FOREWORD 



With this issue the Montana Farm Review marks its seventh 

 anniversary as the official reporter of the annual statistics cover- 

 ing the acreage, yield, total production and value of the state's 

 principal farm crops and the production and value of the staters 

 livestock and livestock products. 



As a text hook for those people who are interested in the 

 yearly agricultural progress of the state and as a reference for 

 those seeking statistics concerning Montana's agricultural re- 

 sources, these annual Farm Reviews are designed to these major 

 purposes in as practical a manner as possible. 



It should he rememhered hy readers of these hulletins that 

 many of the statistics quoted are estimates and not actual enumer- 

 ations of the statistical fields which are studied. Modern methods 

 for collection, compilation and analysis of the material upon tvhich 

 these estimates rest tend to insure that the error of estimates 

 will not he large enough to prevent this material heing used as 

 a measure of the year to year changes in agricultural production 

 and values. 



This bulletin is indehted first to the Division of Publicity 

 of the State Department of Agriculture for the basic cooperative 

 agreement ivith the U. S'. Bureau of Agricultural Economics un- 

 der which all the Federal crop and livestock reporting work of the 

 state is conducted. 



Upwards of 3,000 Montana farmers and stockmen consti- 

 tute the crop and livestock reporters in this service. To these 

 men we are indehted for the sample material. Their reports of 

 their own operations as to acreage, yields, livestock numbers, etc., 

 are the assays on which analyses are based. 



Other officers and individuals have contributed valuable sta- 

 tistical information. The Farm Review is indebted to such men 

 as Dr. W. J. Butler, State Veterinarian, E. A. Phillips, Secretary 

 of the State Livestock Commission, as well as to such state offices 

 as the Montana Railroad Commission, the State Board of Equali- 

 zation, the office of the State Bank Examiner and the State Land 

 Office. County Agents and in some cases county officials have 

 cooperated in the preparation of county estimates. 



Assistance in the preparation of the text and tabular mat- 

 ter of this bulletin was given by Agricultural Agent Robert P, 

 Sharpies and Mildred R. Cossey, Clerk. All the graphs were pre- 

 pared by the office of the State Engineer without cost to the pub- 

 lication. The cover was suggested by Barclay Craighead, Chief 

 of the State Publicity Division. 



JAY G. DIAMOND, 



> Senior Agricultural Statistician. 



