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Annual Summary 1997 



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Montana All Wheat 



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MONTANA 

 AGRICULTURAL 

 STATISTICS SERVICE 



'301 South Park, Drawer 10033 

 Helena, MT 59626-0033 

 Phone: (406)441-1240 

 (800)835-2612 

 e-mail: nass-mt@nass.usda.gov 



Million Bushels 

 250 



MCMTANA STATE LIBRARY 



1515 E. 6th AVE. Montana Barley 



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1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

 Production Harvested Acres 



mm 



1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 

 Production Harvested Acres 



Dry conditions during the fall of 1996 

 led winter wheat producers to plant the 

 second smallest winter wheat crop since 

 1951. Montana's winter wheat acreage 

 was estimated at 1.6 million acres, down 

 26 percent from last year. Winter kill 

 caused many acres to be reseeded, but 

 producers were able to harvest 1.45 

 million acres, down 27 percent from 

 1996. Adequate moisture at the 

 beginning of the season and timely rains 

 in most of the winter wheat producing 

 areas set the stage for the fourth highest 

 yield on record. Average yield was 

 estimated at 39 bushels per acre, up 7 

 bushels from last year, for a total 

 production of 56.55 million bushels 

 which is down 1 1 percent from 1996. 



Spring wheat acreage made up for the 

 lost winter wheat acreage. Montana 

 producers planted an estimated 4.35 

 million acres, up 150,000 from last year, 

 and the largest spring wheat acreage 

 planted since 1953 when other spring and 

 durum wheat records were combined. 

 The eastern third of the state suffered 

 from some drought-like conditions early 

 in the year, but the rest of the state had a 

 fair growing season with timely moisture. 

 Producers were able to harvest 4.2 

 million acres, up 100,000 from last year. 

 Yields averaged 29 bushels per acre 

 across the state, up 3 bushels from 1996, 

 but down nearly 3 bushels from the last 

 five-year average due mainly to lower 

 yields in the eastern third of the state. 

 Total production was estimated at 121.8 

 million bushels, up 14 percent from last 

 year. This is the second largest crop on 

 record only behind 1995's production. 



Montana durum wheat growers planted 



290,000 acres and harvested 280,000 

 acres, both unchanged from last year's 

 revised acreage estimates. Droughty 

 conditions reduced yields to an average 

 26 bushels per acre, up 1 bushel from last 

 year, when drought-like conditions also 

 occurred. Total production was estimated 

 at 7.28 million bushels, up nearly 4 

 percent from last year. 



Barley acreage in Montana was 

 estimated at 1.3 million acres with 

 harvested acreage set at 1.2 million acres, 

 both unchanged from 1996. Average 

 yields were set at 53 bushels per acre, up 

 10 bushels from last year. This is the 

 second highest yield on record. Not as 

 much barley is grown in the eastern 

 portion of the state which kept yields up 

 unlike spring wheat. Total production 

 was estimated at 63.6 million bushels, up 

 23 percent from last year. 



Oat production was estimated at 3.85 

 million bushels, nearly Uvice the amount 

 produced last year. Producers harvested 

 more acreage and had better yields than 

 1996. Planted acreage was estimated at 

 140,000 acres, up 40.000 from last year. 

 Harvested acreage was set at 70,000 

 acres, up 20,000 from last year. Yields 

 averaged 55 bushels per acre, up 15 

 bushels from last year. 



Montana producers harvested 14,000 

 acres of com for grain in 1997, down 

 1 ,000 acres from last year. The average 

 yield was 135 bushels per acre, down 2 

 bushels from last year's record. 

 Production decreased 8 percent from last 

 year to 1.89 million bushels. Com for 

 silage acreage was estimated at 45,000 

 acres, up 6,000 acres from 1996. Yields 



averaged 2 1 tons per acre, the same as a 

 year ago. 



Sugar beet producers in Montana 

 harvested an estimated 58,300 acres of 

 beets this year, up 800 acres from a year 

 ago. Yields decreased 1.6 tons from last 

 year to average 2 1 .0 tons per acre. Total 

 production was estimated at 1.2 million 

 tons, down 8 percent from 1996. 



Montana dry bean growers produced an 

 estimated 257,000 cwt. of dry beans in 

 1997. Production was up 22,000 cwt. 

 from 1996. Growers harvested 11,700 

 acres with a yield of 22.0 cwt. per acre 

 compared with last year's 10,300 acres 

 harvested with a yield of 22.8 cwt. per 

 acre. 



Fall potato production in Montana 

 totaled 3.33 million cwt., up 4 percent 

 from last year. Producers harvested 

 10,400 acres compared with 10,200 in 

 1996. Yields increased 5 cwt. per acre 

 from a year ago to 320 cwt. 



All hay harvested in Montana was the 

 same as last year at 2.6 million acres. All 

 hay production was 5.48 million tons, up 

 1 1 percent or 560,000 tons from a year 

 ago. Alfalfa hay harvested acreage was 

 1.65 million acres, down 50,000 acres 

 from last season . The average yield was 

 2.4 tons per acre compared with 2.1 tons 

 per acre in 1996. Other hay harvested 

 acreage was 950,000 acres and the 

 average yield was 1.6 tons per acre, 0.1 

 ton above last year. Montana hay 

 growers seeded an estimated 150,000 

 acres of alfalfa during 1997. New 

 seedings include those mixed with a nurse 

 crop, other forage, or direct seedings. 



