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Serving Montana Producers & Buyers For More Than 50 Years
Since 1967, the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee has promoted local research and developed trade markets around the world. As a producer-funded and directed checkoff organization for wheat and barley growers, the Committee conducts activities on behalf of growers such as:
- Buyer relations: seeking domestic and foreign business opportunities while sharing the Montana experience of our landscape, people and way of life
- Trade teams: exhibiting Montana’s grain industries including visits by trade teams to grower operations, research centers, labs, grain elevators, value-added businesses and more
- Producer relations: recognizing Montana wheat and barley producers for their superior crops
- Marketing: development of digital and collateral materials necessary to best communicate Montana’s grain industry to the world
- Association engagement: working closely with our grower associations to communicate the value of the grain industry including educating consumers
- Research: assisting with messaging for our land grant institutions focused on plant breeding including variety development, drought tolerance, applicant resistance issues, allergens and more
- Grants: Assessing and awarding best funding opportunities for Montana grains research, marketing and education — go here for our funding investment statement
Operations
The Montana Wheat & Barley Committee is administratively attached to the Montana Department of Agriculture. MWBC, by mandate of state statute, is supported exclusively by a self-assessment which producers pay from the sale of their wheat and/or barley. The Montana state legislature appropriates those funds collected and seven MWBC directors (appointed by Montana’s governor) budget those funds. Funding is used for foreign and domestic market development, research investment and educational outreach.
The current assessment is:
2.5 cents/bushel for wheat
3.5 cents/CWT for barley
Grain merchandisers submitting monthly commodity reports should click here.
MWBC is governed by Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 2-15-3002 and the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Chapter 4
Board of Directors
Terry Angvick
district 1 & chair
Max Cederberg
district 2
Keven Bradley
district 3
Lee Dahlman
district 4
Charlie Bumgarner
district 5
Denise Conover
district 6
Brett Dailey
district 7
Board Activities
upcoming board meeting agenda
Montana Wheat & Barley Committee’s next board meeting is March 19, 2024 in Bozeman. Click here for the agenda.
board meeting posting
Click here for the March 18-19 posting, including our new March Madness event.
archived minutes
Click here to jump to the archived minutes, posted from 2021 – 2023.
MWBC Board Meeting Minutes
PDF links to the previous three years are available below. For years prior, please contact Tammy.
Organization History
In 1967, the Montana legislature responded to Big Sky Country wheat producers demanding the development of a marketing program to open new markets. Those government representatives established the Montana Wheat Research and Marketing Committee, an organization that would be self sustainable through producer-funded checkoff dollars. It would be attached to the Montana Department of Agriculture and led by producers through a governor-appointed, seven member board of directors. Governor Tim Babcock signed the organization into law.
In 1973, producers added a barley checkoff to the assessment for furthering barley markets and research. This change prompted the contemporary name, Montana Wheat & Barley Committee (MWBC).
The Committee operates from a per-bushel assessment on wheat and barley grown and sold in Montana which is unique. It is refundable so that producers might elect to support or deny the checkoff from their sales receipts. Montana producers, anxious to open doors to new markets and improved wheat and barley varieties, jumped on board to fund the program in the early days. Today, the vast majority participate in the checkoff because of the incredible gains in market growth and research discoveries, thanks to invested checkoff dollars over the last 50-plus years.
Geographically, it served as most valuable to headquarter MWBC in Great Falls, a leader for Montana agribusiness. Office locations have moved several times, with the longevity housing in the Wheat Building on 6th Street SW. Today MWBC offices are located at Broadwater Station, neighboring the Montana Grain Growers Association.
Video coming soon!
