w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
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AGRICULTURE IS MONTANA'S LARGEST INDUSTRY,
bringing in close to four billion dollars to the economy ev-
ery year. The role agriculture plays in the lives of all Mon-
tanans can't be understated. One out of every six Montana
workers is employed in a field related to agriculture, and
around twenty-eight thousand farms and ranches cover
58 million acres, over half of the state's total acreage. The
agricultural commodities grown and raised by operations
covering 10,000 acres or more provide numerous jobs, a
much-needed boost to the local economy, and food for
people across the country and even across the world.
Many Montanans are being fed by these larger farms
and ranches, but consider for a moment that the average
size of a farm and ranch in the state is barely over 2,000
acres. These smaller operations are often family-owned.
They must constantly embrace innovation and seek out
creative ways to keep their livelihood afloat. As residents
of Montana continually look for ways to support their local
communities, increasingly, it is these smaller-scale farmers
and ranchers who are the people feeding Montana.
Western Montana Growers Cooperative is a coali-
tion of over 50 growers and producers based in the Flat-
