Treasure County is a rural sparsely populated county located in the southeastern portion of the state.  Over 98% of land in Treasure County is classified as farm land.

Overview

Population
679
County Size (acres)
625,793
Land in Farms (%)
98.1
Number of Farms
121
Median Farm Size (acres) 1,060
Average Farm Size (acres) 5,076

 

 

 

 

 

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

Farm Revenue

Farm revenues (which includes the market value of products sold, government payments, and farm-related income) were $49 million while production expenses were $37 million. Government payments were 2.4% of farm revenues.

Market Value of Products Sold
$45,026,000
Government Payments
$1,197,000
Farm-Related Income
$3,088,000
Total Farm Production Expenses
$37,363,000
Net Farm Cash Income $11,948,000



 

 

 

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

Taxation

The market value of all property in Treasure County was approximately $170 million in 2019.  The taxable value assigned by the Montana Department of Revenue was $5 million.  Agricultural Property (as defined by Montana Department of Revenue as Class 3 Property) comprised 22% of the county's taxable value.

Property Tax Summary
2019
2014
Market Value of Property $170,273,303 $122,733,661
Taxable Value of All Property $5,127,008 $4,336,000
Taxable Value ofAgricultural Property $1,121,113 $1,033,558
Ag Taxable Value as % of All Property 22% 20%



 

 

 

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 1.8%, while the market value of livestock increased by nearly 48%, from 1997 to 2017.

 

Market Value of Crops and Livestock-Treasure County

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

Crops and Livestock

Cattle (39%) and hay and other crops (25%) comprised 64% of total crop and livestock sales in 2017.

 

Crops and Livestock-Toole County

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 34% to 36%, while the percentage of larger farms, 500 acres or more, decreased from 66% to 64% from 2012 to 2017.

Farm Size
by Acres
2017
2012
Number of
Farms

%
Number of
Farms

%
1 to 9
2
2
5
5
10 to 49
18
15
8
7
50 to 179
19
16
10
9
180 to 499    
5
4
14
13
500 to 999
14
12
9
8
1,000 or more
63
52
63
58
TOTAL
121
100
109
100
Source: Census of Agriculture:  Table 2: County Summary Highlights: 2017

Farm Size by Sales

The percentage of the smallest farms with less than $100,000 in sales decreased slightly from 51% to 50%, while the percentage of the largest farms with sales of $100,000 or more increased slightly from 49% to 50% from 2012 to 2017.

Farm Size 
by Sales
2017
2012
Number of 
Farms

%
Number of 
Farms

%
Less than 2,500
22
18
18
17
2,500 to 4,999
4
3
1
1
5,000 to 9,999
9
7
2
2
10,000 to 24,999
9
7
10
9
25,000 to 49,999
9
7
14
13
50,000 to 99,999
7
6
11
10
100,000 or more
61
50
53
49
TOTAL
121
100
109
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 increased, while the percentage of farms using intensive tillage decreased from 2012 to 2017.

 

Tillage
2017
2012
Number of 
Farms

%
Number of 
Farms

%
No tillage
18
15
13
12
Reduced tillage
39
32
26
24
Intensive tillage
29
24
35
32
Cover crops
12
10
1
1
TOTAL
121
 
109
 
Source: Census of Agriculture: Table 41 Land Use Practices
 

Producer Profile 

The county producer population was older than the Montana producer population. Twenty-two percent of county producers were under 55 years of age, while 36% 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-one percent of producers in the county were males, while 60% of Montana producers were males. Farming was the primary occupation for 62% 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
0
0
570
1
25 to 34
2
1
3,285
7
35 to 44
16
7
5,179
11
45 to 54
30
13
7,309
15
55 to 64
80
36
13,838
29
65 to 74
53
24
11,469
24
75 and older
28
13
5,587
12
Gender
Male
135
61
28,563
60
Female
88
39
18,673
40
Primary Occupation
Yes
139
62
23,847
50
No
84
38
24,314
50
TOTAL PRODUCERS
223
100
48,161
100

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, winter wheat, lentils, peas dry edible, and durum wheat.

 

Tops Crops by Acre-Toole County

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

Top Livestock

The top livestock were cattle, sheep, and poultry (chicken-layers).

Livestock
Number of Head
Cattle
28,375
Sheep
514
Chicken - Layers
82

 

 

 

 

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

Employment Impact

Agricultural production employed 305 workers, or 90% of the county’s labor force.  According to IMPLAN, economic impact model, 179 of the workers were directly employed in production agriculture.  An additional 99 workers were employed in businesses supporting agricultural production, such as feed and fertilizer dealers, and another 26 workers were employed in other related businesses, such as grocery and drugs stores. For every 10 jobs on farms and ranches, 7 additional jobs are generated in the county.

Impact Type
Labor Force
Impact Multipliers
County Labor Force 340  
Direct Impact 179
Indirect Impact 99 0.55
Induced Impact 26 0.15
Total Impact 305 0.70
Agriculture Share (%) 90  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Value Added Impacts

Farms and ranches generated $22.7 million of value-added, or 26% of the county’s total gross domestic product of $89 million in 2017.  According to IMPLAN, $13 million was directly contributed by farmers and ranchers.  An additional $8 million was generated by businesses supporting agricultural production and $1.7 million was generated by other related businesses.  Each dollar of value-added in agriculture by a farmer or rancher contributes an additional $0.75 of value-added in other sectors of the county’s economy.

 


Impact Type
Value-Added
($1 million)

Impact Multipliers
County GDP* 89.0  
Direct Impact** 13.0
Indirect Impact** 8.0 0.62
Induced Impact** 1.7 0.13
Total Impact** 22.7 0.75
Agriculture Share (%) 26  











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

References


Montana State University Extension is an ADA/EO/AA/Veteran’s Preference
Employer and Provider of Educational Outreach.