MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 



3 0864 1002 3068 2 



Montana Agricultural Statistics Districts 



Lincoln 



Shendan 



About the Cover: 



A farmer once equated growing hay to growing gold. Hay is an important crop in 

 Montana. The state ranks 13^*^ nationally in all hay production, and 10'*^ nationally in 

 alfalfa production. Montana's all hay production for 2002 accounted for 3.1% of U.S. hay 

 production and alfalfa hay accounted for 4.0% of U.S. alfalfa hay production. In 2002, 

 the value per acre for all hay was $144, while all wheat was $94 per acre and barley 

 was $120. Although cash receipts for wheat outpaced the value of hay by almost four 

 times in 2002, hay was the second leading crop in acreage, outpacing barley, potatoes 

 and sugar beets. You can see why that farmer felt hay was like growing gold. 



The cover photo was taken by Peggy Stringer, State Statistician of the Montana 

 Agricultural Statistics Office. This hay field is located near Lewistown. Montana. 



