4 Foreword 



1989 Montana Agricultural Statistics 



NOTES FROM 

 THE STATE 

 STATISTICIAN 



We are pleased and proud to present to the 

 citizens of Montana this special Centennial 

 Edition of Montana Agricultural Statistics. 

 This twenty-sixth volume continues a series of 

 data measuring Montana's agricultural 

 production dating back to 1867--22 years 

 prior to statehood. Montana's image was built 

 upon cattlemen and cowboys. Beef production 

 was the first agricultural enterprise in Montana. The cattle industry developed to support 

 the hearty appetites of the miners, then expanded to feed a rapidly growing nation. 



A look back to 1889 shows Montana's cattle herd numbered 1,050 thousand head. That's 

 less than half of the 2,350 thousand head on hand January 1, 1989. Montana farmers 

 harvested only 26 thousand acres of wheat in 1889 compared with 5,435 thousand acres in 

 1989. Sheep outnumbered cattle back in '89. The 1,857 thousand head on hand January 1, 

 1889 were over three times the 568 thousand on hand this year. 



We appreciate the excellent cooperation provided by Montana farmers, ranchers, and agri- 

 businessmen who voluntarily contributed to this publication by answering survey 

 questionnaires. Thanks also to our dedicated staff of statisticians, support personnel, and 

 field and phone enumerators who collected and summarized this information. A special 

 thanks to Wendy Bruski who had overall responsibility for layout, design, and conversion of 

 this year's bulletin to laser print technology and to Ron Schumacher and Bonnie Heller who 

 prepared the maps and graphs. 



AJtCT 



le H. Pratt 

 State Statistician 



