AUGUST 31, 2026

DIVISION: DEPARTMENT OF LIVESTOCK PROGRAM: STATUTORY APPROPRIATIONS / BUDGET AMENMENTS / HOUSEBILL 10 / ONE TIME ONLY

NOTES TO THE BUDGETARY EXPENSES COMPARISON REPORT FOR STATUATORY APPROPRIATIONS, BUDGET AMENDMENTS, HOUSE BILL 10 NOTES AND ONE TIME ONLY FUNDING

Predator animal control is funded with a transfer of per capita fees monies to the fund. The department has paid three counties $41,290 and Wildlife Services $523,710. The three counties do not have a cooperative agreement with Wildlife Services for predator control.

The Wolf Mitigation Donations fund is funded with donations, mostly from hunters and anglers, while purchasing hunting and fishing licenses. The Department collected $125,364 in FY 2026 and will pay that amount to Wildlife Services in FY 2027. The amount collected in FY 2023 was $114,370 and was paid in FY 2026. The Department has an MOU with Wildlife Services for the monitoring and removal of wolves.

The Livestock Loss Board is statutorily budgeted with $300,000 for livestock depredation loss remediation. Because the Livestock Loss Board has House Bill 02 authority for livestock depredation loss claims, it has not paid claims from the Statutory Appropriations fund 02124. From the total amount budgeted for depredation claims of $512,700 in House Bill 02 and Statutory Appropriations, LLB has expended $57,118 or 11% of the total depredation claims budgets, account 67200. In FY 2026, LLB paid $40,752 for depredation claims as of August 31, 2025 or $16,366 less than the current year.

The Livestock Loss Board is statutorily budgeted with $100,000 for livestock depredation reductions grants.

81-2-203 MCA created a statutory indemnity special revenue fund for compensation of animals for slaughter due to disease under the direction of the Department as per 81-2-201 MCA. The Department may transfer $10,000 per year to the fund. Unspent monies are carried forward to subsequent years until the fund accumulates $100,000 of transferred funds. Payments are limited to the cash balance in the fund after the annual transfer. There is a cash balance in the indemnity fund of $24,924 as of August 31, 2026. The cash is invested in STIP has earned $161 in interest since the fund was created.

The Animal Health Bureau receives federal funding for animal disease monitoring and eradication. Unspent federal money at State Fiscal Year (SFY) end is carried over to the next SFY. The Department received $27,540 from APHIS USDA for Swine SHIP expenses. The Department spent $ of the grant in FY 2026. The Department has spent $16,084 of the award as of August 31, 2026.

2025 Legislation authorized the diagnostic laboratory one-time-only budget authority for the purchase of laboratory diagnostic equipment for the milk lab in the amount of $200,400 to be paid with general fund.

2025 Legislation authorized the diagnostic laboratory one-time-only budget authority for the purchase of laboratory diagnostic equipment and capital outlay to complete the new diagnostic laboratory in the amount of $863,048 to be paid with per capita fee.

In FY 2026, the Diagnostic Laboratory was awarded $207,253 from the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) through USDA, APHIS. This grant is to purchase testing supplies, travel, maintenance contracts and laboratory equipment for the Diagnostic Laboratory. MVDL has until May 31, 2027 to spend the grant funding.

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