An economic survey of Beaverhead and Madison counties, Montana
by Dudley E Young
A THESIS Submitted to the Graduate Committee in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Master of Science in Agricultural Economics
Montana State University
© Copyright by Dudley E Young (1937)
Abstract:
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TABLE OF COSTaiTS
Page
Seoticm
I e Introduction # # # # # # . # # # * « * * * * * * * * #*^
4
Purpose# ..................... #.#################»#,
4
Objectives ...........................................
4
Sources######.#### . # . # * # . » $ * * « »***««
4
D istricts##• • • • • • • • • • • • • • ........
6
Climate.......................................................... .........
7
Population...• • .# • • • ........
9
Resour o e s .# .# # ....••••..•••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • <
5S
io
.
9
W ater...# ........................................................*
12
M inerals..
15
Range.....................................................
ao
II.
9
............. .
.
Types of ranches..#.#........
14
Community organisation#
14
Discussion of resources and uses made of them,
16
Grating and farm lands.................................
16
Grating and feed cap acities..........
21
Calculations by c o u n t i e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21
Calculations by Minor Civil D iv is io n s .......
22
Livestock numbera............. ....................................
26
Management p r a c t i c e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...........
27
Lease cost of range l a n d . . . . . ..........................
27
Age of stock s o l d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
50
Wintering period..................... .
51
Value of ranches. . . . . . .
............
SI
-S-
Seotien
Page
Land o
III.
w
n
e
r
s
h
i
p
.
,
32
Markets.......................................
55
Public s e r v i c e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
37
Type of ro a d s........................
37
Retail sto res................
37
S c h o o ls ............................... ............................
39
R a ilw a y s ....,.,,..........
39
Taxation......................
39
Mortgage d e b t............. ....................
42
Concentration of o w n e r s h i p . . . . . . . . . . . . , , . . , . . . . . , , . , , ,
43
Adjustments and C o n c l u s i o n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . * , . . . . . . . .
49
Major p ro b lem s..............................*...................... *..........
49
O v e r s to c k in g ..........................................
49
erasing d i s t r i c t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............
61
Seasonal range.............................
62
Cause of o
v
e
r
s
t
o
c
k
i
n
g
.
62
Basis of peraits to g r a s e * . . . . . . . . , , ................................
65
Balance between range and feed resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
64
Tendency to develop economic u n it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
64
Gross in c o m e ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
67
Maintenance of public s e rv ic e s ............. 68
Tenancy and p art o w n e r s h i p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IT.
S u m m a ry ...................
V. Appendix......................
68
69
60
Is
INTRODDCTICB
PurP0** of th is study is to present Sn eeoaomio sad sooisl s»
nslysls of Bosverhesd sad Msdlsoa counties, Montana, with special reference
to agricu ltu re.
The objectives are to point out*
(I) Desirable adjustments
in ranch organisation and management which w ill increase and s ta b ilis e
in the Icng run# and (I) Changes which might be advisable in policies of ad*
m inistration of public lands and th e ir beneficial uses from the standpoint of
the ooHBamlty and society as a whole.
The principal sources of m aterial used in th is report are,
(I) Report
Of Economic Survey, Beaverhead and Madison counties, submitted by B, B. Sebima
of the United States Forest Service, February, 1956, oo-euthore ware 8 . H.
Saunderson, of the Montezm Agricultural Experiment Station, Heil V. Johnson,
of the United States Department of Agriculture, and others# (2) a revision
of Sehwan1S study, dated December, 1956, which presents some additional ma­
te ria l# (5) data from a range management survey conducted by the Montana Experi­
ment Station during the summer and f a ll of 1956# (4) various data from the
census I ( 6 ) reports of weather stations In the area# ( 6 ) data on livestock
numbers from revised estimates made in a study of livestock numbers by the
Montana Experiment Station# (T) and data on shipments of c a ttle from an analysis
of livestock shipments which is being made by the 8 perinea* Station and whose
source is brand inspectors' reports.
This study was made aa an analysis of the Minor C ivil Divisions by which
the oensue data are taken.
I t w ill be seen from figure I th a t the boundaries of
these divisions are, in almost every ease, mountain ranges which fora the natural
• 6 *
bounderIee of the ereee. When one f i r s t v is its these countIes one's im­
pression ie of * very mountainous te rra in .
The valleys are isolated from
eaoh other by high ranges. The altitu d e o f these valleys varies from about
4.600 foot in the loweet p art of the Jefferson Valley, th e northern part o f
Hadieon County, to 6,800 foot a t Wiodom in the northern p art of Beaverhead
County. The larger stream# do not have ocatlnnoue valleys but flow through
a succession of nearly f la t valleys and precipitous canyons. The Miner C ivil
Division#, four in Beaverhead County and fiv e in Hsdleon County, are IH ted
by name as follow#i
(I) Wisdom* This d is tr ic t is the Big Hols Basin and the surrounding
Rational Forest.
I t is a high valley with a short growing season. High winds
are not a serious problem because the ranges by which th e valley Is surrounded
break th e ir force* Temperatures are moderate during the summer and extreme
oold docs not occur for long periods in th e w inter, although the winters are
long and the snowfall heavy.
( 8 ) Armstead# The d is tr ic t ie sim ilar to Wledem in the length and
severity of i t s w inters.
Several creeks flow from th is region, of which Horso
P rairie mad Medicine Ledge are the meet important.
(S) Lima* Thio valley in the southern part of Beaverhead County ie
largely made up of the drainage basin o f the Bed Rook River above Armstead.
I t is one of the higher valleys and in i t severe winds are more frequent than
in the other parts of the county.
(4) Dlllemi
This d is tr ic t ie the drainage basin of the Beaverhead
River from Armstead to the Madleem Cemty lin e in the e a st.
This is one o f
the lower valleys and the winters here are milder than elsewhere in the county.
Snowfall is lig h te r and severe winds are not eo frequent as in the southern
part of th e county.
■
Towns
6
—
Minor Civil Division
boundaries
Streams and lakes
Mountains
Figure 1« Map of Beaverhead and Madison counties showing Minor
Civil Divisions#
The nerfc f lw <5tP trlote are a ll in Bfcdieen County, The f t re t of
tl^ooe Ie ( 6 ) Jeffereon.
I t Ie the leweet valley of the ^rmio and into i t
a ll the others, oxoept th a t of the Hadlaon River, drain.
In th le valley the
iln te re are «4 Ider and the fro e t-free period Ie probably lender than In
Dillon.
( 6 ) Erandont
The d ie trlo t Uee ju a t aou;h of Jefferson. He natural
boundary separates the two and they are sim ilar in climate and elevation.
(?) Unieni This Ie the upper valley of the Ruby River.
I t is one of
the higher valleys and has long and b itte r winters with heavy snowfall.
( 8 ) Madleeni The upper valley of the Madison River is one of the two
windleet regions dieeueeed.
I t is not, however, so h i a s Union, which bounds
i t on the weet, and i t has a longer growing season.
(B) Hot Springs*
The d is tr ic t lie s north of Madison and Is the lower
valley of the Madison River.
I t has the longest growing season of any valley
In the two countlee.
Table I gives a summary of weather conditions in these areas. Sane of
the data cover only a few years, th at taken a t Dillon being the only continuous
record which laeto fo r ae long as th irty -six years.
H- <
Table !• Weather Data for Minor Civil Divisions in Beavertiead and Madison Counties
Annual Rainfall
Area
Max.
Min.
16.53
24.80
11.80
18.60
6.60
11.60
4.80
6.60
kain fall - April I
to Sept. 30
Max.
Min.
Sumber of days
between k illin g
fro sts (av.)
Altitude
of weath<
station
Beaverhead Co.
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
11.76
18.80
10.26
10.33
2.40
4.00
2.66
1.90
69
111
66
So mo. recorded
without fro st
6,125 fl
6,143
6,266
6,060
Madison Co.
Lrandon
Jeffeieon
Hot Springs
Madison
Lnioa
10.33 (only year
11.66
24.00
7.90
16.00
10.33
13.76
taken)
18.10
10.10
10.66
7.60
6.00
6.00
152
3.33
108
4,660
4,846
Elevation a t the southern end of Madison is 6,600 fe e t, a t the northern end 4,800 feet.
Souroet Weather Bureau.
The change in population numbera from 1990 to 1850 is shown by figure
2.
The figures ere given as to ta ls fo r the two counties because there was
a change in the boundary lin e between them in 1914 so th a t e a rlie r figures
are not comparable on a county b asis.
The ranches in the areas of Dillon, Brandon, Jefferson, and the
northern p art of Union are concentrated on the irrig ated lands along the
rivers*
In other d is tric ts they are more widely scattered.
From tab le I In the Appendix i t Ie also apparent th a t the most th in ly
populated d is tric ts are Wiedoe and Armstead* They had, in 1950, about one
person for every two sections.
In Madison Ceunty the le aet se ttle d area was
Union with a density of about one person per section.
The area with the most people per square mile was Brandon, in which
lie s the town of Sheridan. Thie area is also quite a b it the smallest# The
concentration of population Ie probably caused by the d is tr ic t having a greater
proportion of Irrig ated land than the others.
The irrig a te d land la not
necessarily more th ick ly se ttle d than in other d is tr ic ts .
Beeourose
A principal resource of Beaverhead and Madison counties is the range*
Almost h alf of the population of the area liv es on farms or ranches* The
ranches are dependent on th e range which furnishes the forage fo r th e ir liv e stock during the spring, summer, f a l l , and em etines even in the winter, fo r
•case of th e ranchers use bath range and hay fo r winter*
By definition "ranch­
ing” Ie a type of livestock production where ehief emphasis Ie placed upon
grating and, in the case of the type of farming study made by the Bureau of
* 10
the Ceneue, a farm wae not elaeslfled aa a ranch unlees I t had ten tlmee ae
much acreage In pasture aa In crops.
"In 1950 the reported value of ag ricu ltu ral products sold
or used wae nearly $9,000,000. Sixty-three per cent of
those engaged in gainful pursuits were directly engaged
in ag ricu ltu re. Less than six per cent were engaged in
mining, the industry next in importance to agriculture."
"About $7,000,000 or 80 per cent of the products sold,
traded, or used, was reported from stock ranches . . . . . ” l /
Hence agriculture, and p articu larly livestock ranching, is of great
importance to the region.
In addition to the range lands there are the irrig ate d fields on which
hay is raised for winter feed.
Livestock ranching in th is region is based
upon a combination of winter feeding and summer pasture.
of the cash grain type.
There are few farms
In 1950 there were about 14,000 acres of wheat in the
two counties, chiefly around DilloA and in the Hot Springs d is tr ic t.
The
other grains produced were on much smaller acreages and were probably used
almost en tirely as stock feed.
The range was o rig in ally composed of various bunch grasses.
I t is
now covered by sagebrush and in some regions sagebrush has become the pre­
dominating type of vegetation.
Heedlegraee has also invaded the range.
It
furnishes reasonably good pasture In the early summer and spring but la te r the
stem of the grass becomes sharp and tough and injures the mouths of stock
attempting to feed on i t .
This needlegrass also covers a large area, being
predominant around Dillon and along the Beaverhead River in each direction.
I / Schwan, H. B., Bcononic Survey of Beaverhead and Madison Counties,
Montana. February Iy 1956. p. V.
«
- 11 —
Figure 2.
Comparison of to ta l population in Beaverhead and Madison
counties for d ifferen t census dates. 1890-1930.
12
The sagebrush serves as a p a rtia l protection to the grass under i t which is
now struggling to survive in the face of overgraslng. Zj
Where the range has been protected, as in pastures fenced by the Forest
Service, the sagebrush has not gained a foothold.
In one case where a pasture
was fenced o ff in 1919 the sagebrush then present has been largely crowded
out. 3 /
Water is quite important and so the watershed may be mentioned as a
real resource.
There are approximately 130,000 acres of irrig ated and
176,000 acres of tilla b le lands.
irrig ate d or subirrigated.
these lends.
These tilla b le lands are eith er p a rtia lly
More than h alf the people in the counties liv e on
Roads, schools, railways, and most other improvements owe th e ir
existence to them. Without irrig a tio n the ranching of the area would be
completely out of balance.
The water supply must be maintained in order for the counties to con­
tinue in a prosperous condition and to permit any expansion of population. 4 /
Recreation is important in these two counties but fo r most of the area
fenced camp grounds are considered su fficien t to take care of the campers.
