Economic Impact of Agriculture
Beaverhead County
Beaverhead County is a rural county located in the southwestern part of the state, and borders Idaho for much of its southern border. Over 34% of land in Beaverhead County is classified as farmland.
Overview
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| Median Farm Size (acres) | 115 |
| Average Farm Size (acres) | 2,498 |
Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017
Farm Revenue
Farm revenue (which includes the market value of products sold, government payments,
and farm-related income) topped $123 million in 2017 while production expenses were
$95 million. Government payments accounted for only 0.05% of revenues.
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| Net Farm Cash Income | $28,268,000 |
Source: Census of Agriculture: Tables 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6: 2017
Taxation
The market value of all property in Beaverhead County was approximately $1.2 billion
in 2019. Agricultural Property (as defined by Montana Department of Revenue as
Class 3 Property) comprised 12% of the county's taxable value.
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2014 |
| Market Value of Property | $1,288,769,420 | $1,133,322,350 |
| Taxable Value of All Property | $24,049,312 | $18,482,656 |
| Taxable Value ofAgricultural Property | $2,823,709 | $2,717,143 |
| Ag Taxable Value as % of All Property | 12% | 15% |
Source: Montana Dept. of Rev. Montana Taxes by County in2018and Montana Taxes by County in2014
Market Value of Crops and Livestock
After adjusting for inflation, the market value of crops increased by over two fold,
while the market value of livestock increased by nearly 18%, from 1997 to 2017.
Sources: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017 and St. Louis Fed Producer Price Index
Crops and Livestock
Cattle (66%) and Other Crops and Hay (20%) comprised 86% of total crop and livestock
sales in 2017.
Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 2: County Summary Highlights: 2017
Farm Size by Acres
The percentage of smaller farms, less than 500 acres, increased from 59% to 67%, while
the percentage of larger farms, 500 acres or more, decreased from 41% to 33% from
2012 to 2017.
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by Acres |
2017
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2012
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Farms |
% |
Number of
Farms |
% |
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1 to 9
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72
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15
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54
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13
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10 to 49
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130
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26
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85
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20
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50 to 179
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81
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16
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62
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14
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180 to 499
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49
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10
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51
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12
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500 to 999
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14
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3
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27
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6
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1,000 or more
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148
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30
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151
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35
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TOTAL
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494
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100
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430
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100
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Farm Size by Sales
The proportion of total sales from the smallest farms with less than $100,000 in sales
increased from 68% to 75%, while the proportion of total sales from the largest farms
with sales of $100,000 or more decreased from 32% to 25% from 2012 to 2017.|
by Sales |
2017
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2012
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Farms |
% |
Number of
Farms |
% |
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Less than 2,500
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166
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34
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112
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26
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2,500 to 4,999
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34
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7
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47
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11
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5,000 to 9,999
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51
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10
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22
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5
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10,000 to 24,999
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27
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5
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43
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10
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25,000 to 49,999
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42
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9
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27
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6
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50,000 to 99,999
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49
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10
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40
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9
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100,000 or more
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125
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25
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139
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32
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TOTAL
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494
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100
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430
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100
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Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017
Tillage and Land Use
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2017
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2012
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Farms |
% |
Number of
Farms |
% |
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No tillage
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10
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2
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6
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1
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Reduced tillage
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12
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2
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5
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1
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Intensive tillage
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41
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8
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59
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14
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Cover crops
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25
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5
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16
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4
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TOTAL
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494
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430
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Producer Profile
The county producer population was older than the Montana producer population. Thirty-two
percent of county producers were under 55 years of age, while 38% were over 65 years
of age. Thirty-four percent of the Montana producer population were under 55, while
36% were over 65 years of age. Sixty percent of producers in the county were males,
while 60% of Montana producers were also males. Farming was the primary occupation
for 55% of county producers, while farming was the primary occupation for 50% of Montana
producers.
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County
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State
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Producers |
% |
Number of
Producers |
% |
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Age
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18 -25
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14
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2
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570
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1
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25 to 34
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64
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7
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3,285
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7
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35 to 44
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86
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10
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5,179
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11
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45 to 54
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127
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14
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7,309
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15
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55 to 64
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255
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28
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13,838
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29
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65 to 74
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237
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26
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11,469
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24
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75 and older
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104
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12
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5,587
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12
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Gender
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Male
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534
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60
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28,563
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60
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Female
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363
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40
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18,673
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40
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Primary Occupation
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Yes
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491
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55
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23,847
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50
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No
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406
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45
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24,314
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50
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TOTAL PRODUCERS
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897
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100
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48,161
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100
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Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 45 Selected Operation and Producer Characteristics
Top Crops by Acre
The top crops were hay and haylage, barley, spring wheat and chickpeas.
Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017
Top Livestock
The top livestock were cattle, sheep, and poultry (chickens and turkeys).
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Cattle
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126,752
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Sheep
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13,290
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Chickens-Layers
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773
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Chickens-Broilers
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56
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Turkeys
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12
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Source: Census of Agriculture: Tables 11 (Cattle), 13 (Sheep) and 19 (Poultry)
Employment Impact
Agricultural production employed 1,191 workers, or 24% of the county’s labor force. According to IMPLAN, economic impact model, 607 of the workers were directly employed in production agriculture. An additional 398 workers were employed in businesses supporting agricultural production, such as feed and fertilizer dealers, and another 186 workers were employed in other related businesses, such as grocery and drugs stores. For every job on farms and ranches, about 1 additional job is generated in the county.
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Impact Multipliers |
| County Labor Force | 5,048 | |
| Direct Impact | 607 | |
| Indirect Impact | 398 | 0.66 |
| Induced Impact | 186 | 0.31 |
| Total Impact | 1,191 | 0.96 |
| Agriculture Share (%) | 24 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/#cntyaa and IMPLAN Estimates
Value Added Impacts
Farms and ranches generated $81.9 million of value-added, or 19% of the county’s total
gross domestic product of $438 million in 2017. According to IMPLAN, $51.5 million
was directly contributed by farmers and ranchers. An additional $19.5 million was
generated by businesses supporting agricultural production and $10.9 million was generated
by other related businesses. Each dollar of value-added in agriculture by a farmer
or rancher contributes an additional $0.59 of value-added in other sectors of the
county’s economy.
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($1 million) |
Impact Multipliers |
| County GDP* | 438.0 | |
| Direct Impact** | 51.5 | |
| Indirect Impact** | 19.5 | 0.38 |
| Induced Impact** | 10.9 | 0.21 |
| Total Impact** | 81.9 | 0.59 |
| Agriculture Share (%) | 19 |
Sources: * St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, ** IMPLAN Estimates
References
- 2017 Census of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Montana, State and County Data, Volume 1, Geographic Area Series, part 26 https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_State_Level/Montana/mtv1.pdf
- Department of Revenue “Montana Taxes by County in 2014“ https://mtrevenue.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2014-Taxes-by-County.pdf
- Department of Revenue “Montana Taxes by County in 2018” https://mtrevenue.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2018-Taxes-by-County.pdf
- St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank (2017). Current dollar gross domestic product by county
for Montana, retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/release/tables?rid=397&
eid=1062609&od=2017-01-01# - St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank (2020). Producer price index for all commodities, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PPIACO
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017), Montana labor force, retrieved from https://bls.gov/lau/#cntyaa
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