Milk Control Pooling, Auditing, & Assessments
STATEWIDE POOLING
The dairy industry in Montana is currently under a statewide pooling system and quota plan. The statewide pooling system is a method used to pay the producers for the milk they produce in a uniform manner. All receipts of Montana milk are calculated by the bureau through a program which calculates what each producer will be paid monthly. The quota plan is a part of the pooling system. Each producer has daily quota, either established by production records or purchased from another producer. Their daily quota is owned by them. The bureau maintains records of each producer's daily quota, and also tracks the buying and selling of daily quota among producers.
AUDITING
The Milk Control Bureau is instructed by law to verify the utilization of all milk reported in Montana, exported and imported. Audits are performed on a monthly basis for each distributor. The audits are consistent and uniformly completed according to statements on auditing and those of the bureau. The bureau strives to keep on top of audit procedures.
ASSESSMENTS
The Milk Control Bureau calculates and collects assessments from the licensee's of Montana's dairy industry. An assessment of $0.03 per hundredweight is applied to producers and in-state distributors. Producer-distributors and out-of-state distributors are assessed $0.06 per hundredweight. Bureau revenue is created through the collection of the assessments.
