Chouteau County, Montana
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
687 farms2,359,276 acres in farms$214 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Chouteau County ranks second for barley and wheat.
Within Montana, no other county with a published figure sells more farm products.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $169 million | 2nd of 49 |
| Cattle and calves | $31.4 million | 20th of 51 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $362,000 | 23rd of 48 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $151,000 | 31st of 44 |
What the fields held
Chouteau County harvested 808,115 acres of cropland in 2022, first of 56 counties in Montana. Wheat covered acreage equal to 67% of that, barley 11%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | 545,429 | 1.5% |
| Barley | 84,869 | 3.5% |
| Hay and haylage | 49,756 | 0.09% |
| Canola | 14,224 | 0.66% |
| Corn for grain | 2,474 | under 0.1% |
| Oats | 226 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: dry edible beans, potatoes and vegetables.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms92.8%
Chouteau County ranks seventh of 56 counties in Montana on this measure.
- 1,481,908 acres of cropland, 63% of farmland
- 841,000 acres of pastureland, 36% of farmland
- 33,486 acres of woodland, 1% of farmland
- 22,510 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
Farms in Chouteau County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 1,800 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 3,434 acres, 18th-largest of 55 in Montana. The most common size class is 2,000+ acres, with 46.6% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 58.8% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Beef cows | 23,420 | 0.08% |
| Cattle and calves | 33,127 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 595 | under 0.1% |
| Goats | 423 | under 0.1% |
| Milk cows | 5 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: hogs and pigs, laying hens, broilers sold, turkeys and sheep and lambs.
Who farms here
Decisions on Chouteau County's 687 farms are made by 1,311 producers. Their average age is 57.2, 2.1 years below the Montana average. Women are 33.9% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 633 | +8.5% |
| Land in farms, acres | 2,070,530 | +13.9% |
| Average farm size, acres | 3,271 | +5.0% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $171 million | +25.2% |
| Barley, acres | 55,603 | +52.6% |
| Wheat, acres | 498,708 | +9.4% |
| Canola, acres | 6,065 | +100% |
| Hay and haylage, acres | 40,367 | +23.3% |
Nearest rivals
- Barley between Toole County, MT and Fremont County, ID
- Wheat between Hill County, MT and Whitman County, WA
- Canola between Slope County, ND and Roseau County, MN
- Hay and haylage between Grayson County, TX and Montague County, TX
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Eddy County, North Dakota largest group: grains and oilseeds; mix match 99%
- Sheridan County, North Dakota largest group: grains and oilseeds; mix match 99%
- Hughes County, South Dakota largest group: grains and oilseeds; mix match 99%
Chouteau County accounts for 4.7% of farm sales in Montana and 2.8% of the farms in Montana. Rank Montana counties for barley.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.