However, in seme areas grasing is lim ited on th e ir account. 6 /
2j Scbwan, op. o l i . , p. 10.
3/ U. S. Department of Agriculture, A Study of Economic and Other
Problems Involving the Allocation of National fo re st Range in Beaverhead and
MadiBon Counties, Montana, December
1936. 6eot. 1 7 ,'p i 9-10.
4 / Idflia1 Scot. II, p. 9-10.
5 / Sohwan, op. c i t . , p* 4.
- 13
There is one wilderness area 6/ in th is region.
I t is a portion of
the Spanish Peaks Prim itire area, most of which lie s in G allatin County.
There are about ten thousand acres of i t In the G allatin National Forest on
the northeast side of Madison County.
There are, according to Sohwan, a
few other small areas which could be se t up as wilderness areas without unduly
displacing stock.
These areas would meet a ll foreseeable needs.
These counties have an abundance of fish and game.
There is an adequate
supply of summer range fo r a ll game, but elk and c a ttle come into competition
for the lower winter range.
There are also small bands of mountain sheep which
w ill need to have winter range set aside for them i f they increase in number.
A herd of about two hundred antelope grace in the Sweetwater Basin ju st south
of the Ruby Range. This is one of the best antelope ranges in western Montana
so far as it s situ atio n goes, but i t is now badly overgrased.
domain land rather than National Forest.
I t is on public
Moose compete with c a ttle for the
range in the western division of the Beaverhead National Forest. However,
according to Sohwan, most alarm ist arguments on shortage of feed for game are
man-made to prove the point.
Most lack of game is due to man rather than to
lack of forage.
Minerals are of considerable importance, most of the mines being in
Madison and the northern part of Beaverhead County. Three hundred and f if ty
people are regularly engaged in mining.
Many more small mines would be opened
i f transportation became easier, market prices rose, or other cost factors were
favorably affected.
The average annual value of the minerals mined in 1928 and
Gj/ Y
! d o me s a r e a may be defined as one in which roads are not b u ilt
and the vegetation is l e f t unchanged. Hunting is permitted which distinguishes
i t from a "primeval" area. Grasing i s , of course, forbidden.
• 14 *
1934 WRE #276,000» Mining would seem to be on the upward path in importance, l /
Types of Banohea
Most of the ranches run th e ir stock upon the National Forest during the
summer and lease or own private range fo r spring and f a ll erasing.
There are
also d is tr ic ts , notably Annstoad, where the public domain is an important
factor in spring and f a ll grasing.
Hay is fed during the w inter by a l l the
ranches and some la te f a ll grasing is obtained from the haylands a fte r they
have been out over* A few ranchers leave th e ir c a ttle on the open range a ll
winter and feed hay only during storms. More sheep ranches follow th is practice
than c a ttle ranches, however.
Stock water is ample over most of the range ex­
cept on the public domain. Large amounts of hay are put up in the Big Hole
Valley and th is is occasionally sold and shipped out of the valley.
There is plenty of hay raised to winter present numbers of livestock.
There is a Iaok of range.
In discussing the gross income end p ro fits of ranches in Madison and
Beaverhead counties th is report does not attempt to distinguish the areas within
the counties. Nor does i t attempt to set up as desirable or undesirable any
certain "standard of liv in g ."
to year.
Grose income and profits vary widely from year
The rancher must balance hie operations over a number of years and
comparative s ta tis tic s are not available fo r a long enough time to say with
certainty exactly what income should be for any p articular year to guarantee
the proper "standard of living."
Community Organisation
The residents of these two counties liv e in a series of mountain valleys.
These valleys are separated from each other either by narrow canyons or by high
7 / 0. S. D. A., op. o i i ., Sect. I I , p. 13.
» 16
mountains.
Thus each valley becomes a separate entity*
Roads are generally rough, except for the oiled highways which run
north and south, one In each county*
Iaprevemente in the fora of telephones, e le c tric ity , or running water
are Infrequent. 6 /
&/ Sohwan, op. o l i . , p. 23.
16
II.
A DISCUSSIQgt BY MINOE CIVIL DIVISTONS, OF
RBSQUBCES MT USES OF THEM
Qrmlng and Farm Landa
Generali There are 135,000 acres of irrig ated land with an average
assessed value of $26.28 an acre in 1954, 175,000 acres of subirrigated or
p a rtia lly irrig ated land valued a t $10.14 an acre, and 1,712,000 acres of
privately owned range land valued at $2.15 an acre.
There are 2,177,500 acres
of fo re st land in the two counties and 1,154,800 acres of public domain. 9 /
Not more than h a lf of th is public domain is a t present in Taylor Gracing Dis­
tric ts .
The one d is tr ic t in these counties is D istric t V which takes in
Armstead and a portion of the eastern end of Lima regions.
The accompanying maps, figures 3_ and 4, show fo r each county the amount
and looation of irrig a te d , dry til le d , and gracing lands.
These maps do not
show a l l gracing land as certain areas have not been f ille d in on them.
The irrig a te d and subirrigated lands are, of course, grouped in the
valleys.
The biggest concentration is in the Big Hole Basin, then in the
Centennial Valley around Dell and Lima, around Dillcn, and on Horse P ra irie.
In Madison County most of the irrig atio n is in the Brandon and Union d is tr ic ts ,
and on the upper Madison. There is no dry land fanning recorded for Beaverhead
County, though in the past there has been some around Dillon.
amount in the Buby and lower Madison Valley.
There is a small
The balance of the land is fo rest
and grass lands.
(I) Wisdomt This is the most important d is tric t in the sta te in the
production of wild hay which is grown on irrig ated , subirrigated, end p a rtia lly
9 / Schwan, op. o i t ., p. Bi,
- If -
R IW
R IE
18 ~
♦: Vi
z
y
ID
Irrig ated Iaad.
Ia 1336 the acreage of wild bay wee approximately 81,000
with aa approsltoate average yield of three-quarter* of a ton per acre.
Many
eewe end two and three-year cld steer* are fattened on thle hay In the v alley .
The range is alout equally divided, according to the Ferost Service estimate,
hot ween high and medium grades* 10/ The high grade Ie on the southeast, the
medium on the west and north*
(2) Anastead* Thle d is tr ic t Is very sim ilar to Wisdom. There Is
some Irrig a tio n along the creeks and there was about 25,000 acres of hay re­
corded for 1936* There is* however, no grain*
The range in moat of thle area
is rated as low grade, although there Is a fringe of high and medium grade range
around the area,
(5)
Lima* Irrig ated land lie s largely in the valley of the Red Hook
River and is concentrated around Lima and Dell* There la some irrig a tio n on
trib u tary streams.
This area had 4,767 acres of crops other than hay in 1986.
Bay was raised on about 21,600 acres with an approatl a te average yield of twothirds of a ton to the acre.
The range is quits varied in type but except along
the valley and in Sheep Creek Basin, in the southwest corner of the county, i t
Is low in grade*
In the valley and basin i t Ie medium*
(4) Dillont
the Beaverhead hirer*
Irrig atio n is concentrated around the town of Dillon on
There 1# also seme on Dry Blacktall Creek in the south­
eastern part of the Dillon d is tr ic t.
There were about 36,000 acres of hay In
1936 with an average yield of almost one ton to the acre*
Tho hay in Dillon and
in a l l the d is tric ts of Madleon County is principally alfalfa*
Other crop* covered
1 q7" Forage 1» elaseed "a# higtTgrade which takes '£& to 33"acres' o f Torage
per head Tor a seven-month season of grasing. Medium forage takes 83 to 60 acres
per head fo r a seven-month season. Forage is classed as low grade which takes >
60 seres and over per head fo r a seven-month grasing season*
20 -
20.000 aoree.
Dillon is low enough so th a t some groin oan be raised there,
principally barley and oats with some wheat.
Most of the range in the Dillon
area is rated as medium in grade.
(6 )
Jefferson*
Irrig atio n is oonoentrated between the Big Hole and
Beaverhead Rivers before th e ir junction.
1935 was 20,000.
The acreage of hay estimated for
Other crops took 6,076 acres.
The range is low grade ex­
cept along the southeast border of the area where i t is medium.
( 6 ) Brandons
Irrig ated land is around Sheridan. There were about 9,000
acres of hay with an average yield of slig h tly more than a ton to the acre and
4.000 acres of other orop land in 1936. The grass lands are medium in grade.
(7) Unions There is irrig ated land along the Buby River.
ern edge of the area is some dry farming.
The estimated acreage of hay land
in 1956 was about 11,000 with a yield of over a ton to the acre.
approximately 6,700 acres of other crops.
On the north­
Grasing is varied.
There were
The north and
west portions of the area are principally low in grade, the east side of the
riv er and the south is medium.
( 8 ) Madisons There is not much irrig a tio n recorded for the Madison
Valley. What there is is concentrated a t the north rod of the area and along
the creeks coming out of the mountains.
In 1936 the hay acreage was estimated
as 12,000 with a yield of one and a quarter tone to the acre.
10,600 acres of other orops.
(9) Hot Springes
two counties.
There were about
The range is medium in carrying capacity.
This area has more dry farming than any other In the
I t is concentrated around Harrison and is interspersed with
some irrig ate d lands.
There were about 16,600 acres of hay in 1956 with a
21
yield of almost one and one-half tone to the acre.
The range is of medium
quality from Harrieon vest and low quality from Harrison e a st.
There Ie a
small area of cheat grass in the northeast corner of the county which is now
spreading.
Higher yields in ti e lower d is tric ts are probably due to longer
growing seasons and a heavier second cutting,
Oraslna and feed Capacities
General i TW calculation of wintering capacity of Beavwhead and Mndieon
counties which is given here is taken from Behwsn' a report and was originally
prepared by M, H. Bauadersony Department of Agricultural Economics, Montana
State Experiment Station,
The crop data used were for the harvest of 1929, I t is assumed th a t
these data are for a representative year. The crop data were reduced to pounds
of digestible nutrients, using experimental standards for the to ta l d ig estible
nutrient value (TON) of the d ifferen t feeds reported in the census.
The livestock data used to determine stock numbers for the two counties
were taken from data fo r 1933 and 1934, The source# of the data were the
records of Regional Agricultural Credit Corporation loans, United States drought
purchase. United States National forest permits, and ae eeeor+e records,
Assessor's records are taken in March when the number of mature animals is a t a
low point because of sales in the preceding f a l l , there Ie also probably some
error in reporting numbers due to a desire of ranchers to evade taxes and hence
;.;ive a low estimate of numbers. Where only assesso r's records wws obtained liv e etook numbers given were increased th ir ty per cent. The result of using these
figure# was th at numbere were arrived at considerably higher than those given
by the censue.
In using these data for livestock the ratio# between the d if ­
ferent ages and classes of c a ttle and between ewes and yearling eves which occur
in the census were applied,
A daily wintering requirement in terras of the to ta l TBB necessary to
maintain th is livestock population was computed. Winter maintenance stand*,
ards were applied to each of the d ifferen t classes of c a ttle and sheep.
To
these figures was added an estimate of the feed consumed by horses a t work
throughout the year.
The consumption of dairy cows was also computed. A fter
subtracting from the to ta l value of the feeds produced the number of pounds
of TDN needed by work horses and dairy cows the balance of the TDNs were
divided by the dally TDN requirements for range c a ttle .
wintering capacity of the feed in days.
The result was the
I t Is estimated th a t about a th ird
of the c a ttle in the Big Hole Basin are fattened on hay and th a t th is would
add forty per cent of the consumption of hay by th is th ird .
also imported for winter fattening.
Some c a ttle are
This might lower th e wintering capacity
of BeaveAead County by ten to fifteen days.
The wintering capacity, as estimated by th is method. Is 163 days fo r
Beaverhead County and 103 days fo r Madison County. The calculations in­
volved are shown by tables II through VI In the Appendix.
Quoting the Forest Services
"From a l l available data, i t appears that on a long time
basis with the range properly stocked and a proper balance
established between stored feeds, irrig ate d pastures and
range, the two counties can support about 130,000 c a ttle
and horses, and 340,000 sheep. To reach these recommended
figures means a reduction of 43,360 c a ttle and horses and
97,000 sheep from the numbers of livestock estimated to
be on hand in 1936. In percentage I t mean# 26 per cent
Iese c a ttle and 22 per cent less sheep." l l /
D istric ts:
The earns calculations may be carried out fo r each area.
