6 MONTANA AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 



MONTANA CROPS AND LIVESTOCK — 1974 



Weather conditions for crop development during the 1974 crop year were more favorable 

 in most of Montana than the previous year. The winter was fairly mild except for a cold snap 

 the end of December and early January. The early spring farming season was dry and mild, 

 permitting good progress in preparing seed beds and seeding crops. Calving and lambing 

 weather was also near ideal. Welcome rains fell over much of the State during May, 

 replenishing soil moisture reserves. The mountain snowpack was normal or above, which 

 provided ample irrigation water supplies. A droughty area began to develop in June in the 

 northcentral area between the mountains and a line just west of Chester, southwestward to 

 Valier and south to Augusta. East of this line, conditions were remarkably more favorable. 

 Another droughty area developed in much of the southwest district, affecting mainly ranges 

 and some dryland crops. 



CROPS 



In the northeastern spring wheat area, seeding was delayed because of heavy early June 

 rains. By mid- July however, moisture reserves were gone and crop deterioration was evident. 

 Also, plaguing the areas were heavy localized infestations of grasshoppers. Unseasonal rains 

 began during the second week of August and continued during the month. However, most 

 spring crops were too mature to benefit and the dryness during late June and July took its toll. 



Winter wheat harvest began a little past mid-July and made rapid and uninterrupted 

 progress until completion in late August. Spring wheat harvest began ahead of schedule in late 

 July because the heat and dryness forced maturity. However, the August rains caused 

 considerable delay in completing combining of this crop. 



Seeding the 1975 winter wheat crop got started in early September under ideal seed bed 

 conditions. Fall stands emerged to good condition in most locations. Some stress occurred in 

 October due to lack of rainfall but no significant damage was noted. 



Harvest of all 1974 crops was completed in late October with the close of the sugarbeet 

 campaign. 



LIVESTOCK 



Livestock wintered well during 1974, with shrinkage about normal. There were localized 

 shortages of hay in parts of the northwest and northcentral districts, but feed supplies proved 

 mostly adequate for the State. Calving and lambing losses were about normal. Range grasses 

 developed slowly due to cool weather which made supplemental feeding necessary much later 

 than normal. Also contributing to slow range grass growth was the overgrazing that took place 

 during the drought of 1973 in some sections. Conditions improved during the summer except in 

 some areas in the western third of the State which had short supplies of range feed. Grazing on 

 late summer and fall ranges was poor in the southwestern district, while fair to good 

 elsewhere. However, there was adequate livestock supplemental feed for the winter feeding 

 season. 



