STATE OF MONTANA 3 



MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER 



Income from Montana farming and ranching enterprises exceeds that from any other single 

 source. Capital investments are large and risks are high. In order to make proper decisions and 

 thus minimize these risks, it is imperative that those engaged in agriculture have access to up-to- 

 date statistics on the inventory, prices and output of agricultural commodities. 



The Montana Department of Agriculture and the Statistical Reporting Service of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture cooperate in collecting and publishing many statistics pertaining 

 to grains, livestock, dairy, and poultry. This cooperation eliminates duplication of effort and helps 

 provide broader coverage and more accurate statistics. Additional data not obtained under the 

 cooperative program are collected by the Federal agency. This bulletin includes information 

 collected by both the State and Federal Departments of Agriculture as well qs some additional data 

 obtained from the Weather Bureau and other State and Federal agencies. 



Statistics are important to any well managed business. In addition to being useful to farmers 

 and ranchers, agricultural statistics are widely used by manufacturers, transportation companies, 

 processors, storage facility operators, research workers and others. This is indicated by the many 

 requests from these segments of the economy. Knowledge about farm production is important in 

 making agriculture-business decisions effecting the continued growth of our State. Reliable infor- 

 mation on production of crops and livestock reduces the risk confronting buyers of farm products. 

 Under the stimulus of fair competition, buyers can pay Montana producers higher prices for the 

 inherent good quality of Montana grown wheat, barley, livestock and other products, than could 

 be paid if uncertainty of production existed. Official crop and livestock reports eliminate the adverse 

 effects of misleading reports that could be circulated for private gain. The statistics provided in this 

 bulletin give an accurate, unbiased picture of Montana's agricultural output. 



A review of the bulletin will reveal many significant facts. Among them will be the disclosure 

 that the number of Montana farms has declined from 57,700 in 1920 to 31,600 in 1961. Consolidation 

 of farms is continuing at a current rate of about 400 per year. The average size of farm increased 

 by 21 percent during the 12-year period ending in 1961, and all land in farms increased 3 percent — 

 from 65,000,000 acres to 66,800,000 acres. A decline in Montana's agricultural prosperity in 1961 as 

 a result of the severe drought, is indicated by the total cash receipts from farm marketings. These 

 receipts at 365.3 million dollars were 12 percent below the previous five-year average of 416.0 

 million dollars. Fortunately, the 1962 crop year, with bountiful crops of grain and abundance of 

 grass for livestock, once again restored our agriculture to a strong, healthy status. 



We trust that you will find this statistical report to be informative and valuable to you. 



Montana Commissioner of Agi 



(J . \lu^e Ji P iir d y 