In estimating the numbers of livestook they are regarded as distributed among
the d is tric ts in the same proportions that existed in the 1936 census figures.
l l / U. S. D. A., op. c l t . , Sect. IV, p. 11 end Seci. m . p. IB f f .
• 28
Homw ere a llo tte d la proportion to the number of reaches| two teems to
e ranch.
The wintering capacity of the d ifferen t d is tric ts Is computed through
the tables shown In the Appendix. Figure 6 gives a comparison o f the number
of animal u n its, 12/ excluding work horses and dairy c a ttle , which there are
to w inter in each d is tr ic t with the number of pounds of digestible nutrients
whieh are grown in the d is tr ic ts fo r th a t purpose.
Zn th is discussion the
grasing value of cut over pasture is included with the hay which is taken o ff
it.
Table I I shows the number e f days wintering capacity fo r each region
and th e number of days fo r which su fficien t range fo r the present numbers is
available.
The carrying capacity ef the range i# taken from a Forest Service Sur­
vey ef range carrying capacity.
This report gives the surface acres of private
pasture, public domain, s ta te land, and irrig a te d pasture fo r -aoh d is tr ic t
and the estimated forage acres fo r a normal year as to ta ls fo r # aoh county. 18/
In breaking down the forage acres to represent each area they were given in
the same proportion as th at in which the surface acres occurred. This i s
admittedly not an exhaustive procedure because of the recognised difference
in the quality of pasture in d ifferen t d is tr ic ts .
However, su fficien t In­
formation wae not available to make possible the proper weighting e f the
various areas to provide for quality of pasture.
To the Survey estimate of
......... 12/ One cow or five sheep equals an animal unit'. '
18/ A forage acre of pasture may be defined as a surface aero of
maximum density of stand and p a la ta b ility of species of forage.
— 24 -
D lstr io t
AnnstMid
D illea
Llsa
Wisdom
BreaAm
Hot
Springe
Jeffersmi
Medisen
Union
Figure 6 , Coqperiseo of the number of Sniiaal xmltey both o e tt\e sad
sheep, and the nuaher of pounds of d ig estib le nutrients fo r winter­
ing them. By Minor Civil Divisions. A relativ e comparison of d istricts*
actual production of hay and cut-over pasture for 1935 used.
Refer t e tables XII, XV, and XVl in the Appendix.
Table II* Wintering and Range Capaeity for Beaverhead and Madiaon Countiea by
Minor Civil Divisiona, Expreaaed in Days. J1o r BtiBber of
Livestock Preeent in 1933-34*
Area
bays of Wintering
Cut-over
pasture
Days of Range
Range other than
S at. For.
Total
BeaverhMid Co.
67
165
120
22
372
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom m/
65
57
54
158
114
161
69
326
91
105
166
118
19
20
18
51
277
321
277
652
50
101
81
50
242
29
34
40
26
92
168
HO
87
69
60
82
26
17
28
47
31
207
291
244
266
206
Madison Co.
Brandcm
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
20
66
106
86
a / The reason th a t the values fo r wintering stock in Wisdom are entirely
out of lin e is that a large proportion of the c a ttle there are fattened on hay.
They were not included on th is b asis, however, because figures aa to the exact
number fattened or the amount of hay fed are lacking. This also d isto rts the
average given fo r the county as a whole. Types of c a ttle fattened are cows, twoyear old ste e rs, and three-year old ste e rs.
~ 26 •
range outside the Bstienal Forest sas added the feeding value of Forest SrasIng Permits Issued to stookaea within the two counties in 1936.
In enumera­
ting the number of animals dependent upon the range, horses not already
counted as being a t work and dairy c a ttle not being fed were included.
Great differences ex ist within the counties in amounts of range and
winter feed,
Zn Madleen County, for example, the Madlaon area has 168 days
for 1933-1934 numbers of stock.
of range but Braaden has only 86 days,/ The l portsnoe of th e National Forest
range Is shewn by the f a s t th a t I t comprises almost a th ird of the to ta l days
of range for one area, Brandon. And in Li n , the d te trlo t where i t U a
smaller proportion of the to ta l than in any other, i t aakee up one-tenth of
a l l range in number of days capacity.
I t Ie I important also to remember th a t
th is range is the highest and la about a l l th a t Is available during midsummer.
I t should be pointed out th a t the femge acre estimate upon which
th is range carrying capacity calculation la baaed was made during a dry year
and then revised upward by the o ffic ia ls of the Foreet Service. 14/ I t Is
the best information available but check surveys should bo made to achieve
the accuracy which is needed.
Livsstoek Humber#
The number of c a ttle in BeaveAead County has decreased twenty-four
per cent from 1923 to 1936 according to estimates shown in ta b le I I I .
ing the earns period sheep have increased sharply in numbers.
Dur­
In Madlsen
County, however, there ere about the same number of c a ttle now as a t the
e a rlie r time.
Sheep have not increased nearly so much in Madison County a#
op, o li.." Soci;. IV. p." 'l l .
27 -
In Bwrerheads The greeter Inoreeee in eheep hae probably been, "enoouraged
by e Scmewhet more favorable price relationship since about 1926 and alee
by superior a b ility of eheep to maintain themeelvee on range depleted by
drouth and Overgraeingsw 16/ On an animal u n it baa la , se ttin g five sheep
equal to one oow, th e proportion of eaoh 1# about the earn# a t present.
Management Praotloaa
The following data are from a range management survey made by the
Montana Experiment S tatlan e There were th irty -e ig h t ranchos surveyed In
the two counties, ease In eaoh of the d is tric ts studied except Ohlons The
results given are answers to a questionnaire and consist of the ranchers’
opinions on the matter in question#
The organisation of those ranches la
shown by table XXIV in the Appendix#
the
The fame having th e greatest average acreage e f crops occur in/D illon D istric t.
One ranch reported two acres of dry crop lead and no dry hay lend was reported#
The ideal annual lease cost of range land e f the carrying capacity
estimated fo r th is d is tr ic t varies from ten cents to four and a th ird cents
when calculated on the basis of c a ttle prices from 1890 to 1990# I t varies
from ten and two-thirds to four and a h alf cents on the basis of sheep and
wool prices for the same period# 16/ The higher values apply only to the
beet grating lands, which, according to the Forest Service Survey, l i e south
lfe/ !Es''S#'~b, A#, op# o l t s , 'Sects' 111, p»TIs ,
I Li/ Saundcredn, M, H# and Bolster, H« 9#, Lease Values of Montana
Range land.
Table III,
Comparison of Livestoek Numbers for 1935, 1930, and 1923, a/
Area
All Cattle
1936
1930
1923
Sheep (in actual numbers)
1936
1930
1925
87,068 76,100 114,746
338,250
291,480
246,662
20,113 17,679
26,772 22,626
12,886 11,263
20,297 24,732
26,506
53,965
16,982
37,292
69,632
112,975
136,300
30,443
61,300
97,354
116,592
26,233
43,411
82,582
98,661
22,199
61,720 36,428
62,890
213,400
262,630
176,540
4,966 3,401
Brandon
Hot Springs^*,792 10,132
Jefferson 15,668 10,664
10,664 7,298
Madison
6,741 3,933
Union
6,077
16,127
15,920
10,895
6,871
36,918
10,457
49,082
39,906
77,037
43,706
12,379
58,106
47,242
91,199
30,507
8,641
40,568
32,976
63,669
Beaverhead Co,
Armstead
Dillon
Lina
Wisdom
Madisro Co.
a / The figures given are an average of corrected assessors* data and
estimates made by the Montana Experimrot Station,
- 29aad east of Wisdom in the Big Hole Basin and along the western border of the
Armstead d is tr ic t.
These values are not the prices being charged but are
the ideal rates which the land should support with c a ttle and sheep prices
a t the average level se t over th e forty-year period 1890 to 1930.
The present average lease cost fo r twenty-four ranches in Beaverhead
County is nine cents.
eleven cents.
The value for fourteen ranches in Madison County is
I f the Wisdom area were l e f t out of the average fo r Beaver­
head County i t would drop to about seven cents.
Wisdom is unduly high be­
cause of the leasing of subirrigated pasture and some hay land together with
range.
Too few ranches were sampled in each d is tr ic t to ju s tify elaborate
comparisons.
I t is f e l t , however, that where a great majority answered a
question in one way or another i t does indicate a definite opinion on the
question in th a t d is tr ic t and represents the trend of th a t opinion.
In most of the d is tric ts hay is fed regularly during the winter by a l l
of the ranches sampled.
In a ll but one of the d is tric ts less than half of
the ranches sampled fed grain to th e ir calves.
Few ranchers thought th a t c a ttle were put on the range too early in the
spring and only in Armstead did more titan h alf the ranchers think th a t the
range in the community was overstocked.
In th is d is tr ic t one-third of the
land is public domain and i t is to th is th a t they were referring for the most
p art.
In no d is tr ic t did as many as h alf of th e ranchers feel th a t deferred
and rotation graslng could be used to improve the range.
P ractically the same
80 -
opinion WM registered as to the need for mere supplemental feed*
Over h alf of the ranchers in Beavexhemd County, exempting the Visden
d is tr ic t, f e lt the need for development of stock water, principally on public
domain.
Leee than h alf thought th is was needed in Madison County. Opinion
was against contour furrowing on th e range to preserve moisture and aid in
controlling run-off.
However, i t was less opposed to contour furrowing than
in other portions of the s ta te .
Over h alf favored i t in Arastoad and Lima,
Wisdom and Brandkm w re the only regions whore more than h a lf of the
ranchers thought i t was possible to Improve conditions by developing Irrigated
pastures*
Opinion was divided en the question of roe ceding abandoned farm lands to
restore range.
Opinion was also divided on the d e sira b ility of carrying over
eld grass, however over h alf of the ranchers in each d is tr ic t f e l t th at carry­
ing ever old grass would re su lt in range improvement. Thle proportion was not
as large as in the eastern portion of the state*
38
surveyed
T hirty-six of the/mnohee/have HaUenal Forest grating permits* All but
five lease seme range lend.
Hay or grain was ! ought as feed during a normal year by a l l the ranchers
questioned in Jefferson and by more than h alf of thee# in Lima.
In the other
d is tric ts very few of the ranchers bought eith er hay or grain.
In most oases
grain, i f used a t a l l , was fed only to horses, b u lls, busks, and week animals.
The great majority of th e c a ttle ranchers sold th eir stock as two-year
elds.
8 lx ranches sold both ones and twos and two ranches in the Wiedeai d is t r ic t
cold only th rees. When asked the weight of th e ir yearling c a ttle the most
- S l -
f request answer wae seven hundred and f if t y pounds. For an average weight
appears
th is estim ate/ too high.
Table IV gives the average wintering period for these ranches.
Except
fo r Annstead where I t Is much shorter and Hot Springs where i t is a good deal
longer th is period corresponds reasonably well with the time recommended by
the Forest Service.
Table I?. Average Wintering Period for 38 Sampled Benches.
Area
Beaverhead Co.
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
Madison Co.
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Number oF
Ranches
Days Wintering
24
4
6
6
9
115
181
139
188
14
2
3
3
6
90
167
136
114
Tables XIV and XXVI in the Appendix show the organisation of ranches and
lease cost of range for ninety-five P.C.A. records of ranches In these two
counties.
The ranches are arranged by type.
Lease costs are slig h tly higher
than In the range management survey, probably because of a difference in the
years used.
Value of Ranches
Table V shows the average value of land and buildings and other figures
52
on organisation as reported by the census of 1950» Table VI is taken from
page 64 of Sohwan*a report and gives the ranch equipment investment as shown
by P»C»A» records fo r various types of ranches in these counties.
The value of lend and buildings in Beaverhead County averaged almost
twice as much as in Madison, chiefly because the ranches in Beaverhead have
almost twice as much land.
The ranches in the Big Hole Basin were the smallest in area of those in
Beaverhead County but had the greatest average value of land and buildings of
those in any region.
The average value of land in the Wisdom d is tric t was the
highest In the county.
The ranches in the Armstead region have the highest average acreage of
any, and the lowest coat per core.
Equipment investment per head was much the largest for the small e a ttle
ranches.
I t Ie lowest for the large sheep o u tfits .
