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Committee reviews bill to move alfalfa seed oversight to Department of Agriculture, sparking grower opposition
Summary
Senate Agriculture committee heard House Bill 171, which would dissolve the Alfalfa Seed Committee, transfer its duties to the Montana Department of Agriculture and require periodic public meetings; growers and committee members raised concerns about process, oversight and a $168,000 assessment fund.
Representative Tillman, sponsor of House Bill 171, told the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee that the bill would transfer regulation of the alfalfa seed industry to the Montana Department of Agriculture, eliminate the separate Alfalfa Seed Committee and require the department to hold public meetings every other year regarding the alfalfa seed assessment.
The bill’s sponsor said the changes are intended to “cut the red tape” and allow the department to provide ongoing oversight instead of relying on a committee that typically met only once a year. That, the sponsor said, would allow the department to manage rulemaking and protection of seed industry standards more continuously.
Why it matters: The alfalfa seed program collects…
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