Montana farms by county
2022 Census of Agriculture · 56 counties
24,266 farms57,601,320 acres in farms2,374 acres per farm on average
Montana farms sold $4.54 billion of products in 2022, 33rd among the 50 states.
Among the states, it leads the nation in barley, ranks second in canola and ranks third in wheat.
Its average farm size is the second-largest among the states.
Which county leads each crop and animal
The county with the largest published figure for each item, and how much of the state total it holds. Items are ordered by how important Montana is for them nationally.
| Crop or animal | Leading county | Its share of the state | Counties with figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barley | Toole County | 13.6% | 44 |
| Wheat | Hill County | 10.8% | 49 |
| Canola | Sheridan County | 11.2% | 26 |
| Hay and haylage | Fergus County | 7.3% | 56 |
| Beef cows | Custer County | 3.9% | 31 |
| Sheep and lambs | Stillwater County | 18.9% | 47 |
| Sugar beets | Richland County | 25.4% | 7 |
| Oats | McCone County | 14.4% | 23 |
| Horses and ponies | Gallatin County | 5.5% | 54 |
| Cattle and calves | Beaverhead County | 5.4% | 56 |
| Potatoes | Gallatin County | 49.3% | 14 |
| Sunflower | Dawson County | 19.6% | 2 |
| Corn for silage | Richland County | 12.3% | 21 |
| Goats | Yellowstone County | 7.2% | 41 |
Every county in Montana
Sorted by farm sales. Linked counties have their own profile page, chosen because they stand out nationally or within the state.
| County | Farms | Avg acres | Sales | Largest group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chouteau County | 687 | 3,434 | $213.8M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Sheridan County | 448 | 2,212 | $194.0M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Hill County | 701 | 2,645 | $189.0M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Gallatin County | 1,009 | 650 | $163.1M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Fergus County | 779 | 2,972 | $160.1M | Cattle and calves |
| Valley County | 508 | 3,339 | $155.9M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Roosevelt County | 368 | 3,311 | $149.8M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Cascade County | 976 | 1,398 | $141.5M | Cattle and calves |
| Yellowstone County | 1,186 | 1,209 | $140.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Teton County | 610 | 1,498 | $139.8M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Beaverhead County | 386 | 2,624 | $135.6M | Cattle and calves |
| Big Horn County | 364 | 8,767 | $130.9M | Cattle and calves |
| Richland County | 448 | 2,562 | $119.0M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Toole County | 383 | 3,110 | $118.8M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Glacier County | 361 | 3,090 | $116.6M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Pondera County | 435 | 1,716 | $111.3M | Grains and oilseeds |
| McCone County | 362 | 3,114 | $109.0M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Blaine County | 387 | 4,858 | $107.5M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Daniels County | 261 | 2,558 | $103.9M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Judith Basin County | 291 | 2,379 | $102.8M | Cattle and calves |
| Liberty County | 218 | 4,191 | $102.2M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Dawson County | 427 | 2,756 | $97.6M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Phillips County | 377 | 4,971 | $92.4M | Cattle and calves |
| Custer County | 379 | 5,639 | $84.6M | Cattle and calves |
| Madison County | 567 | 1,632 | $82.8M | Cattle and calves |
| Garfield County | 238 | 9,770 | $78.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Carbon County | 681 | 1,085 | $76.9M | Cattle and calves |
| Rosebud County | 360 | 7,982 | $75.8M | Cattle and calves |
| Carter County | 282 | 5,967 | $72.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Powder River County | 332 | 5,587 | $72.3M | Cattle and calves |
| Lake County | 1,078 | 553 | $69.0M | Cattle and calves |
| Stillwater County | 464 | 1,226 | $60.6M | Cattle and calves |
| Flathead County | 1,019 | 158 | $58.5M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Lewis and Clark County | 595 | 1,674 | $56.2M | Cattle and calves |
| Treasure County | 100 | 4,995 | $54.3M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Broadwater County | 316 | 1,471 | $52.0M | Hay and other crops |
| Fallon County | 237 | 3,638 | $49.4M | Cattle and calves |
| Meagher County | 129 | 6,825 | $44.1M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Park County | 478 | 1,540 | $43.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Wheatland County | 119 | 5,695 | $43.6M | Cattle and calves |
| Musselshell County | 336 | 3,354 | $42.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Ravalli County | 1,400 | 134 | $40.9M | Cattle and calves |
| Powell County | 245 | 2,243 | $38.6M | Cattle and calves |
| Sweet Grass County | 291 | 3,166 | $37.2M | Cattle and calves |
| Golden Valley County | 153 | 4,817 | $32.8M | Cattle and calves |
| Prairie County | 141 | 4,189 | $32.2M | Cattle and calves |
| Petroleum County | 101 | 6,575 | $29.7M | Cattle and calves |
| Wibaux County | 113 | 3,607 | $28.5M | Grains and oilseeds |
| Jefferson County | 364 | 1,248 | $26.8M | Cattle and calves |
| Granite County | 163 | 1,778 | $19.0M | Cattle and calves |
| Missoula County | 606 | 561 | $14.7M | Nursery and greenhouse |
| Sanders County | 421 | 1,477 | $14.4M | Cattle and calves |
| Lincoln County | 251 | 199 | $5.4M | Cattle and calves |
| Deer Lodge County | 103 | 566 | $5.3M | Cattle and calves |
| Silver Bow County | 156 | 441 | $5.0M | Cattle and calves |
| Mineral County | 76 | 173 | $722K | Cattle and calves |
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 27,048 | −10.3% |
| Land in farms, acres | 58,122,878 | −0.9% |
| Average farm size, acres | 2,149 | +10.5% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $3.52 billion | +29.1% |
Source: USDA NASS, 2022 and 2017 Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.