Montana Department of Agriculture

Montana Agriculture & History - 2007

Mining and agriculture lured settlers to Montana during the latter half of the 1800s, and agriculture remains the state's No. 1 industry.  One out of every six Montana workers is employed in an agriculture-related field.  Regional marketing centers such as Billings, Glasgow, Havre and Miles City grew up as railroad hubs where farmers could market their grain and cattle and come to purchase supplies.  Great Falls became a flour milling center with the aid of water power from the falls that Lewis and Clark struggled to surmount during their Voyage of Discovery in 1805.

Cattle and wheat remain Montana's largest commodities, and together account for three-fourths of the state's agricultural cash receipts.  Livestock genetics from Montana's well respected beef herds are sold to ranches as far away as Argentina, while as much as 80 percent of Montana's high-quality grain for baking is sold from West Coast ports to buyers in Asia and the Middle East.  Other historic commodities such as sugar beets, hay and malting barley remain important, and Montana's farmers have expanded their harvests to include fresh cherries, honey, peas and lentils, as well as oilseed crops such as canola, flaxseed and safflower.  Camelina, a small-seeded crop grown for oil in Europe, shows promise for the production of biofuels and lubricants, as well as a food and feed ingredient that is high in healthful omega-3 fatty acids.

Montana ranks 1^st in the nation in certified organic wheat production, and second or third (depending on the year) in spring wheat, durum wheat, barley, flaxseed and safflower.  Montana also ranks within the top 10 states in production of honey, beef calves, winter wheat, alfalfa hay, garbanzo beans, sheep and lambs, wool and sugar beets.

Visit the Montana Department of Agriculture website for more information.

http://agr.mt.gov/