FARMING AND STOCK RAISING 



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Montana's Competitive Advantages — Experience and Capital Required — Land 

 Value Aids — Marketing Facilities — Farm Organizations. 



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Montana's jireatest competitive advantasie that overcomes the handicap of dis- 

 tance to price-reguhitins marlcets is low land valuation combined with relatively 

 hiiili productivity. Raw land and im])roved farms can be bought in Montana today 

 at below pre-war figures. The depression that overtook agriculture generally in 

 1920 and the years after did not spare Montana. It followed immediately after 

 some years that had been luiusually trying upon the men and women who were 

 establishing homes in the West. These circumstances enabled Montana to escape 

 inflation of land values that is now taking toll from older and more completely 

 developed agricultural regions. They have caused to be thrown on the market 

 newly settled and partially improved land at extremely attractive prices. On irri- 

 gated as well as non-irrigated farms, this is now a time of favorable opportunity for 

 land ownership and operation in Montana by the right men and women, adaptable 

 to conditions, and with experience and capital requisite to success in any land. 



There can be no hard and fast rule as to the experience and capital required 



for a successful start in farming in Montana. The history of the agricultural 



development of this state, in common with that of all other 



Experienoe districts through the early stages, shows that ^Montana would 

 and Capital have been a great deal better off had all who came been pos- 

 sessed of sufficient means for a comfortable start, and experi- 

 ence in farming to guide and warn them. While thousands have made good 

 without either capital or experience, settlement of land b,v others similarly situ- 

 ated is not recommended. Safe farming must be based upon reserves that support 

 during crop or market adversit.v, and there is certainly no less need for such a 

 reserve at the outset of farming than later. 



There is a general recognition in Montana of the suitability of the long-time 

 amortization payment plan to help the buyer through from land purchase to 

 complete ownership. The State of Montana took the lead in fixing this principle 

 in the state land policy by adopting laws, providing amortization payment by 

 purchasers of state land, with 15 per cent paid in cash and the balance extended 

 over ;>"» years with interest at five per cent and practically the same terms for 

 repaying state farm loans. Montana is situated in the Twelfth Federal Land 

 Bank district, and the federal farm loans have been a powerful factor in 

 ^•egulating long-time land credits. Since the creation of this bank there have 

 been formed in Montana l.")0 national farm loan associations through which 

 .$17,(K)0,000 has been loaned on farm mortgages to farmers. 



It is the policy of the divisions and departments of the State of Montana 

 that have to do with land policies to advise and guide incoming settlers as far as 

 possible to the end that tliey may establish themselves under conditions that 

 afford the liest possible opportunity to make good. In particular, these state 



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