Land Ownership
In each d is t r ic t in Beaverhead County more land is owned by the United
States than by a l l other agencies put together.
In a l l the d is tric ts of Beaver­
head County but Wiadom there is a p ractically even d istrib u tio n of the United
States land between Forest and public domain.
In Wiadcm there is nine times as
much fo rest as public domain. Land tenure maps, figures £ and 7, show the
type of ownership by location in each county.
*
;
•
Of a ll the d istric t# In both counties there is only one. Hot Springs,
in which the land owned by Individuals is more than h alf the to ta l.
In Jefferson and Madieon areas there is a large amount of land owned by
• 3» •
B lW
M A D ISO N
CO U N TY
PRIVATE
OW NED
PRIVATE
LEASED
| | j j ] COUNTY
PU B LIC
D O M A IN
U
Figure • •
^
STATE
CORPORATE
Ie*4 tenure eep f o r Medieee Couatye
Table V* Fam Organisation, from the 16th Census* By Minor
Civil Dlvltims«
Area
Ho* of Av. Value
farms
of land A
reporting buildings
Ave. Av. value No. of
farms
no.
per
report.
acres acre
Beaveriiead Co*
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
561
73
196
169
124
*20,016
17,710
20,434
17,622
23,779
2,341
2,847
2,321
2,408
1,986
*9
Madison Co*
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
783
96
179
207
177
125
11,552
10,986
10,901
9,146
14,323
12,976
1,206
963
1,406
1,686
194
30
74
64
36
1,266
1,441
1,109
1,819
616
10
12
8
11
12
8
675
85
157
189
146
96
72
64
231
37
35
64
52
46
720
230
561
664
1,237
88
77
68
65
668
Type of Eanoh
Small c a ttle & sheep
Small sheep
Small c a ttle
Medium c a ttle
Large c a ttle
Large sheep
18
18
18
24
10
I
Humber
of
cases
Mt
Investment in Ranch Equipment by D ifferent Types of Ranches, a /
I3
Table TI.
12
167
328
122
103
231
9
7
1,197
Av. no.
sheep
460
53
183
108
106
6
868
Ave. no. No. of
of
farms
c a ttle
report.
Cattle
Sheep
62
442
761
67
196
962
7
a / Source* Schwan, op* o lt* , p. 64
6,628
Av. equip.
invest, per
ranch
Av* equip, investment
per head
Cattle
Sheep
*676
677
723
1,410
7,767
3,066
*7.04
18.70
7.20
8.06
*0.70
0.89
• 0.55
• 38 w
railro ad s, th is Lnoreasee the percentage of corporate owned land In the county
considerably.
Much of th is railroad land lie s w ithin the boundaries of the
O allatln Rational Forest.
Table VII shows the number of aero# In each division and also the
number of acres owned by public, corporate, and private In te re sts. A more
thorough analysis of each type Is presented by tables XXVII through XXX In
the Appendix.
Markets
Mere than fo u r-fifth s of the c a ttle marketed outside the sta te from
Beaverhead County go to Loa Angela#, Sen Francisco, and th e Ogden-Salt lake
City markets.
markets.
Only a email per cent go to middle-western or northwestern
In fa c t, no one market, except those already mentioned, gets as rauoh
as four per cent of the to ta l.
Theee c a ttle are shipped south, going out from Dillon and way stations
through Monida to S alt Lake City and other markets. The c a ttle shipped to
northwest points go north to Butt# and are transferred to th e Northern Paoiflo
route.
The meet important o u t-o f-state markets for Madison County are Omaha,
Lee Angeles, and Chicago,
the importance of Los Angelee being due to stock
shipped from the western portions of Jefferson, Brandon, Union, and the southern
p art of Madison d is tr ic ts .
Thwe c a ttle would naturally go out on the Oregon
Short Lino as do most of th e Beaverhead Cotmty c a ttle , except those from the
upper end of the Madison d is tr ic t which are driven couth and shipped from Mg
Springs, Idaho. The balance go east on the Northern P acific.
county s ta tis tic s available on sheep shipments.
There arc no
- 37
__
of
Table ZXXI la the Appendix gives a tabulation of a l l markets and/nmnbers of c&tt
shipped as an average of the seven-year period 1929 through 1936.
Public Service
The tendency has quite d efin itely been for ranch headquarters to con­
centrate in the irrig ate d valleys.
However, in the more th in ly populated
areas, the Big Hole Valley, Armstead, the southern part of Union, and the
western p art of Dillon d is tr ic ts , services are less developed than In the
more populous regions.
A large per cent, about fo rty , of the farmers in each county liv e on un­
improved d ir t roads. Another forty per cent liv e on d ir t roads th a t have been
improved but not gravelled.
At present the large ranches frequently have very well b u ilt and equipped
houses.
However, a large proportion of the small operators liv e without many
of the conveniences.
The principal cause fo r th is Is low income. But a con­
trib u tin g factor is th a t i t takes time to accumulate improvements and th is
region has not been se ttle d long enough to have gradually b u ilt up substantial
houses as has been done in seme communities in the eastern p art of the United
S tates, whloh have been long se ttle d .
Thle region was orig in ally settled more
as a speculative venture than to build homee.
I t is only quite recently th a t
a more permanent type of tenure hae developed.
Table VIII shows the extent to which certain improvements have been adapted and also the type of road on which ranchers liv e .
R etail stores are concentrated in the town of Dillon which has two-thirds
of the store# in Bmiverhead County. Hot sale# per capita were $661 in Beaverhead
I
58
Z
Table VII. Area of Eaoh Minor Civil Division, and Land Owned In Each by Publle,
Corporate, and Private Croupe.
Area
Total acres
in
Area
Total owned
by public
agencies
Total owned
by corporate
groups
Total owned
by
individuals
Beaverhead Co.
Anestead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
3,662,608
644,280
918,390
1,023,677
1,066,361
2,628,671
386,767
691,939
740,361
808,624
60,268
3,890
18,609
12,880
24,979
963,679
163,630
307,960
270,366
231,744
ltiidieen Co.
Brendon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
2,279,660
182,438
326,217
369,966
824,684
687,466
1,280,637
96,923
134,929
176,379
478,236
396,170
181,264
11,119
14,634
41,222
84,967
19,452
817,736
76,396
176,749
142,361
261,377
172,863
Table VIII.
Fam Convenienoee and Roads, a /
!Beaverhead Co.
MacLlaon CoT
HOe report.
*
Ho. report.
%
100
748
288
169
100
681
Total farms in county
222
Telephones, no. farms reporting
120
Water piped into farmer's house
96
Water piped into bathroom
109
House lighted by e le c tric ity
Eleotrio motors for farm work.
farms reporting
17
Kind of road on which farms are located
Gravel road
20
249
Improved d ir t road
228
Unimproved d ir t road
84
All other (including not rep o rt.)
a / Souroei
38
21
38
88
21
12
107
14
3
29
4
3
43
39
14
86
11
327
303
32
44
41
4
17
19
16th Census of the United S tates.
W 38 W
County and *866 In Hadieon County. Thie d iffe r «100 wae probably due to buy­
ing outside the county by th e people of Madieon County. They undoubtedly
chopped in Dillon and Boseeen ae well ae other large towns outside of the
oeuaty.
A summary of r e ta il diet r i but ion Ie given by tab le 33031 in the Appendix.
The public service maps of each county, figures JB and JBf show the loca­
tio n of schools, highways, power lin es, telephone lin e s, and railway# fo r each
county.
There are more power lines in Madienn County than in Beaverhead, those
llnee lead chiefly to mine# around Virginia City and in th e B itterroot Mountains.
There are th ir ty schools open in Beaveshsad County and th irty -fo u r in
Madison.
Those schools are rather evenly distributed through the area#
Ballway lin es in these counties are the Oregon Short Line, Northern
P acific, and the Qllmour and Pittsburgh. There are no linos in the northwest
h a lf of Beaveshaad County though a t one time there wae a proposal to run a spur
of th e Merthesn Pacific into the Big Hole Basin. The Oregon Short Line rune
from Butte south through D illen, Armstead, Lima, and Monlda, to Ogden* The
Silaour and Pittsburgh rune from the Oregon Short Line a t Armtead across the
mountains into Idaho where i t term inates.
The Northern Paolfio has a spur
running up the Ruby Valley to Aider and another up the Madison Valley to Horrie.
There are no shipping points in the upper endo of these valleys though tome
stock Ie driven south across the Bamry1S Lake Mountains
and
shipped
from Idaho.
Taxatlen
The m ill levy In Beaverhead and Madlaen is about average for Montana
R4
R I W
®
®
- t I It
-I------L-
LARGER TO W N i
P O iT O F F IC E S
POWER LINES
TELEPHONE LINES
M A D IS O N
COUNTY
COMPILED
BY
MONTANA STATE COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURAL
ECONOMICS
flgert •#
*nblte eerrice map far Madleea Couatye
41
* 42 *
counties.
The average fo r the s ta te in 1958 was 67.475 m ills.
The ra te In
Beavwrttead wee 67.685 and In Medleen 66.095. Tax rates have declined since
1984. Aeeeesment valuations have alee been reduced In lin e with the general
trend of prices.
Due te the lew valuation put on graslng lands in these counties
the actual tax on them la much below th e average for Montana counties.
In
ether lc e a lltie e where the lend Ie assessed a t a higher value, though the gras­
lng Ie e f no b e tte r q uality, the tax burden Ie much heavier.
In order te enter
Into effective competition with counties which are nearer to markets and have
a longer growing season th is favorable tax ra te should be maintained. 17/ Tax
data are given by table# XXXIlI and XXXIV in the Appendix.
Mortgage Ddbt
A study of 96 Preduetl<m Credit Aeeeelatien records fo r Bcavertiead
and Madlaen counties shews an average balance due per head e f from #66.44 to
♦19.68 fo r d ifferen t types ef o u tfits having e a ttle .
Ths largest balance le
due on the combination c a ttle and sheep ranches, the sm allest on the large
e a ttle o u tf its .
The balance due per head varies, fo r sheep, from #7.48 te
#5*17. The larger value Ie for email sheep o u tfits , the smaller fo r the large
o u tfits .
Delinquency varies from six per cent te two-tenths e f a per cent ef
on real estate
valuation. All dellnqueney/exe apt th a t fo r medium else c a ttle ranches Is tee
per cent or below. Thle same class e f ranches owns a large proportion e f the
land they use. 18/
A ta b le in Srtwan1S report shows the relatio n ef labor lnooae to debt
T 7 /~ Sohwan, o p Z o i i . , p . 1 ^ 0 4 7
18/ Idem, p, GD.
«• 4S *
chargee, l g / I t ehow* th a t, "la a l l cases the actual to ta l cash Income could
be one-fourth to one-third greater i f those debt charges could be elim inated.••
high land prices during the twenties and the resulting Indebtedness may be
said to be the cause of most of the ranchers* troubles today,
20/
The average ra tio of chargee to debt, th a t Is the real In terest ra te ,
fo r mortgagee in 1929 was seven per eent fo r Beaverhead County and six and
nine-tenths per eent fo r Madleom County. The average fo r the whole s ta te was
approximately six and three-quarters per cent.
Table XXXV In the Appendix
•hows the farm mortgage debt as compiled by the census in 1950.
Coneentratlon of Ownership
The number of owners and the to ta l nusber of
u n its of livestock
owned In d ifferen t else groups is shown by figures H end ]&.
Th* accompanying
maps, figures ULand U , shew the number of sheep and c a ttle on ranches 1» the
two counties.
The large numbers of stock on a few ranches in Beaverhead County
are clearly shown by figure 12
,
The d istrib u tio n of lives took between small,
medium, end large ranches is shown by ta b le CU
Table EU Concentratioa of Ownership of Liveetook in Beaverhead
and Madison counties. Expressed in Per Cent.
Area
Sanoiies with
less than 100
animal u n its .
JCof
JCef
to ta l
to ta l
an.units
owners
Ranohes with Too
to 490 animal
unite
JC of
% of
to ta l
to ta l
owners an. units
Banohee with 600
and more
unite
% of
JC of
to ta l
to ta l
owners
an.units
Beaverhead Co.
87
4
42
28
81
72
Madiews Ce.
64
IB
89
48
7
40
19/ Sebwwn, op, o i t . , p. 62,
20/ Idem, p. 68.
