Agriculture Recovers from Drought
 | Author:
Allison Kosto, MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent |
Agriculture Recovers from Drought
Allison Kosto
MSU Broadwater County Extension Agent
I’ve heard it quoted many times that farmers are the world’s biggest optimists. There are few other industries that have as many variables influencing the end product. Farmers and ranchers deal with it all. Weather, drought, grasshoppers, market conditions and variable inputs, just to name a few. Yet through it all, they continue to persevere and are always hopeful that next year will be better. 2023 was no different. Just released, the 2023 Montana Agricultural Statistics Report showed that despite challenges, the agriculture industry in Montana is still thriving. The report is published by the USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) and the Montana Department of Agriculture with data gathered throughout the previous year from producers, agencies and technicians.
For the first time in Montana’s history, agriculture dropped from the top spot as the state’s principal industry in 2021, falling behind the travel industry, which increased by 64.1%, likely a result of the post-pandemic travel boom and drought conditions in Montana. However, in 2022, the agriculture industry surged ahead again as Montana’s number one industry with $6.2 billion in cash receipts which is a 43% increase from the previous year. The travel industry remains a close second with $5.8 billion in receipts.
The report demonstrates how well Montana has rebounded from the drought with a 78% increase in crop production compared to the previous year. Montana continues to lead the nation as the top producer of chickpeas, lentils and dry edible peas and second in the nation in flaxseed, safflower and durum wheat.
At the local level, Broadwater County had cash receipts of $17.3 million for livestock (increase) and $37.3 million for crops (slight decrease). The county has about 296 farms (increase) with a total of 466,920 acres (decrease) in farmland. The average farm size is 1,577 acres. This trend matches the rest of the nation seeing a decrease in farm size.
According to the report, Broadwater County harvested 11,800 acres of winter wheat in 2021 and 11,900 acres in 2022. Broadwater County also saw a slight increase in spring wheat going from 8,900 harvested acres in 2021 to 9,100 in 2022. The county remains one of the top 10 most productive counties in the state in spring wheat producing an average of 32 bushels per acre. Broadwater County is back on the charts in 2022 for barley production as well producing 4,900 acres. We are the fourth most productive barley-producing county in the state at 85 bushels/acre.
Broadwater County has historically been a top producer of hay production as well. However, the current agriculture statistic reports do not provide county-specific hay production data. The state produced 4.1 million tons in 2022 which includes 2.9 million tons of alfalfa hay. This was slightly up from the previous year.
In livestock production, Broadwater County continues to see a downward trend in cattle and calf inventory from 23,000 in 2020 to 19,900 in 2023. A similar trend was seen statewide with a decrease in production to 2.2 million cattle and calves. There was a slight decrease in sheep numbers in the county to 2,100 animals. Statewide sheep numbers decreased slightly as well. Hog numbers held steady at the county and state level with 400 animals in the county.
Broadwater County is one of the smallest counties in the state based on area. Therefore, our county may never rank among the highest in number of acres planted or harvested, but it continues to be one of the most productive. We also have strong diversity as a top producer of seed potatoes and forage seed crops.
Our high production rates can be partially attributed to our fertile valley and network of irrigation canals supplying our crops. Both the Toston and Canyon Ferry Reservoirs were created for irrigation and are still vitally important today. These irrigation sources also help many of our producers be more resilient against drought. This was reflected in agriculture statistics from the last couple of years. Broadwater County saw less decline in crop production due to water availability compared to other parts of the state. Additionally, local farmers remain on top of current technology and integrate innovative techniques to conserve and sustain the farmland for the next generation.
You can find more agricultural statistics from NASS at https://www.nass.usda.gov/mt. The MSU Extension Office in Broadwater County remains committed to serving local agriculture producers and providing educational resources and programming on a variety of topics to provide better decision-making tools. Contact our office at 406-266-9242 or broadwater@montana.edu.
