6 MONTANA AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 



MONTANA CROPS AND LIVESTOCK — 1976 



Montana experienced a very dry and windy winter. Winter wheat plants were covered with 

 blown dirt in localities of the northcentral part of the State — the main winter wheat area. However, 

 ample subsoil moisture sustained the plants and when timely rains came in April, a good recovery 

 occurred. Spring moisture was plentiful and both fall and spring-planted crops got off to a good start. 

 Dryness returned to the northcentral area of the State in June and much of the southern part became 

 dry during midsummer. Sugarbeets which were planted late due to contract negotiations especially 

 benefited from warm weather and ample irrigation water. Harvest weather was nearly ideal and 

 crops were taken off ahead of normal. In spite of the localized dryness, crop yields approached 

 record highs in most locations of the State. The lack of precipitation aided harvesting but hampered 

 winter wheat seeding. The early seedings came up well but later-planted fields were spotty. Winter 

 wheat entered the winter in generally fair to good condition. 



Livestock wintered well during the early months of 1976 and calving and lambing losses were less 

 than normal due to the favorable weather conditions. Range grasses developed normally except for 

 some drier areas of the northcentral and northeastern parts of the State and range feed supplies re- 

 mained adequate throughout the summer. Grazing on late summer and fall ranges was generally 

 good, with feed supplies adequate for the subsequent winter feeding season. 



MONTANA CROPS AND LIVESTOCK — 1977 



The winter months, although dry and with limited snowcover in many areas, were spared from 

 damaging winds. March brought welcome moisture in most areas except the northeastern counties. 

 The 1977 crop season was plagued with dryness that was partially relieved by timely but spotty rainfall. 

 The southwestern part of the State was an exception to this, as generally it had adequate moisture for 

 most of the crop year. Spring seeding was generally ahead of schedule but finally became delayed as 

 farmers waited for moisture. Good rains fell around the middle of May, which relieved dryness in 

 most areas. The dryland crops were sustained during the season by spotty showers that bypassed 

 some areas all season. This resulted in extremely varied patterns of crop development. Irrigation 

 water supplies were also very short but most farmers were able to get by with better management and 

 efficient use of irrigation water. Hay and pastures suffered the most from irrigation shortages. Harvest 

 of winter wheat started ahead of normal and harvest of spring grains got off to an early start but final 

 wrapup was delayed by September showers. Harvest of late-season crops was also delayed but by the 

 end of October most potatoes and sugarbeets had been dug. Winter wheat seeding started the last 

 week of August and was about complete by the first week of October. Winter wheat entered the 

 winter season in mostly good condition. 



The relatively mild winter in early 1977 was good for livestock and grazing was generally open 

 over the State. Conditions for calving and lambing were good and losses were light. Spring range 

 growth was abnormally slow due to dry conditions that prevailed during the spring and stockwater 

 shortages were common in all parts of the State. Summer range feed supplies were shorter than 

 normal in all areas except the southwestern part of the State. Some ranchers grazed hayfields because 

 of range shortages. The poor range growth over most of the State necessitated an earlier than normal 

 movement from summer ranges. Cow and calf marketings were generally above average but ewe and 

 lamb marketings were about average. Ranges were in poor condition going into the winter. Hay 

 supplies for the 1978 winter feeding season were short to adequate in eastern Montana but generally 

 adequate elsewhere. 