- 44
The groups having from 300 to 500 animal unite may be considered a#
the most efficie n t under ordinary conditions* They ere the ranches which are
of such a size th at they can be competently managed by one man. The capa­
b ility of the manager is frequently a lim iting factor*
Quoting from the
report of the Forest Service«
"Probably the most important single factor In determining
the upper lim its of size is the fin an cial organisation of
ranch business and the capacity of the operator as a manager
and as a business and financial administrator* These fun­
ctions of management usually have to be combined in one
individual on the Mealier ranches* The Iargwr ones usually
have a partnership or a corporate fora of business organiza­
tio n with the management functions specialized." 21/
At present there is a d efin ite tendency to consolidate small ranches
and break down large ones in order to achieve a true "economic unit*" 22/
Here the term "economic unit" is used to mean th a t set-up of the ranch and
stock where the feed is most effic ie n tly used without the range being overgraced*
As shown by Table ZX there if s t i l l a large number of ranches with leas
stock than is needed for an adequate income to the ranch family* Thirty-seven
per cent of the to ta l number of ranches in Beaverhead County and 54 per cent
in Madison County having Ieee than 100 animal unite of cat tie or sheep*
21/ Ue 3* De A*I Op* C it e * Sect * III* P* 13*
22/
Idem, Sect. XXI* p. 29,
R 3
Ti N
C ounty
)
Fij3 F 1
• Belov/ 9 0 0 S heep
0 9 0 0 - 3 6 0 0 •*
#■ Over 3 6 0 0 S heep
+ Below IBS C a t t l e
1
V R ancht9 I p M
5S0CO0
Over 500 Ca t t l b
3 6 0 0 S hbbp
^
R6
M A D IS O N
COUNTY
COMPILED
BY
MONTANA STATE
DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
ECONOMICS
Figure 10.
lend tenure sad e lse of Itaeeh me* fe r MkXIieea Geuatf •
- 46 -
,5 '"l.
0 $?
■
Figure H .
Laai tenure aad siz e ef ranch map for Beaverfiwul Cev.nty,
y
Thousands of
Ho* of
Sise
°f V “ t S §
Ji
r^noh
& &
in
H
cu &
io 6»
livestock units
Figure 12.
opera I/O
H
3
3
i
4 i
r4
05
3
8 §
CO
CU
OJ
OJ
u*
8IO
8to 8C-
8
CE)
5 i A A AAAA
o»
O)
xjt
H
o»
a*
OJ
CD
OJ
H
OJ
CU
A At o AO
CU
Concentration of ownership of livestock in Madison County.
From data compiled by the Montana Experiment Station.
3000-5999
Itbdk units
Operators
SaaU
6
in livestock unite
itratien of ownership of Iiveetock to Beaverhead County
Fm s data em ptied by the Montana Bxperlaeot Station*
• 49
III.
ADJUSTMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The major problems raised by th is thesis are the overstocking of the
range, the production of more hay than is needed in relatio n to the grating
capacity on a sustained yield basis, the need fo r ranches of a else which w ill
provide an adequate income, and the d iffic u lty of providing services to out­
lying ranches*
Overstocking of the range may be alleviated by reducing the number of
animal units gr&sing on the range and by increasing the amount of irrig ated
pasture on which they may grate, or by a combination of both processes.
The
forest Service recommends a combination method* They says
"However, to support the maximum number of livestock without
overstocking dry land ranges, i t Ie probable that in the
neighborhood of 22,000 livestock unite could be provided for
on irrig ated pasture* I f such an adjustment can be made, the
to ta l livestock units recommended for the area involved be­
comes 198,000 and would involve to ta l reductions below 1935
numbers of 62,000 or 24 per cent*" 23/
To convert the necessary amount of land to pasture an average of twof ifth s of the present hay lands in each county would need to be used as
pasture#
Under the present set-up Llm is the only d is tr ic t which would not
need to convert hay land to pasture. The calculations involved are shown in
tables TH to XXIII in the Appendix* But the questionnaire of the farm manage­
ment survey shows that in trie opinion of the ranchers themselves i t is not
practicable to convert more hay land to pasture except in Wisdom and Brandon
area#.
I f marginal hay lands e r e converted to irrig ated and subirrigated
pasture i t could be used for sumser range and the dry land range could be
used in spring and f a l l and be allowed to rest during the summer* Conversion
2 § / U. S e D . Ae, Op . Cite, S e c t . I T , PeIfi
60 -
of marginal hay lands to pasture would be an effective method of Increasing
the supply of range and making I t commensurate with the remaining hay lands.
The p rac tic a b ility of such a course may be questioned on the grounds th a t i t
might Increase co sts. However, records cited by M. H. Saunderson Indicate
th at th is Is not the case.
"In th is area (Big Hole Basin) the native grasses are irrigated
d irec tly from mountain streams a t low cost and pastured during
the summer and f a ll months. The recordsof th is type of opera­
tion show a lower grasing cost per oow month than for the dry
range lands of any p art of the sta te (10
wIO) This amounted to an average of about SO cents a month on
Irrig ated pastures, compared with 46 cents a month on dry range
land." 24/
I f expansion of irrig ate d pastures can be accomplished where costs
are very lew i t w ill be advantageous not only in allev iatin g overstocking
but also, possibly, in reducing costs.
The number of c a ttle fattened on hay in the Wisdom d is tr ic t probably
makes the present surplus of winter feed there more apparent than re a l.
If
the number fattened there and in Ametead could be increased to use the sur­
plus wild hay then perhaps the number of stock might be reduced somewhat with­
out a decrease in the income of the Individual ranches.
In Hot Springs,
Jefferson, and Dillon areas perhaps i t would be possible to produce some more
grain and diversify the type of agriculture on the irrig ate d , subirrigated,
and eam i-irrigated lands more than has been done in the past.
I f , as the Forget Service states*
"Abuse of one kind or another has
24/ Saunders on, M. ifT/ Readjusting Montana1s Agriculture, Rooncaalo
Changes in Montana's Range Livestock Production. Montana Agricultural
Experiment Station' B u lletin S ll, 'p." 26.
61 -
reduced the range 60 per cent to 76 per cent," 86/ i t ncy he th a t with proper
range management the carrying capacity of the range may he returned to Ite
former level*
" I t Ie estimated th a t the productive capacity of th e present
range area ae a whole should he restored su fficie n tly within
60 years to support adequately the equivalent of the present
number of livestook, or a t the rat# of 6*8 acres per animal
month*" 8 (|/
Under Section 16 of the se t the Seeretary of In te rio r is given the
power to loose isolated tra c ts of not lose than a section to contiguous owners
fo r gracing purposes, under such restric tio n s as he may s e t up* Under th is
provision much of the public domain in Beaverhead and Madleen counties which
is not within the present boundaries of the grafting d is tr ic t can probably
be controlled*
A Taylor Grafting D letrlet has now been se t up in Beaverhead County,
i t covers the Armstead d is tr ic t, the western part of Dillon, and Lima around
Red Seek Lake. The public domain in th is region is no longer open to HoaeetMd
Ehtry and grafting w ill be on stip u lated portions of the range with a d efin ite
carrying capacity lim itation*
Under the Taylor Grafting Aet the Seeretary of
In terio r Ie also given the authority to exchange public lands outside of a
grafting d is tr ic t fo r private or sta te lends within was, thus concentrating
the land fo r ease in adm inistration and doing sway with the crafty q u ilt pat­
te rn of ownership now prevalent*
lS /
y,' s. D. A. op. C i t . , Summary, p. 8 ,
26/ The Ttestern Rsago, Senate Document 199, pp* 466-467*
- 62
I t should be realised th a t the range in th is area is d istin c tly seasonal
in character.
The National Forest is the summer range, publio domain end leased
or owned private range is used for sp rin g -fall graelng, and gracing during the
la te f a l l and winter is usually done on out over hay meadows. The hay produced
on these meadows is fed during the w inter. When in proper balance the whole
of the feed resources is effic ie n tly used.
Quoting again from The Western
R&nge,
"Now that maladjustments in land ownership and use are beginning
to receive attention and a t le a st p art of the public domain Is to
be regulated as gracing d is tr ic ts , i t w ill be possible, especially
since so much of the range land is s t i l l in public ownership, to
begin to correct a bad situ atio n . In such a program the public
and p rivately owned range and forage crop lands should be considered
in fu ll relationship to each other.* 27/
But th is problem is not simply one of leg islatio n ,
the private
range land problem was largely created and continues to ex ist precisely be­
cause many owners were not wholly free agents, financially able to manage
constructively.
As a general means of effective public action, regulation
by law can hardly be looked on with confidence." 28/ The rancher has been,
forced into hie present position by high taxes and original cost of range land#
These created a heavy burden of fixed costs which he was forced to meet.
Yet
he had to buy the range so th a t he could exclude from i t other c a ttle which
were competing with his own for the forage which the range afforded. As these
fixed costs increased the only altern ativ e of the rancher was to put more liv e ­
stock on the range.
One remedy for th is sita tio n w ill be control of the present
~Zlf~TiieTTestem Range,
28/ Ide nt p. 42 9.
p. 458.
63 -
public domain and a gradual repurchase of lands, now held by private in­
dividuals,
This is the method proposed as the best by The Western Rangel
"Public, and p articu larly Federal, ownership thus appears
to be on the whole the most effective weapon of attack
on the problems of private ownership of low-grade range
lands, and of deteriorating range lands having high
public values." 29/
With more than half of the range land owned by the Federal government
and subject to grasing only under certain conditions i t is possible to control
the manner in which private ranges are grased, merely by malring i t a con­
dition of issue of permits th a t the permittee shall not grass his private
range a t more than so many head per section or he shall fo rfe it his permit
to National Forest and public domain grating.
I f permits to grate on the public domain in grating d is tric ts and leases
on the public domain not la grating d is tric ts are based on the a b ility of the
ranch to supply proper feed without overstocking Airing the balance of the
year, the whole range can be controlled.
permits on the same policy of course.
The Forest Service should base its
The seasonal character of the range,
which was mentioned on the preceding page, makes i t essen tial th at most ranchers
get grasing on government land.
Such control by the government would not be
successful i f the ranchers did not approve of i t .
th a t they w ill.
But there is l i t t l e doubt
They do not wish to overstock the range but in many instances
they have been forced into such a policy by competition for unrestricted range
and by the high cost of range leased for short terms.
29/ The Western Range, p. 452,
In other cases the slowness
• 64
with which depletion has showed i ts e lf has led i t to be ignored,
the leas­
ing of tre a ts of public domain nay react favorably on the leasing of private
lands, settin g a standard of value and type of lease which the private owners
nay follow.
In discussing overstocking of range two methods of bringing hay
production into balance have been mentioned.
One is the conversion of mar­
ginal hay lands to pasture, the other, the long time project of recovery of
range to a point where i t w ill adequately maintain present numbers of livestock.
When th is takes place a true balance can be reached.
In the past, hay has been
shipped out of the Big Hole Valley whenever hay prices were high enough to
make such a course more profitable than feeding the hay.
This occurs under
drought conditions in other parts of the s ta te .
The balance between livestock numbers and hay production w ill probably
be brought about by a combination of facto rs. A few of these would be, the
maximum number of livestock which the range w ill support, the number which
could be fed and fattened fo r a p ro fit on th e hay which would be available
a fte r deducting a wintering ration, and the comparative profitableness of con­
verting some, or a l l , of the hay lands which produced th a t surplus above a
w intering, -ation to irrig ated pasture. '
There is a d efin ite natural tendency for ranches of an economic s ite
to increase.
The large ranches tend to break up, the small ones to consolidate.
Jo in t ownership has been discriminated against in the past by the Forest Ser­
vice, p artic u larly through restric tio n s imposed by protective lim its In the
issuance of grating permits.
Since the permits have been issued to individual
55
MADISON
COUNTY
RANGE IN PROBABLE GROSS
INCOME PER FARM
LEGEND
■
UNDER
$1000
IjO0 0 - $
1,999
Q
$ 2 ,0 0 0 -$ 4 ,9 9 9
E 3
$ 5 , 0 0 0 - $ 9 ,9 9 9
I I $10,000 a OVER
figure 14. Rsege In probable grese lnceee per fare
for Iadieee County.
» 56 ”
. A
?
