s 



338. 1 



A7cn 



1998 



Montan,! Sidle Library 



3 0864 1004 8435 4 



Annual Summary 1998 



Released: February 26, 1999 



MAP r rjj 



MONTANA STATE Llt^A^^v' 



1515 E. 6th A',t:- . 

 HEUr.'A, MONTANA 6 '7 6-2* 



t* 



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 



Montana .\11 Wheat 



Million Bushels 

 250 



Million Acres Million Bushels 

 7 100 



Montana Barley 



Million Acres 



3 



- 2.5 



1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 

 Production Harvested Acres 



fMifti Nk^^c&A g 



f,r-- ' 



Ml- I I «f^ 



1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 



Production Harvested Acres 



f77777\ —»— 



Dry conditions during the fall of 1997 

 led winter wheat producers to plant the 

 "smallest acreage since 1941. Montana's 

 1998 winter wheat production was 

 estimated at 48.75 million bushels, down 

 12% from 1997 and the lowest production 

 since the severe drought of 1988. The 

 1998 average yield was 39 bushels per 

 acre, which was 1 bushel more than last 

 year's average and was fourth highest on 

 record. 



Poor prices and low moisture conditions 

 in the fall of 1998 caused Montana winter 

 wheat producers to seed the smallest 

 winter wheat crop since 1937. Winter 

 wheat seeding for 1999 harvest totaled 

 1.05 million acres, down 25 percent from 

 last year's 1.4 million acres. Current 

 moisture conditions are generally good, 

 but the lack of snow cover is a concern to 

 producers. 



Spring wheat production was estimated 

 at 108 million bushels, down 97r from last 

 year, but the third largest crop on record 

 only behind 1995 and 1997 production. 

 The seeded acreage was 3.8 million acres, 

 450,000 acres less than 1997 and the 

 smallest acreage seeded since 1994. 

 Yields averaged 30 bushels per acre, up 1 

 bushel from 1997, but 1.4 bushels below 

 fcthe last five-year average which includes 

 the exceptional yields produced in 1993 

 and 1995 in North Central Montana. 



Montana durum wheat growers planted 

 450,000 acres and harvested 430,000 

 acres, both significantly higher than last 



year and the largest planted acreage since 

 1981. The average yield was 28.0 bushels 

 per acre, 2 bushels more than last year. 

 Total production was estimated at 12.04 

 million bushels, up nearly 60 percent from 

 last year and the largest durum production 

 since 1956. 



Barley planted acreage in Montana was 

 estimated at 1.35 million acres, up 

 100,000 acres from 1997. Harvested 

 acreage was estimated at 1 .2 million acres, 

 up 50,000 acres from last year. Average 

 yields were set at 48 bushels per acre, 

 down 5 bushels from last year. Total 

 production was estimated at 57.6 million 

 bushels, down 5 percent from last year. 



Oat production was estimated at 3.24 

 million bushels, down 16 percent from 

 last year. Planted acres, at 140,000. were 

 unchanged from last year while harvested 

 acres were down 10,000 acres and 

 estimated at 60,000 acres. Yields 

 averaged 54 bushels per acre, down 1 

 bushel from last year. 



Montana producers harvested 18,000 

 acres of corn for grain in 1998, up 4,000 

 acres from last year. The average yield 

 was 115.0 bushels per acre, down 20 

 bushels from last year. Production 

 increased 10 percent from 1997 to 2.07 

 million bushels. Corn for silage acreage 

 was estimated at 41,000 acres, down 

 4,000 acres from 1997. Yields averaged 

 2 1 tons per acre, the same as a year ago. 



Sugar beet producers in Montana 



harvested an estimated 62,400 acres this 

 year, up 4,100 acres from a year ago. 

 Yields increased 1 .6 tons from last year to 

 average 22.6 tons per acre. Total 

 production was estimated at 1.41 million 

 tons, up 15 percent from the previous 

 year, setting a new production record. 



Montana dry bean growers produced an 

 estimated 266,000 cwt in 1998, up 9,000 

 cwt from 1997 and the highest production 

 since 1947. Growers harvested 12,200 

 acres with a yield of 21.8 cwt per acre 

 compared with last year's 11,700 acres 

 harvested with a yield of 22.0 cwt per 

 acre. 



Fall potato production in Montana 

 totaled 3.18 million cwt, down 4 percent 

 from last year. Producers harvested 

 10,600 acres compared with 10,400 in 

 1997. Yields decreased 20 cwt per acre 

 from a year ago to 300 cwt. 



All hay harvested in Montana was down 

 100,000'acres from last year at 2.5 million 

 acres. All hay production was 5.02 

 million tons down 8 percent or 460,000 

 tons from a year ago. Alfalfa hay 

 harvested acreage was 1.70 million acres, 

 up 50,000 acres from last season. The 

 average yield was 2.2 tons per acre 

 compared with 2.4 tons per acre in 1997. 

 Other hay harvested acreage was 800,000 

 and the average yield was 1.6 tons per 

 acre, the same as last year. Montana hay 

 stocks were estimated at 4.57 million tons 

 on December 1 , down 9 percent from last 



