McCone County is a rural sparsely populated county located in the eastern part of the state near the east end of Fort Peck Lake. Over 79% of land in McCone County is classified as farm land.

Overview

Population
1,675
County Size (acres)
1,691,008
Land in Farms (%)
79.2
Number of Farms
437
Median Farm Size (acres) 1,694
Average Farm Size (acres) 3,065

 

 

 

 

 

 
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) were $86 million while production expenses were $75 million.  Government payments were 15.6% of farm revenues.

Market Value of Products Sold
$61,277,000
Government Payments
$13,400,000
Farm-Related Income
$11,409,000
Total Farm Production Expenses
$75,019,000
Net Farm Cash Income $11,067,000



 

 

 

Source: Census of Agriculture: Tables 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6:  2017  

Taxation

The market value of all property in McCone County was approximately $371 million in 2019.  The taxable value assigned by the Montana Department of Revenue was $7 million.  Agricultural Property (as defined by Montana Department of Revenue as Class 3 property) comprised 53.9% of the county's taxable value. 

 

Property Tax Summary
2019
2014
Market Value of Property $371,069,378 $283,012,353
Taxable Value of All Property $7,731,578 $6,740,299
Taxable Value ofAgricultural Property $4,166,664 $4,009,797
Ag Taxable Value as % of All Property 53.9% 59.9%



 

 

 

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 11%, while the market value of livestock increased by 89%, from 1997 to 2017.

Market Value of Crops and Livestock-McCone County

Sources: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017 and St. Louis Fed Producer Price Index

Crops and Livestock

Cattle (44%) and grain (43%) comprised 87% of total crop and livestock sales in 2017.


Crops and Livestock-McCone County

Source: Census of Agriculture:  Table 2: County Summary Highlights: 2017

Farm Size by Acres 

The percentage of smaller farms, less than 500 acres, larger farms, 500 acres or more, remained virtually unchanged from 2012 to 2017.

Farm Size
by Acres
2017
2012
Number of
Farms
%
Number of
Farms
%
1 to 9
4
1
4
1
10 to 49
14
3
12
2
50 to 179
24
5
33
7
180 to 499    
72
16
81
17
500 to 999
65
15
65
13
1,000 or more
258
59
294
60
TOTAL
437
100
489
100
Source: Census of Agriculture:  Table 2: County Summary Highlights: 2017
 

Farm Size by Sales

The proportion of total sales from the smallest farms with less than $100,000 in sales increased from 56% to 64%, while the proportion of total sales from the largest farms with sales of $100,000 or more decreased from 44% to 36% from 2012 to 2017.

 
Farm Size 
by Sales
2017
2012
Number of 
Farms
%
Number of 
Farms
%
Less than 2,500
123
28
114
23
2,500 to 4,999
11
3
9
2
5,000 to 9,999
11
3
22
4
10,000 to 24,999
35
8
41
8
25,000 to 49,999
54
12
33
7
50,000 to 99,999
47
11
54
11
100,000 or more
156
36
216
44
TOTAL
437
100
489
100

Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017  

Tillage and Land Use

The percentage of farms using no till, reduced tillage or cover crops decreased somewhat, while the percentage of farms using intensive tillage decreased substantially from 2012 to 2017.

Tillage
2017
2012
Number of 
Farms
%
Number of 
Farms
%
No tillage
172
39
194
40
Reduced tillage
54
12
82
17
Intensive tillage
28
6
88
18
Cover crops
7
2
22
4
TOTAL
437
 
 
 
Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 41 Land Use Practices

Producer Profile

The county producer population was about the same age as the Montana producer population. Thirty-six percent of county producers were under 55 years of age, while 35% 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-five percent of producers in the county were males, while 60% of Montana producers were males. Farming was the primary occupation for 60% of county producers, while farming was the primary occupation for 50% of Montana producers.

Characteristics
County
State
Number of 
Producers
%
Number of 
Producers
%
Age
18 -25
5
1
570
1
25 to 34
68
9
3,285
7
35 to 44
77
10
5,179
11
45 to 54
119
16
7,309
15
55 to 64
192
26
13,838
29
65 to 74
155
21
11,469
24
75 and older
106
14
5,587
12
Gender
Male
485
65
28,563
60
Female
266
35
18,673
40
Primary Occupation
Yes
451
60
23,847
50
No
300
40
24,314
50
TOTAL PRODUCERS
751
100
48,161
100

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 45 Selected Operation and Producer Characteristics

Top Crops by Acre

The top crops were spring wheat, lentils, peas dry edible, hay & haylage, chickpeas, winter wheat, durum wheat, barley and canola.

Tops Crops by Acre-McCone County

 Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 1: County Summary Highlights: 2017

Top Livestock

The top livestock were cattle, sheep, and poultry (chickens).

Livestock
Number of Head
Cattle
40,349
Sheep
8,279
Chicken - Layers
424
Chicken - Broilers
36

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Census of Agriculture: Tables 11 (Cattle) and 13 (Sheep) and 19 (Poultry)

Employment Impact

Agricultural production employed 516 workers, or 50% of the county’s labor force.  According to IMPLAN, economic impact model, 355 of the workers were directly employed in production agriculture.  An additional 147 workers were employed in businesses supporting agricultural production, such as feed and fertilizer dealers, and another 14 workers were employed in other related businesses, such as grocery and drugs stores. For every 10 jobs on farms and ranches, 5 additional jobs are generated in the county.

 

Impact Type
Labor Force
Impact Multipliers
County Labor Force 1,022  
Direct Impact 355
Indirect Impact 147 0.41
Induced Impact 14 0.04
Total Impact 516 0.45
Agriculture Share (%) 50  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/#cntyaa and IMPLAN Estimates

Value Added Impacts

Farms and ranches generated $27.9 million of value-added, or 29% of the county’s total gross domestic product of $96 million in 2017.  According to IMPLAN, $16.7 million was directly contributed by farmers and ranchers.  An additional $10.1 million was generated by businesses supporting agricultural production and $1.1 million was generated by other related businesses.  Each dollar of value-added in agriculture by a farmer or rancher contributes an additional $0.67 of value-added in other sectors of the county’s economy.


Impact Type
Value - Added
($1 million)

Impact Multipliers
County GDP* 96.0  
Direct Impact** 16.7
Indirect Impact** 10.1 0.61
Induced Impact** 1.1 0.06
Total Impact** 27.9 0.67
Agriculture Share (%) 29  











Sources:  * St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, ** IMPLAN Estimates  

References


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