State may settle $300,000 pea fee dispute

BILLINGS (AP) — Montana is considering a settlement in a pea fee case involving $300,000 the state says North Dakota owes.

The Billings Gazette reports fees collected from Montana pea and lentil farmers by North Dakota grain elevators have not been making it back to the home state where they were grown.

North Dakota’s dry pea and lentil council signed onto an agreement in August to send the fees to Montana and conduct audits each quarter.

The agreement says Montana cannot try to collect fees that were not returned during the dispute. The Montana Pulse Advisory Committee will consider the settlement Sept. 25 during a public meeting.