'
»
BEAVERHEAD
COUMTY
r
(o
%
Em - A j a g
^
"<5X■2
I___ ! 2 _______hie
■
UNDER $1000
«1 S w o o -S u » ,
91»9
,999
□
S eo o o - S
C D SS jOOO- $
C ] Skxooo a over
NO LAW) LISTED
figure IS. Rmmce In probable jreee Inco-w per farm fer
Besverheeti Ceoety.
- 57 owners rather thnn to the ranch as & unit there have been d iffic u ltie s in get­
ting permits which adequately represented jo in t ownership.
Since th is trend
is desirable because i t Bakes for savings in overhead costs and an increased
net return to each family involved, i t is f e lt that th is discrimination is
not Ju stifia b le .
The Forest Service report suggests th a t, i f the else of the
permit were limited by the a b ility of the ranch to support the proper number
of stock during the time they were not on the Forest, complicated restric tio n s
on ownership could be dispensed with. 30/
arose incomes of twelve per cent of the stock ranches in Beaverhead
County and five per cent in Madison County were less than a thousand dollars
in 1929.
At the same time th irty -fiv e percent In Beaverhead and twenty per
cent in Madison County had gross incomes of ten thousand dollars or over.
"Twenty-two per cent of the crop specialty firms in Beaverhead County, th ir ty
per cent of the general, and twenty-four per cent of the cash-grain farms
in Madison County, howsver, had &ross incomes Isas than $1,000 in 1929." 31/
Thus there is quite d efin itely a need for higher income fbr a large group of
the farmers and some of the ranchers.
The d istrib u tio n of gross lncom# in relatio n to s ir s of farm is shown
by figures 14 and 15.
The c irc le s indicate over ten thousand acres of land
owned.
Net income per livestock u n it, as shown by tab le XXXTZX In the Appendix
has been low for the average ranch in the la s t few years. This is due in part
to high fixed costs in the form of land taxes, in terest on debts, and livestock
taxes.
$0/ U. 3. D. A., op. c i t ., Sect. VI, pp. 4-5.
21/ Idem, Sect. I l l , pp. 23-24.
58 -
Tbe • parse population In some parte of these counties makes I t d if­
fic u lt to maintain such services as roads, schools, telephone lin es, and ether
such conveniences.
themselves.
Someone has to stay on the ranches fo r they don’t run
A land buying program by the Federal Oovernaent might eliminate
the outlying ranches, situ ated principally along the headwaters of the riv e r s . 32/
The use of dependency stoning or the "near," "nearer," "nearest,"
principle in a llo ttin g gracing permit# by the Forest Service has helped to
foster outlying ranches and has often been unjust to those living in the valleys* 3§/
I t is recommended by the Forest Service report that euch practices be dis­
continued and the who^e of the two counties be considered as one sons* Ranches
in bordering counties euch as G allatin, or Jefferson may be permitted to run
stock on National Forest in Hadieon and Beaverhead couz6 .es when th is range Ie
essential for them. 34/
Tenancy and part ownership have both increased sharply since 1920.
Tenancy in Beaverhead County doubled between 1925 and 1930; in Madison County
i t increased by a h alf during the same period.
There was a slig h t increase
from 1930 to 1935 in Beaverhead County and another sharp one in Madison.
How­
ever, tenancy in Beaverhead County i# s t i l l not nearly as great as i t is for
the sta te as a whole* Comparative figures are given by table XXXVI in the
Appendix* The increase has probably been due principally to foreclosures on
land bought during the tw enties; i t is a beginning step in the deflation of
land values*
S. D. A., sect* I I , p* 7#
22/ This principle Ie that ranches nearest to the fo rest have toe
f i r s t claim on gracing permits and need them worst* I t Ie a type of distance
zoning. Valley ranches dhieh may be in a sta te to raise more feed and need
range badly get less consideration.
34/ Idem, Sect. VI, pp. 23-25*
69
IV.
SUMMARY
Objectives of th is th esis ere*
and orop lands a t the present time.
( l)
To show the relatio n between range
( 2 ) To show how th is relatio n may be
altered so th at the range w ill not be overgrased and the income of the ranchers
w ill not be decreased.
(S) To make recommendations for a public land policy
which w ill help to achieve these ends.
The present situ atio n is that*
(I)
The range is heavily overgrased
and, except for the National Forest, has been reduced f if t y to seventy-five
per cent in carrying capacity, according to the Forest Service.
(2) More
hay is produced than is needed for the wintering of the livestock which the
range w ill summer.
(S) Uncertain tenure on the public domain and high costs
of owned and leased grazing land force the rancher to overgrass the range.
(4)
The seasonal quality of the range gives the Federal government a means
of control of the private ranges.
Recommendations are*
( l)
That livestock numbers be reduced twenty
per cent i f marginal hay lands are converted to pasture to provide additional
range and stop surplus production of hay.
( 2 ) I f no additional pasture is
provided livestock numbers should be reduced forty-three per cent to permit
recovery of the range.
(S) That public domain be controlled through the
Taylor Gracing Act so that operators w ill be able to lease tra c ts and w ill be
permitted to stock them a t prescribed ra te s.
(4) That Forest gracing per­
mits and public domain gracing permits should be based upon the ranch as a
part of a feed production u n it and not upon the number of stock the rancher
may happen to own when the permit is issued.
59 a
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bolster, H. G*
1936.
Grazing Legislation, Rules and Regulation, and Legal forms
Relating to Grazing D istricts in Montana. Montana Experiment
Station, Special Circular, 63 pp.
Saunderson, M. H. and Bolster, H. G.
—
Lease Values of Montana Range Land. Montana Experiment
S tation,Mlmeograph Report, 8 pp.
Saunderson, M. H.
—
Some Materials Relating to Livestock and Land Valuation.
Koctana Experiment Station, Mimeograpb Report, 23 pp.,
Illu stra te d .
Saunderson, M. H. and Monte, K. I .
1936.
Grazing D istricts in Montana; Their Purpose and Organization
Procedure. Montana Experiment Station B ulletin, 326, 39 pp.
Illu strated *
Saunderson, tt. H.
1936.
Readjusting Montana's Agriculture. V. Economic Changes in
Montana's Range Livestock Production. Montana Izperiment
Station Bulletin 311, 30 pp., illu strated *
Sehvan, H. 8 .
1936. Economic Survey of Beaverhead and Madieon Counties, Montana.
Porost Service Report, 118 pp., illu s tra te d .
United States Congress.
1936.
The Western Range. U. S. Congress, 74th, 2d session, Senate
Document, 199, 620 pp., illu s tra te d .
United Statee Department of Agriculture.
1936.
A Study of Economic and Other Probleme Involving the Allocation
of National Foruet 'iSCge in Beaverhead and Madison counties,
Montana, Decwaber I , 1936. Forest Service Report, 173 pp.,
Illu strated *
t>9 b
ACKH0ffLSDg’/£NT3
The author Ie indebted to Me H. ^eundereon end
A# H. Roth for th e ir c rltie ie s e end euggeetione of th le
etudy#
-8 0 « »
Vjl ^ P i m n
TABLE I .
1920
Be&verhs&d Co.
S a d ie s Co.
APPENDIX.—P POTION 3X COUNTIES FOR 1920,
BI s u m CIVIL DIVISIONS FOR 1950. a /
Urban
jji^ lJ xtion
Rural
DuD.
2,701
4,668
7,495
Rural
farm
pOD.
Rural
non-fare
Per ce^t of
1950 county
Number
per sq.
®ile
110.7
118.4
1.5
2.1
1950
Beaverneiid Co.
A -B tead
Dillam
Lisa
Wisdcne
6,654
486
4,025
1,244
901
2,899
298
1,547
706
548
5,755
188
2,676
558
555
100.0
7.5
60.5
18.7
15.5
1.2
0.6
2.8
0.8
Madison Co.
Brandon
Hoi Springs
Jefferson
Hadiscm
Uniom
6,225
1,025
1,257
1,714
1,385
984
5,474
445
682
948 •
944
455
2,849
100.0
16.2
19.6
27.1
21.9
15.2
1.8
5.6
2.4
5.0
1.1
1.1
j^/ Sources
Unitad £t.-tes Oen^ue.
580
£55
766
459
509
0.6
-6 2 -
TlBLE I I .
APPERCIX.-D A iL I REQOliiEiilSTS 01' LIVESTOCK
IN BEAVLIfiEAD Affl) "ADIS S COUNTIES IN POUNDS OP TOTAL
DIGESTIBLE NUTfiIWTS
Tvoe o f H v o eto ck
...... Madison...„..
....................
556,097
180,129.5
81,545
12,224
15,188
7 5 ,0 1 0 .5
789,058
541,887
197,406
46,664
22,540
121,252
B eef c a t t le
Cow#
Yearling#
Tw.j*year o ld s te e r s
Bulls
C slve#
Dairy c a ttle
Sheep
E as and buck#
Y earling ewes (l^abs a t s t a r t
o f w in terin g)
Work horse#
65,440
112,448
6 0 4 ,4 4 ;
897,668
585,660
514,779
106,590
70,881
27,688
85,904
TABLE I I I .
APPENDIX.— TOTAL T.L.K. AVAILABLE AS HAY
FOE FEED (1950 CENSUS) BMVEiELAD COUNTY
T.D.N.
K in c
Oi
i'eBd
.. F.
228,102,450
A ll hay
Timothy
A lfalfa
"lid greases
Tame grasses
Sm# H grain hey
Alsike c lo v e r
Eweet clover
Annual legumes
2 3 ,6 4 2 ,0 0 0
9 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
291,674,000
600, OOu
576.000
340.000
150.000
10 ,0 0 0
x
*
%
X
%
X
x
x
4 8 .5
51*0
&5.0
61*2
53*°
4 7 .5
4 7 .0
6 6 ,6
11,417,870
49,636,000
181,465,700
25v,u0.
199,280
160,820
61,100
6,660
Dairy c t t l a re uiromenta fo r a y ea r e-.ual 65,440 x 180 days on h ay,
thi t is 11,419,200«
Work bor es h v# a requirem ent o: 27 ,8 8 8 x 565, th a t
-
65 -
ia 10,179,180, Tae sum of these su b tracted from the to ta l T.D.M. a v a il*
#
a b le Io.' VSb 201,504,110 poun a a v a ila b le fo r range e a t t l . anu sh eep . Thle
resi' in a e r , d iv id e d by 1 ,2 5 4 ,4 0 7 , th e m in t nence req ir e m n t fo r
ange
c f .t t le and sheep in te r e s o f pounds o f T.D.H. req u ired per day, eq u als
1 6 5 , th e number o f days o f
•ta r in g ca p a city fo r range liv e s t o c k in Jea-
verhead Ooimty,
TABLE IV, ATPESton.—TOTAL T.D.M. AT; IUBUB AS HAX
FOR F l X D (1950 CE:'J'r?S) MABiSCS CUUSTX
Kind o f feed
..
Pounds oroduccd
T .D .* .
fa c to r
110,546,996
AU hay
54,916,000
1 4 4 ,3 2 4 ,OOu
27,928,000
5 ,1 4 0 ,0 0 0
2 ,u 8 2 ,0 0 0
488,000
1 ,7 0 8 ,0 0 0
66,000
Timothy
A lf - I f a
Wild g r a sse s
Tame g r a sse s
E m .il grain hay
A lslk e c lo v e r
S'teet c lo v e r
Annual leguuses
r 4 8 .5
x 5 1 ,6
x 5 5 .0
x 5 1 .2
x 5 5 .0
x 4 7 .5
x 4 7 .0
x 5 6 ,6
1 6 ,9 5 4 ,2 8 0
7 4 ,471,184
I.. ,3 60,400
1 ,6 0 7 ,6 8 0
1 ,1 0 5 ,4 6 0
252,716
798,940
27,556
IH r y c a t t l e req I r «a e n ts eq u al 112,448 x IW days on bay, th a t
i s 2 0 ,2 4 0 ,6 4 0 ,
Work horses h ve a requirement o f $5,304 x 565 d ays, th a t
Ie 1 5 ,1 0 4 ,9 6 0 ,
The sum o f the d a iry c a t t le and horse requirem ents, when
su b tracted from th e t o t a l
T .D .K ,
a v a ila b le , le a v e s & remainder o f 7 7 ,2 0 1 ,5 9 6 ,
When th is i s d iv id e d by 7 5 1 ,7 5 7 , th e number o f pounds d a ily required ty
range c-rttle and sheep, the r e s u lt I s 105, the number o f aaye o f w intering
c a p a c ity fo r range liv e s to c k In Madison County. 2 9 /
a i / ' f e e ' f agoing dlccua*ioo~ o f w in terin g c a p a c ity . Including
t a b le s , ha* been adapted f r % Gaunders
c a lc u la tio n s n C chan** report
pp, 1 5 -2 1 .
