agriculture program has invested $1,276,206 in 39
Montana agriculture projects.

In the latest round, the council awarded investment funds to:

— Mountain View Orchards, Corvallis, for specialized equipment for the
production of apple cider, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of
$36,850.

— Montana Mountain Bison Inc., Belt, for expansion of buffalo meat
production and retail sales to the national level, with a $24,800
return-on-investment loan and an investment without repayment grant of
$3,500.

— Cook Center for Sustainable Agriculture in the American West,
Bozeman, for design and implementation of marketing research and
resources for agri-tourism businesses, with an investment without
repayment grant of $38,200.

— Richland Economic Development, Savage, for dairy herd expansion,
with a return-on-investment deferred loan of $50,000.

— Going To The Sun Fiber Mill, Kalispell, for start-up for a wool and
exotic fiber processing mill, with a return-on-investment deferred loan
of $50,000.

— Earl/Fisher Bio-Fuel Plant, Chester, for equipment for a bio-diesel
production facility, with a return-on-investment deferred loan of
$50,000.

— Chippewa Cree Ethanol, LLC, Box Elder, for engineering and plant
construction design for an ethanol production facility, with an
investment without repayment grant of $50,000.

–Identification and Propagation of Premium Wine Grape Vines, Missoula,
for vineyard development, with an investment without repayment grant of
$30,285.

Montana agricultural producers and industry representatives serve on
the Agriculture Development Council. Council members are: Ervin
Schlemmer of Joliet, chair; John Franklin of Sidney, vice-chair;
Patricia Quisno of Harlem; Bill Koenig of Kalispell; David Tyler of
Belgrade; Nancy K. Peterson, director of the Montana Department of
Agriculture; and Tony Preite, director of the Montana Department of
Commerce.

The next deadline for project applications to the Growth Through
Agriculture program is July 31, 2006. The council plans to review the
next round of project applications in early September.

For more information and application materials, contact Justin Hager,
Growth Through Agriculture program manager, at the Montana Department
of Agriculture, at (406) 444-2402 or by e-mail at [email protected].