STATE OF MONTANA 3 



PREFACE 



The living standards and power of each country are measured by its 

 natural resources, and its capacity to utilize these resources. America is favored 

 with fertile soils and suitable climate for production of sufficient food and fiber 

 for its populace and for many less fortunate people in foreign lands. A large 

 volume cf products can now be grown in this country under highly developed, 

 mechanized methods by a relatively small portion of its population. This per- 

 mits a larger percentage of its people to be engaged in other activities includ- 

 ing more complete and improved methods of processing the raw goods pro- 

 duced by farmers and ranchers. American industries have demonstrated their 

 production potentials during wartime v/hen labor was scarce. Agriculture in 

 this country was capable of meeting the needs of increased production under 

 severe handicaps. Statistics relating to the country's greatest industry have 

 been vital during peacetime as well as wartime periods. 



The Agricultural Estimates Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service, 

 United States Department of Agriculture is charged with the responsibility of 

 assembling and publishing facts on agriculture. A wide variety of data relating 

 to Montana and the United States are released in mimeograph form to the 

 public by the agency office located in Helena. To meet the need for county 

 and district data not available under the regular Federal program, this 

 bulletin has been prepared under a cooperative agreement with the Montana 

 Department of Agriculture. Funds appropriated by the thirty-third session of 

 the Montana Legislature have made it possible to accommodate the numerous 

 requests for more detailed information on Montana's agriculture. 



CONTENTS OF BULLETIN 



County crop and livestock statistics for 1952 and 1953 occupy much of this 

 bulletin. A long-time series of county data relating to acreage, yield and pro- 

 duction of winter wheat, spring wheat and all wheat are also featured. Since 

 these bulletins have been published biennially, a two-year record of county 

 data appears in each of the previous issues dating back to 1944. This issue 

 contains State tables for 1952 and 1953 and similar tables for 'earlier years 

 can be found in other volumes with a long-time series in the publication dated 

 December 1946. Contents of this bulletin are as follows: 



Climate Data, page 5, presents precipitation and number of frost-free days 

 for selected county stations. The wide variation of these data between stations 

 provides only an approximate comparison of the climate of one county with 

 another county. 



Varieties of Wheat Grown in Montana, page 6, shows the prominence of 

 Thatcher as a hard red spring variety and how it has gained over Ceres and 

 Marquis varieties since 1939. In the hard red winter class, Yogo is a strong 

 leader and with Karmont, has largely replaced the Turkey variety which 

 was dominant ten years ago. 



Cash Receipts, page 7, reflect decreases in the income of Montana 

 farmers and ranchers from the high 1951 level when prices of cattle, sheep and 

 wool were at all-time peaks. Cash values of agricultural products used on 

 farms and ranches are not included in the figures. Cash receipts by counties, 

 pages 8 and 9, point up substantial increases of receipts from crops in 1953 

 for several north central and northeastern counties which produced unusually 

 large crops of wheat and other grains. 