-
64-
TABLE V. APPLSriXe—MLaTIOK OF DIFmENT CUS6KS
AGES OF LIVESTOCK AK TAKEN ROM THE CB8S*!S OF
1965 A?m vPPLIED TO ;T CK SUMMKS
am
True. ,Of-AnlM-I.................... - ....... JBmwarheed __
Madiaan
Beef c a ttle
Ccwa end heifers
Xear-..Ings
Two-year old steers
Bulls
Calvee
ioos
Kheep
E es and bucks
Yeerling ewes
100$
100$
75
£5
78
100$
40
20
5
2
58
24
6
2
29
56
22
TABLE VI. APPENDIX.—KUMBER Of POUNl P OF TOTAL
DIGESTIBLE WTRlFSTS BSD AS A REQUIffAEfiT FOR
WINTERING DIFFi EKT TYPES O- : "'OCK, DAILY RATION
..
G o-S and t ro-yoer old h e ife r s
Y earlin g c a t t l e (lon g y e a r lin g * a t
s t a r t o f w nta r in g )
S ttier.., tw o-year o ld and over s j
B u lla
C alves (o f tho practid g y e .r )
Mill: cowe
Eses *n<: bucks
Yoarlinr ev.-ea (o e lambs a t s t a r t
o f w in terin g)
Work h orses
a/
Poun * AfJLaM a-----9 .5
9 .0
8 .0
1 2 .0
4 .5
1 8 .0
1 .6
1 .5
1 2 .0
I t I s assumed t h s t s te e r s w i l l g e t some w in ter gresing*
—65—
TABLE VII. APPENIIX.—NUMBER Of HOHtES ON
GE
AND O SED OH AKCHES# BT SlKOR CIVIL DIVISIONS
Total in
.. arcs ....
# of ranches in Hcress
worked
Horses n
. raaz*..
Boav n head Co.
Araatead
D il-on
Lima
1SitdOH
15,515
5,109
4,028
3,956
4,242
100.0
15.2
36.4
26.9
28.6
2,224
307
625
672
628
12,991
2,802
5,205
5,264
5,719
Madison Co.
Brandon
Hct Springs
Jefferson
Kadlson
Union
7,642
795
1,742
1,674
2,206
1,123
100.0
12.1
28,9
26.4
2.6
16.0
2,992
£62
SfiS
790
676
479
4,650
455
1,067
884
1,662
644
The rork horses re allo tte d on the basis o two teams per rtnch.
The ranches ere given according to the proportions of the 1855 census.
The to ta l number of horses is estimated from the pr portion which
the census f i b res bear to the to ta l number of
a
t t l e as given by the 1955
census. This proportion is then applied to the s e ttle figures
revised
in th is study.
Discrepancies In total® ere caused b/ carrying resu lts to the near­
e st rhole numbers.
«66
TABLE VXII, APFENDIXe- T eD.*. SEyUIMMEHTS OF MOHSES
TOMZD AKD FED ON RANCHES, BT U t t m CIVIL DIVISIONS
Area
D- Ily req. Days
nor horse fed bar
Number of
hordes
Baaverhei.d Co.
Arcstead
Dillon
Liaa
Wisdom
2,524
507
823
672
525
Madison Co.
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Onion
2,992
562
G85
790
076
479
x
12.0
x 565
TeD.*. require­
ment fo r each
a r e a ...........
10,179,120
1,344,660
8,60-,740
2,945,560
2,290,740
15,104,960
1,585,560
5,000,503
5,460,200
2,360,880
2,098,020
TABLE IX. /PPEiDIX.-—NUMBER OF DAIRI COKG AMD TtiEIR
T .D .S . mSQUijiEMENT;:, BI MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS
Beaverhead Co.
Arsr stead
DiUon
Liiaa
riedMi
8,965
258
1,527
1,071
1,126
Madison Co*
7,028
829
1,680
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jefferson
Mad».son
Union
Daily req.
KtiBberr of
Area
2,122
1,574
822
Tot&la o f i©iry cow
x
16.0
Day#
x
180
T .i.
rtu ire %@nt fo r each ar«
U , 419,200
685,440
4 ,5 3 7 ,7 6 0
5,084,480
5,242,880
20,240,640
2 ,8 8 7 ,5 2 0
4,328,400
C,i l l , 560
4,555,120
2,557,560
tsksn fpoe r e v ise d eat la . We fo r each county.
D istribution within each county is accord jag t o the proportions existing in
the 19S6 cenava. D lserep en oiee In to a le are caused b, carrying resu lts to
the nearest whole mashers.
TABLE Z. APPEm 1%.—DISTRIBUTION OJ TOCX M O ?G "imm
CIVIL DIVISIONS Br AGE AtS CLASS
2-yr. id
Be&verhaad Co*
Ar?5£.teed
Dillon
Liaa
Wisdom
Sadison Co*
Srandcn
Sot Springs
Jefferson
KsdiSiB
Union
'%>«&'&
. Bulls . Ccives
Y e c r iin a s
bttCKS
Yearling
eves
$5,926
8,299
Iu', 654
5,517
11,676
21,934
5,067
6,492
3,246
7,129
6,858
1,547
1,727
865
1,696
1,645
<43
576
588
652
26,945
6,224
7,376
5,368
8,757
248, 61
4,784
85,063
99,464
22,379
81,982
14,431
27,585
52,797
7,573
18,961
1,820
5,425
5,707
2,908
2,105
3,505
912.
2,718
2,861
1,958
1,056
1,528
147
457
460
515
170
1,539
106
514
551
228
122
i e , see
1,600
4,767
5,017
5,424
1,860
196,757
.3 ,9 7
48,860
45,528
36,730
71,002
54,524
9,483
2,672
12,541
10,186
13,585
Ths percentage iatrlb u tio n of " e ll CRttlew ead " a ll sheep* eaong the tree*
us
gii^n'
in the 1 9 .5 census has been a ,p lie d t . th e d is tr ib u tio n *1 Iiin 6 ch cou n t/ by c la s s and
age e s g
t n
by 8ch«en*s report*
Area
n.
if p a iiix .—n u j T .r.v.
m m ®
CIfIL !!VISIONS. EKPnrssaD IN JWfIis
Cova
i-y r. old
Tearlinss . Steeril
Bulls
E es &
Yearling
_
Beoverh-&d Co.
Aresteati
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
£41,237
?8,&iO.E
lul,02S
£0,5U.S
110,922
137,406
45,803
58,428
29,214
£4,161
46,664
10,775
is , a s
8,904
16,163
25,540
5,508
6,312
5,456
7,584
i a ,262
28,008
55,892
17*946
59,406
537,658
70,028
152,685
159,142
55, toe
106,690
1S,7C0
55,SOJ.5
42,636
3,593
Xatiison Co.
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jerferton
Sadison
Union
180*129.5
17,230
61,513.5
54, a s . 5
57,107
19,997.5
85,545
3,208
24,462
25,749
17,622
3,495
12,224
1,176
5,493
5,680
2,520
1,560
15,188
1,272
5,768
3,372
2,712
1,464
75 ,010
7,200
a ,4 a
22,577
16,453
8,525
514,779
54,ZSI
15,456
72,625
£8,864
U S, 60S
7J,88i
12,265
5,473.5
16,ZOS
13,255
25,588
'90-
table
TABLE XII. AfPLBDIZ.-TOTAL T.B.H. OF HAY AVAILABLE IH A
KOHHiL CROP YLAB, BI HIBOH CIVIL DIVIC10H5. EZPhLSEED IH
POUBLS
Timothy
or
Sweet
Annual
AU other
tame and
wild erf;sees
Alfalfa
Area
Beaverhead Co.
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
49,556,000
1,684,224
41,471,559
6,580,257
0
11,578,690
659,965
9,656,752
1,251,975
0
61,100
6,936
54,104
0
0
5,660
0
5,660
0
0
161,721,700
29,061,589
18,614,166
16,756,196
97,507,947
222,905,150
51,412,594
69,852,205
24,550,406
97,507,947
Ifeidiaon Co.
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
74,471,184
7,864,157
17,150,714
22,541,552
16,510,261
10,604,697
17,166,976
5,127,825
6,574,051
1,402,542
902,985
5,559,577
799,940
26,958
557,560
66,155
160,228
7,059
57,556
11,205
9,029
9,405
0
7,721
16,968,060
2,556,505
1,525,207
7,759,141
2,760,707
2,606,520
109,445,556
1$,556,646
27,536,561
51,560,595
20,554,179
16,785,554
The county totnlfc ere
ti
ken from the 1923 harvest data of the 1950 census and are
distributed according to the proportions existing among the ^rees according to the 1954
harvest date of the 19E5 census.
Smell gr*iin Eu, has been omitted as tiJLs classificatio n was not included in the crop
data for tne 1954 harvest which ims available*
The date for the 1922 harvest could not be secured directly because s ta tis tic s by ®inor
C ivil Divisions sere not published for crop and livestock daIr before the 1955 census.
TABLE X III. APPEHBIXe--CAitHraG CAPACITY OF HAY IK TJB.*.
LIVESTOCK U i
,)? A SIKIEiiUKS RATIO*, 19331954 NULffiERS OF LIVESTOCK
Area _
Total x.B.K.
req. for work
horses & dairy
T.B.8. ren tin .
for c a ttle and
sheeo
Daily req.
of c a ttle
and sheen
Wintering
capacity
in days
Beaverhead Co*
Arasteed
Billon
Lima
•isticm
222,905,150
31,415,594
69,852,205
24,550,406
97,307,347
21,598,520
2,050,100
8,002,500
6,027,640
5,553,620
201,304,850
23,582,494
61,829,705
18,522,566
31,774,527
1,254,407
257,537
584,556
509,609
282,640
163
114
161
59
325 V
Madison Co.
Brmdon
Hot Strings
Jefferson
Madison
Union
109,443,556
15,306,546
27,536,561
31,560,53$
20,334,179
16,785,554
53,545,600
5,973,060
7,838,700
9,571,560
7,494,000
4,465,580
76,097,956
9,393,566
13,557,861
21,989,055
12,840,179
12,520,174
751,757
101,760
125,625
193,022
147,555
179,655
101 b /
92
158
no
67
69
Ji/ The long period In %ledoa la accounted for by the fact that t ltrg e nusber of
c a ttle ere fattened on hay, in bobs yc rs hey Is also shipped out of th is d is tr ic t.
b / This Ia t#o c'.aj e less than i f email grain hay bed been included in tlie atlculr tiona.
I
-OA
Total
T.D.K.
available
TABLE IIV. APPENDIX.—ESTIK;,T%D T.D.H. VALUES, IR POUSDS, FOB
THE ACBEAfiES OF CUT OVER PASTCBiE GIVES BY THE 1054 CROP DATA.
BI KIBOE CIVIL DIVIEIOBS
A lfalfa, t isothy, sweet clover,
h n i-
Area
Acre 6
Beaverhead County
Arastead
Dillon
Liaa
Sisdoa
22,527
1,096
17,554
4,077
O
Hadieon County
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jefferson
Hadison
Union
48,742
6,919
14,576
10,556
9,115
8,096
Equiv, in
T.B.N. value
Acres
tons
in Ibe.
5,651.75 5,651,750
274,000
274.00
4,568.50 4,588,500
1,019.25 1,019,250
0
0
140,855
£4,147
18,000
17,349
81,567
70,426.50
12,075.50
9,000.00
8,674.50
40,678.50
77,463,150
15,260,850
9,900,000
9,541,960
44,746,550
12,185,500
1,729,750
5,569,000
2,584,000
2,278,750
2,024,000
19,058
2,299
1,206
9,878
2,907
2,748
9,519.00
1,149.50
606.00
4,953.00
1,455.50
1,574,00
10,470,900
1,264,450
665,500
5,452,900
1,596,660
1,511,400
E-.ulv. in T., T .r.K .fal.
