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FARM 406 56 • Facebook Presents Challenges, Opportunities for Seed Sellers & Buyers T he advent of social media has ushered a new era of sharing infor- mation; whether its pictures of our kids or commenting on the events of the day, we are now more connected than ever before. Facebook, the most popular social media platform with nearly 2 billion monthly visitors, offers us the opportunity to exchange more informa- tion than ever before. Some of the most popular Facebook pages in Montana are classifieds pages. Similar to craigslist or Ebay, these pages allow folks throughout the state to sell everything from cars and trucks, to cats and dogs. Within Montana's agricultural community, these classifieds pages have become a place for producers to buy and sell seed, which presents a unique challenge to those tasked with regulating the sale of seed in Montana. Those chal- lenges are tied to protecting Montana's consumers and agriculture industry, while also maintaining the integrity of the intellectual property that is often attached to certain seed varieties. "Many of these folks who are selling seed on Facebook may not be familiar with Montana's seed dealer laws," said Bob Ballensky, Seed and Commodity Dealer Program Manager with the Mon- tana Department of Agriculture. "Our approach here at the Department is 'com- pliance through education.' We want to help folks comply while also protecting consumers and the state's ag industry." Those interested in selling seed, whether on Facebook or by any other means, should visit the Montana Depart- ment of Agriculture's website at www.agr. mt.gov/seed. They can also contact the Department at (406) 444-3950 or agr@ mt.gov. There are several types of seed dealer licenses in Montana, and knowing the differences between them could save folks from headaches farther down the road. The types of licenses in Montana are: • Montana Seed Dealer – an in state seed dealer • Non-Resident Seed Dealer – an out of state seed dealer distributing into the state • Montana or Non-Resident Labeler – the name or company and address of who is labeling the seed •Seed Conditioner (portable and permanent) – condition seed for sale • Montana Seed Grower – a Mon- tana producer selling more than $5000 worth of seed he/she produced on his/ her farm •Exempt – A Montana producer selling less than $5000 worth of seed grown on their farm The Montana Department of Agri- culture's mission is to protect produc- ers and consumers, and to enhance and develop agriculture and allied indus- tries. For more information on the Montana Department of Agriculture, visit agr.mt.gov. Andy Fjeseth serves as the Communications Officer for the Montana Department of Agriculture. F 406 Written by Andy Fjeseth 406-216-3300 Toll Free: 877-216-3300 300 2nd Avenue South Suite 3 Great Falls, MT 59405 Bill Brewer 799-7334 Lewis Zanto 788-7334 Rudi Birgenheier 788-0231 Andy Brewer 750-3510 Garrett Zanto 788-3330 Specializing in Farm, Ranch, Crop and Hail Insurance PRAIRIE MOUNTAIN INSURANCE "firstname"@PrairieMountainInsurance.com