FOREWORD 



In this, Volume I of the Montana Farm Review, the first publication of its kind 

 relating to Montana Agriculture, an effort has been made to group under one cover in 

 convenient form for ready reference all available accurate information properly embodied 

 in such a booklet In some cases historical data are incomplete, and it is not feasible 

 to make such a publication altogether inclusive. Such statistics as are presented in this 

 volume are not only interesting in themselves, but reflect the development of the various 

 phases of agriculture, the changes which have taken place, the trend of activities, and 

 form a basis upon which to lay plans for future developments of agriculture and other 

 industries of the state. It is planned to make this an annual publication, subsequent 

 issues to include only reports for the current year, with comparative data. 



Records of the past and a knowledge of present conditions are necessary to all 

 forms of business enterprises. This applies particularly to the business of farming, 

 the largest of the nation's industries. Facts relative to acreage and production of crops, 

 to live stock and live stock products, to the supply and demand for these commodities, 

 to prices, markets, and other factors affecting general conditions, both past and present, 

 should be available to farmers and their leaders, to assist them in determining proper 

 and profitable courses to follow in the complex scheme of production of food and clothing. 

 This booklet relates only to the production side of the problem in Montana. 



Bases All figures in this volume are official estimates of the Division of 



of the ^^^P ^^^ ^^^^ Stock Estimates (formerly Bureau of Statistics and 



. Bureau of Crop Estimates) of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics 



s ima es ^^ ^^^ United States Department of Agriculture, except where other- 

 wise noted. The bases for such estimates are the decennial Federal Census and the 

 annual state farm census collected by county assessors, supplemented by various forms 

 of checks and by monthly information furnished by a corps of more than 3.000 voluntary 

 crop and live stock reporters within the state. It will be noted that some material has 

 been taken from the statistics of the Federal Census Bureau. This has been done be- 

 cause the Census furnishes the most recent and reliable information available upon 

 certain subjects. 



The publication of estimates by counties of Montana is attempted for the first 

 time in this volume. Immediately following the taking of each Federal Census, crop 

 acreages and production by counties are available, but some other reliable sources of 

 information must supply the information needed for making county estimates between 

 the census years. This is made possible through the co-operation of the county assessors 

 under the law providing for the collection of certain agricultural information at the 

 time the annual assessments are taken. The value to the public of the county tables is 

 in no small degree due to the good work of the county assessor in practically every 

 comity in the state. 



The material collected by the assessors and their deputies is forwarded to the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture. It is edited, tabulated, totaled, and analyzed, in the office 

 of the Agricultural Statistican. County data has been found to be of much value to 

 farmers and others in states where the information has been published for some time. 

 It is hoped that the accuracy and detail of the county figures for Montana will be im- 

 proved in the future by more generally complete returns from all counties through the 

 assessors, and to this end farmers and others are urged to co-operate. 



The regular reports rendered by the voluntary Crop and Live Stock Reporters 

 within the state are also indispensable in making county facts available. 



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