Montana

Agriculture is Montana’s largest industry, generating an average of $2 billion annually in cash receipts. Montana’s 56.5 million acres of farmland ranks second in the nation with 24,500 farms and ranches, averaging close to 2,100 acres in size. Livestock and livestock products-primarily beef cattle, dairy products, hogs, and sheep account for about 48% of Montana’s yearly agricultural income. The leading crops are wheat, hay, barley, and sugar beets. The majority of agriculture takes place in the eastern half of the state, although livestock production is important in the mountain basins of the western half of the state. Most of the 2 million acres of irrigated land is devoted to the production of hay.