Counties with the most farmland in Montana
Farmland across the U.S. is disappearing by the millions of acres each decade by some estimates as sprawling urban development driven by rising housing costs pushes further into rural pastures.
The farmland that still exists in the U.S. is heavily dedicated to growing plants that Americans can't consume—grass. That grass, accounting for more than 300 million acres now, feeds our livestock, provides sod for new development, and serves as a cover crop to protect soil health between harvests.
Demand for major crops like corn and soybeans to feed Americans is only forecast by the USDA to grow in the coming decade, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports is expected to grow similarly.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people purchased and consumed food, placing renewed attention on an increasingly consolidated agricultural industry where family farms have been swallowed up by large food corporations.
And after shifting behaviors caused massive economic swings in the U.S. and elsewhere, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced food producers to once again account for yet another shock with so much of the world's grain capital taken offline by warfare.
War and corporate interests aside, farms have also had to reckon with a changing climate. Wheat fields were once commonplace across the country, but drought conditions of late have caused farmers to give up growing the crop entirely. Agitated by climate change, the shortage of water in parts of the country coupled with higher interest rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine are making agricultural businesses harder to run profitably.
To illustrate where American farms still persevere, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most farmland in Montana using data from the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Farmers reported the data as mandated by participation in USDA income support programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage as well as loan assistance. Counties are ranked by total acres of farmland.
In Montana, there are 47,085,168 acres of farmland, with native grass being the most common crop.
#25. Fallon
- Farmland: 846,108 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 594
- Most common crop: Native grass (573,931 acres, 67.8% of county farmland)
#24. Teton
- Farmland: 853,375 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 1,176
- Most common crop: Native grass (357,673 acres, 41.9% of county farmland)
#23. Musselshell
- Farmland: 858,108 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 413
- Most common crop: Native grass (720,540 acres, 84.0% of county farmland)
#22. Beaverhead
- Farmland: 879,148 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 567
- Most common crop: Native grass (731,387 acres, 83.2% of county farmland)
#21. Toole
- Farmland: 885,941 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 944
- Most common crop: Native grass (311,882 acres, 35.2% of county farmland)
#20. Glacier
- Farmland: 1,009,480 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 2,638
- Most common crop: Native grass (662,542 acres, 65.6% of county farmland)
#19. Sheridan
- Farmland: 1,013,400 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,549
- Most common crop: Hard amber durum spring wheat (298,815 acres, 29.5% of county farmland)
#18. Cascade
- Farmland: 1,090,786 acres (2.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,189
- Most common crop: Native grass (666,014 acres, 61.1% of county farmland)
#17. Yellowstone
- Farmland: 1,156,439 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,237
- Most common crop: Native grass (852,956 acres, 73.8% of county farmland)
#16. Roosevelt
- Farmland: 1,173,148 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 2,414
- Most common crop: Native grass (476,376 acres, 40.6% of county farmland)
#15. Richland
- Farmland: 1,175,939 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,359
- Most common crop: Native grass (656,147 acres, 55.8% of county farmland)
#14. Hill
- Farmland: 1,229,206 acres (2.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,724
- Most common crop: Native grass (427,676 acres, 34.8% of county farmland)
#13. Dawson
- Farmland: 1,273,655 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,084
- Most common crop: Native grass (814,049 acres, 63.9% of county farmland)
#12. Carter
- Farmland: 1,314,140 acres (2.8% of state total)
- Farms: 517
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,078,338 acres, 82.1% of county farmland)
#11. McCone
- Farmland: 1,396,737 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,151
- Most common crop: Native grass (782,361 acres, 56.0% of county farmland)
#10. Custer
- Farmland: 1,415,531 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 534
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,240,022 acres, 87.6% of county farmland)
#9. Powder River
- Farmland: 1,558,485 acres (3.3% of state total)
- Farms: 815
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,344,605 acres, 86.3% of county farmland)
#8. Chouteau
- Farmland: 1,685,370 acres (3.6% of state total)
- Farms: 1,609
- Most common crop: Native grass (762,112 acres, 45.2% of county farmland)
#7. Fergus
- Farmland: 1,862,632 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,458
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,253,873 acres, 67.3% of county farmland)
#6. Phillips
- Farmland: 1,864,175 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,478
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,284,433 acres, 68.9% of county farmland)
#5. Blaine
- Farmland: 1,879,984 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,225
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,380,927 acres, 73.5% of county farmland)
#4. Big Horn
- Farmland: 1,905,707 acres (4.0% of state total)
- Farms: 3,826
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,569,137 acres, 82.3% of county farmland)
#3. Garfield
- Farmland: 1,919,916 acres (4.1% of state total)
- Farms: 650
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,558,734 acres, 81.2% of county farmland)
#2. Valley
- Farmland: 2,058,641 acres (4.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,963
- Most common crop: Native grass (1,184,003 acres, 57.5% of county farmland)
#1. Rosebud
- Farmland: 2,342,527 acres (5.0% of state total)
- Farms: 766
- Most common crop: Native grass (2,153,831 acres, 91.9% of county farmland)
