Baby chicks are in at farm stores in Montana. but having your own chickens or ducks can be more costly (and a bigger commitment) than you might realize.
Farmers and ranchers are used to challenges, we face different ones each year, drought, freezes, and grasshoppers. But it seems the most difficult ones are the ones that are coming from our own country. - Paul
The number of licensed dairies in Montana fell from 144 to 48 since the year 2000. However, the remaining dairies in Big Sky Country continue to produce a mind-blowing amount of milk, most of which is consumed locally.
With 7.16 people per square mile, Montana DOES have more cows than people. Farming and ranching is still incredibly important across the entire state. (We've got 2.51 cattle per person, BTW.)
No matter where you travel across Montana and North Dakota you'll see the combines rolling. It's payday for farmers after a year of waiting for the crop to come in.
These are not assembly-line items. Besides, his war on fossil fuels has impacted agriculture immensely with fertilizer prices and fuel, chemicals, parts, etc. making it almost impossible to increase production without a guaranteed price.
Agriculture is the biggest industry in the state of Montana. Today we celebrate National Ag Day by looking at what Montana farmers and ranchers produce.