Weather records over long periods of years disclose little or no evidence 

 that climate has become either more favorable or less favorable for crop produc- 

 tion either in Montana or elsewhere. Farm methods and practices, utilization of 

 land and choice of crops and livestock are the avenues through which Montana 

 may finally raise or lower the average returns from her agricultural resources. 

 That she already has advanced in the partial solution of these problems is indi- 

 cated from her record of progress to date. Bumper crop seasons and seasons of 

 drought and partial failure must take their proper place in any program of agri- 

 cultural development for Montana, even though they present one of the problems 

 of that program. 



1929 GROWING SEASON WEATHER 



AVERAGE PRECIPITATION MEAN TEMPERATURE 



MONTH Amount Normal Mean Normal 



March 1.20 0.91 



April 0.94 1.15 



May 1.71 2.23 



June 2.14 2.61 



July 0.59 1.54 



August 0.34 1.15 



September 1.36 1.38 



Season total (or average) 8.28 10.97 53.0 52.6 



FARM PRICES IN 1929 



The year in prices was a case of higher prices for shorter production for 

 most of the crops which Montana sells although the price improvement fell far 

 short of offsetting the reduced yields. 



Of the 17 principal crops, 12 crops including corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, 

 flaxseed, potatoes, sugar beets, seed peas, tame hay, wild hay, and apples met 

 with prices that were somewhat better than in 1928. The improvement, however, 

 was small except in case of potatoes, flax and hay where 1929 prices were sub- 

 stantially above those of 1928. 



Beans, alfalfa seed and cherries met with prices somewhat lower than in 

 1928 while clover seed and canning peas brought about the same average prices 

 as in 1928. 



In the livestock end the general trend of prices during 1929 was downward 

 which was discouraging to stockmen who were forced to sell on these markets as 

 a result of short feed and pasture. However, in the case of cattle, the decline 

 still left cattle prices at relatively high levels and sheep men who contracted their 

 fall lambs early evaded most of the late summer and fall decline in sheep prices. 

 Wool in 1929 moved at the lowest prices in several years with buyers very scarce 

 at shearing time and a large quantity consigned by growers rather than accept 

 shearing time offers. Lamb prices compared favorably with 1928 during the first 

 half of 1929 but fell about 60 cents to one dollar per hundred when fall shipments 

 began to assume volume. Cattle prices for beef cattle averaged $8.90 per hundred 

 in September compared with $10.20 in September, 1928, holding about the same 

 spread in October. Hog prices after maintaining levels above 1928 broke slightly 

 below 1928 prices in September when they averaged $9.90 per hundred compared 

 with $10.10 in September, 1928. They also averaged slightly under the 1928 prices 

 in October but recovered to levels above 1928 during November and December. 



The dairy men also encountered falling prices compared with 1928 toward the 

 end of 1929, but it was not until November that the spread was significant. In 

 November the average reported price for Montana butterfat was 43 cents com- 

 pared with 47 cents in November. 1928, while the December, 1929, price aver- 

 aged 40 cents compared with 49 cents for December, 1928. 



Poultry growers also encountered November and December prices in 1929 that 

 were below those of 1928 but the spread was small for poultry other than turkeys. 

 November average price of chickens was 17.1 cents per pound compared with 17.8 

 cents in November, 1928, while for turkeys the November, 1929, price averaged 

 28 cents compared with 32 cents per pound in November, 1928. December prices 

 saw about the same spread for chickens, but turkey prices again dropped sharply, 

 averaging but 23 cents per pound compared with 31 cents for December, 1928. 



