There's been a significant shake-up at the Montana Department of Livestock. The agency's executive officer of over eight years, Christian Mackay, resigned this week after a closed-door evaluation by the board that oversees his agency. Brands Enforcement Division Administrator, John Grainger and dairy industry representative, Jeff Lewis, also tendered their resignations.
The department has cut jobs and furloughed other workers in the face of a large budget shortfall.
A Legislative Fiscal Division audit released last year found examples of accounting irregularities within the agency.
The MT Board of Livestock did not respond to Montana Public Radio's interview request.
The Board has also been tight-lipped with a news outlet that covers the ins and outs of Montana's agriculture industry - the Northern Ag Network. Reporter Lane Nordlund tells us this week's development caught a lot of people by surprise.