1996 Montana Agricultural Statistics 



Foreword-Notes from the State Statisticun 5 



NOTES FROM THE 

 STATE STATISTICIAN 



Our staff takes great pride in presenting the thirty- 

 third edition of Montana Agricultural Statistics to 

 Montana's agricultural community. This bulletin 

 would not be possible without the support of 

 Montana's producers. A big thanks goes to all of 

 Montana's farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses for 

 their willingness to provide basic agricultural 

 information. 



During 1996, Congress passed the Freedom to Farm 

 Legislation moving producers away from traditional 

 crop subsidies to transition payments. As producers 

 market their products across the country and 

 throughout the world, the need for unbiased 

 information plays an important role in 

 making informed marketing decisions. Unbiased, accurate information will help producers decide what 

 to produce and when to market agricultural commodities. The Montana Agricultxiral Statistics Service 

 works in cooperation with the Montana Department of Agriculture, the Montana Wheat and Barley 

 Committee, the Montana Alfalfa Seed Committee, Montana State University, and many other producer 

 organizations to provide basic agricultural information needed by the agricultural industry. This 

 publication is an example of a partnership of federal, state, and private interests working cooperatively to 

 provide information more economically than each could on their own. 



As you look over the bulletin, we would appreciate any comments or suggestions you have for 

 improving this publication. Again, to everyone involved in Montana's agriculture, thanks for your 

 continued support. Thanks to our staff of statisticians, technicians, and enumerators who are dedicated 

 to providing Montana's number one industry, agriculture, with high quality statistics. A special thanks 

 to Wendy Bruski who spent many hours preparing this publication for release. 



Peggy Stringer 

 State Statistician 



