PERCENTAGE INCOME FROM FARM INVESTMENT 



arpArnr Value of Good Acre Value of Percentage of Value 



^^^^^ Plow Land Spring Wheat Returned by 1927 Crop 



Montana $28.00 $19.98 71.4% 



North Dakota 37.00 13.21 35.7 



South Dakota 68.00 15.69 23.1 



Washington 102.00 21.80 21.4 



Iowa 162.00 17.82 11.0 



Illinois 153.00 21.06 13.8 



* 1925 Values used for reason that comparable data on land values was not available for all states 

 compared here for either 1926 or 1927. 



PRODUCTION TRENDS UPWARD IN 1927: 

 PRICE TRENDS DOWN 



Accompanying the large increase in crop production in 1927, the trend of 

 prices was steadily downward through the season for practically all of the crops 

 grown in Montana. In fact, prices for most of the crops this past season averaged 

 lower than in any year in the four year period of 1924 to 1927. The compensating 

 factor for the farmer this year was chiefly the higher yields per acre that in- 

 creased the value per acre for most crops above that of other years when prices 

 were much higher, but lower yields were harvested. 



TREND OF TAXES 



AVERAGE TAXES 

 IN CENTS PER ACQZ OF FARM LAND 

 AND PER HEAD OF CATTLE S'SHEEP 



LEGEND 



t Avg tax peracre 

 Avg.tav per head coHle 

 Avg tax per heod sheep. 



Data from the State Board of Equal- 

 ization shows the trend of taxes per acre 

 of all farm lands in Montana continuing 

 downward in 1927. Since 1924 the gen- 

 eral trend of taxes per head of cattle and 

 of sheep has been upward but while the 

 average tax per head for 1927 was higher 

 than last year for cattle, it was lower for 

 sheep. 



Comparison of the taxes per acre on 

 farm lands, as shown in this table, with 

 the table of land values as estimated by 

 crop reporters indicates that tax values 

 have decreased almost proportionately to 

 the decrease in land values. 



It is interesting to note that taxes on 

 land are slightly less than in the war 

 year of 1918, while the 1927 taxes on 

 cattle and sheep were only a little more 

 than half what they were in 1918. 



TREND OF TAXES 



1918 



Cents 



Average Tax per Acre Farm Land 14.5 



Average Tax per Head Cattle 104.0 



Average Tax per Head Sheep 28.3 



AVERAGE ASSESSED VALUATION OF MONTANA LANDS 



A decrease in the average assessed valuation of all classes of Montana lands 

 except dry lands was noted in 1927. This difference probably reflects the 1926 

 drouth situation over much of the state. Comparison of the assessed valuation 

 by years for irrigated land, dry land, grazing land, and all land is shown in the 

 accompanying table. 