12,185.50
1,729.75
5,569.00
2,584.00
2,278.75
2,024.00
T.D.S. Factor
Acre conversion factor
All other ia*e and slid cresses
..ariU. i- lbirmsfcfe
«50
4A. - I T .
.55
S A. - I T.
TABL;. IV. APPJiLIX.-DAIf OP HHTLhim CAPACITY FOix 1955-1954
CF LIVESTOCK FliDL HAY ASD CCT OVLil PAETLTiE. BY KIIiOR
CIVIL DlVISIOBS
IGHBKUE
Beaverheed County
Arsastead
Dillcm
Lists
Siedoa
Medi^on Coimty
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
lladiscm
tfoion
Daily T.D.H.
req. of cat­
tle & sheen
Total T.D.H.
value of cut
over netstore
1,254,407
257,597
584,556
509,809
282,640
85,100,900
15,564,850
14, 58,500
10,561,200
44,745,550
67
55
57
54
158
165
114
161
59
525
250
167
198
95
485
165
155
142
165
165
105
120
165
751,757
101,760
125,625
199,022
147,655
179,855
22,656,400
2,994,200
4,252,500
8,018,900
5,677,600
5,555,400
50
29
54
40
26
20
101
92
156
HO
87
69
151
IPl
192
160
HS
89
155
155
155
142
142
105
105
105
120
120
Days of
Wintering
cut over
DRature
Ci'Dftc itr
Figures are those given In Forest Survey Report, Dec., 1956
Deyz
needed a /
C title Shesc
TABLE ZVI. APPUt'IX.—HUMBhft 0? AJKIWL UNITE OF LIVESTOCK
OS TH: ? £ M h . BY KISOi; CIVIL DIVISIONS , 1935-1934
Area
Beaverhead County
Armstead
Dillon
h im
Wisdom
Kedison County
Brandon
Kot Springs
Jeffereon
Madison
Union
Hmber of
Total no.of
dairy cow* e / a.u . on are
All beef
c a ttle
All sheep
in 8 .u,
Horses
on range
92,592
21,366
27,405
15,702
£0,090
66,151
11,659
22,066
:6,452
5,352
12,991
2,802
5,205
5,264
5,719
5,965
258
1,527
1,071
1,126
175,679
36,065
54,225
44,489
40,887
47,762
4,565
15,653
14,575
9,833
5,502
60,252
8,678
2,466
11,574
3,597
18,157
4,650
455
1,057
S64
1,652
644
7,028
829
1,680
2,122
1,574
822
109,692
14,525
18,862
26,956
22,442
24,905
% / Ordlwirlly the f-ctue.1 number of
give the equivalent in animal un its. This
that such Bnimle on the open range do not
cores. Provision has already been Bnde for
months of the year.
dairy c a ttle Ie multiplied by three to
wee not done here because i t ie f e lt
consume sore grass than '<*nge beef
feeding these dairy cows hay six
TABLE XVII. JLPPIiiIIX.—SURFACE ACRES OF PASTURE ASD ESTIMATiD FORAGE ,
ACRES FOR A HORkAL YEAR, DISTRIBUTED BY OiiHERSiiIP IS PER CEKT OF TOTAL
FOR EACH DISTRICT
Area
Total
Surface
Forage
acres
acres
Beaverhead County
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
1,975,558
564,565
658,580
781,975
850,500
561,960
87,570
148,591
197,115
128,866
Kadiaon County
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jefftirscm
"
_&/
Madison
"
V
Union
1,572,911
152,162
200,507
269,655
101,266
865,667
66,054
559,560
255,485
25,152
41,514
51,045
> in p ri­
% in public
in state
% in ir r ig .
vate Past.
domain
lend
oasturea
Sur . For. Sur . For. Sur .
For. Sur. For.
acres acree acres acres acres acres acres acres
40.7
52.8
42.9
55.7
66.8
51.4
26.0
54.5
22.2
45.7
66.5
54.7
75.6
81.4
55.0
82.8
62,769 100.0
57,007 45.6
67.4
54.7
75.6
71.5
40.7
49.4
59.5
47.4
12.4
87.4
59.5
51.6
£1.2
8.5
16.5
16.5
16.6
16.4
16.5
11.9
15.1
15.4
10.8
11.2
22.8
19.5
16.0
15.1
59.8
84.6 7.7
0
45.6 40.8
21.4
19.5
16.0
25.0
10.8
25.8
10.2
5.5
7.5
9.5
0
15.5
11.1
26.0
10.2
5.7
6.9
40.8
2.1
1.5
1.2
2.4
4.5
29.5
21.6
20.7
55.7
54.6
6.5
15.5
&/ Rochester B&sln Experiment Statiaa Range Survey,
b / Sorthern Pacific Sections Forege Surface Survey.
A forage acre of pasture is sn acre covered with grass of maximum density and palala b ility .
Source*
Schema, o p .c lt., following p. 11.
TABLE XVIII. APPENDIX*—CAKhTIHG CAPACITY OF RATIONAL FOTxST
GRAXIhG PERMITS OF 1955. DISTRIBUTED AlCEG TOlAL AHIKAL BKITE
FOR 1955-1954
Area
Buys of grazing
Buaber of
stack on renze on Lgtionel Format
Beaverhead County
Arastead
Dillon
Lina
Risdoa
5,659,749
675,081
1,089,662
812,942
1*882,064
175,679
55,065
54,225
44,489
40,887
22
19
20
18
SI
Medison County
lrancoa
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
5,546,562
164,180
517,000
612,164
1,050,606
775,412
109,692
14,526
18,fcS2
28,956
22,442
24,905
so
26
17
26
47
SI
Based on permits a llo tte d to ranches within the various divisions in
1955. Sose peraits are for rzuige outside the «ree in which the rsnch lie®.
-GA'
A.B. days of
JiPfSfjine on Forest
APPLNrIX.—THL CaRRTING CAPACITZ OF TH*. RASHS,
BI MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS
Total fo r­
age acres
A.U. on
Pasture
the rge.
In
1955-1954
cos-oemthe
Carrying cao. of range in days
Owiied, leased
Bat.
Btiaverhead Covuaty
Aractecd
Dlllao
Llaa
-Iedoe
561,360
87,570
148,591
197,115
128,686
702,450
109,212
185,759
246,591
161,107
175,679
£6,065
54,225
44,469
40,887
120
91
105
166
118
22
19
20
18
51
142
HO
12$
184
149
Badieon County
Brandon
Bot Springs
Jefrcrson
Madison
Dnltm
255,455
25,152
41,514
51,045
82,763
57,007
294,554
28,940
51,892
65,804
78,461
71,259
109,692
14,525
18,662
28,956
22,442
24,905
81
60
82
66
105
86
50
28
17
28
47
SI
in
86
99
94
152
117
~9A'
TABLE XLX.
TABLL XX. APrIJiDIX.-BAIB FOH KHICH RA! ASE RARCiL ARE
AVAILABLE FOi 1325-1354 SlMBiIRS OF LIVESTOCK EUiiISG A
KOHSAL m .R , BI KIHOR CIVIL DIVISIONS
Area
Ibye of sfintering cop city
Actttol Heedtid
Beevertitisd Cotmty
Armstead
E illoa
Lima
Sisdoa
250
167
198
95
485
SadiKon County
Brendon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
151
121
192
150
115
69
165
125
127
165
Ibys for which
Afitnrsl
142
no
125
184
149
Seeded
115
ISO
122
151
127
available
200
240
256
200
572
277
521
277
652
250
255
245
254
258
242
207
291
244
285
206
111
06
99
94
152
117
Total days for
table
Area
m.
.
appfjelh. —kormal gakhiibq capacity of kikok civil
LIVIflOHS
.
l e t . 1953-1934 Sunber for #Lich there is sufficient
numbers of
Feed for
Feed for
Feed for
wintering
a.u .
year .
range
Beaverhead County
Armetaad
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
175,679
56,065
54,225
44,469
40,887
179,000
27,500
47,500
55,500
71,000
274,700
56,500
65,900
52,600
119,700
112,800
19,900
27,800
54,500
30,600
ILsdison County
Brandon
Bot Springe
Jefferson
Madison
Union
109,692
14,525
18,862
26,956
22,442
24,905
75,000
6,OCX)
15,000
19,600
16,500
14,000
115,700
15,500
27,900
35,600
19,400
17,500
50,900
5,000
7,900
11,200
14,600
12,200
The carrying capacity eetie^teB for each county re accurate within
a r nge of about a. thousand eith er say fro* the figures given.
Variations
of a day or so in feed supply seen variations of sever#I hundreds in the
proposed number of stock.
Ko estimate of rang# Cc.rr^ ing capacity could
predict i t to the exact day.
-79-
TABLE XXII. APPENDIX.—PER CENT THAT
STOCK. NUMBERS OF 1955-1954 MUST BE RE­
DUCED FOR ADEQUATE FEEDING
Area
Beaverhead Cotmty
Anagtead
Dillon
Lima
Wisdom
Madison County
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jefferson
Madison
Union
Per cent of 19551954 stock numbers
which can be fed
adequately under
present set-up
Per cent of 19551954 stock numbers
th at can be fed
adequately for
summer on present
75
174
64
55
51
78
75
67
55
80
67
74
56
46
54
42
59
65
49
102
76
88
TABLE XXIII, APPEELIX.—aMOUK? OF UHD HO? IH UAY PEOLUCTIOH
WHItm EHOQLC BE CEAHGLD TO IRRIGATfB PASTURE TO GIVE EAXIMUH
CARHTIHG CAPACITY
Acreage
dunged
to pae-
Per cent
changed
to pas­
ture
Kusiber of a,u ,
range and pas­
ture would
timber of a.u,
reduced hay
land would
165,560
£S,f4S
55,554
21,426
81,557
66,989
7,575
18,758
40,676
41
50
55
0
50
160,500
25,400
£9,500
$4,500
60,900
158,400
25,550
40,400
52,600
59,650
67,780
9,218
15,482
20,214
12,022
10,844
26,429
4,609
7,741
10,107
1,805
2,169
59
50
50
50
15
20
67,400
7,800
12,900
17,400
15,700
15,600
69,900
7,650
15,950
17,600
16,500
14,000
Total
acreage of
hay lands
Area
B1/
Beaverhead County
Areetead
Dillon
Lima
Wiedoe
Madison Comty
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jeffernon
Madison
Onion
Q
a / Fros the acreage given in the 19X5 census returns.
TABLE HIV.
Number
of
Area
APPESTIX.—CJSaKI ZATIOK OF RJJFKESSSTATm KtiKSBEB FIKiM
EIGHT AREAS
Av. no.
of
Av. scree of
Lease cost per acre
K.U.
Owned Leased
Lowest
5,106
7,565
6,066
5,194
2,092
5,094
5,240
9,564
6,615
1,215
5.4#
6.0#
5.0#
3.4#
4.0#
2,227
5,500
1,950
687
2,722
2,565
6,200
5,575
987
1,855
4.0# 11.0#
7.5# 7.5#
8.6# 15.2#
4.0# 4.7#
7.1# 11.5#
Beaverbt ad County
Armstead
. Billon
Liaa
Wisdom
24
I
1,126
1,510
1,695
664
766
Madison County
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jefferson
Madiacai
Union
14
2
5
5
6
O
551
552
1,002
525
400
5
9
Av. acres Av. acres
permanent crop land
in*, ofs. In*. Dry
9.0# $1.00
15.0#
7.5#
9.5#
7.4#
6.5#
50.0#
26.0# $1.00
62.5#
7.5#
25.0#
5.4#
62.5#
Frosa fara mfcaegeaent sturvey records o f Moataaa Experiment Stt t lo n .
2,069
2,950
1,924
1,591
2,150
145
6
541
16
7
0
0
0
0
0
£95
265
400
250
264
51
48
50
15
55
I
0
0
0
2
(1956)
The figure* for average sad high lease coat values in «lrtios ere unduly high because they
include
so m i
irrig ated or Seai-IrrigRted bay meadow* in the range leased.
values for Madison.
The ease is true of
TABLE XXV. APPKKDIZ.-VALUATION ASD ILASE COST OF LASCC
Iype of ranch
Saall c a ttle
& siieep
Sat. LI Liieep
Ssiall c a ttle
Kediue c a ttle
Large c a ttle
Large abeep
Source*
Av. no.
of
stock
52—c
442-8
7til—
S
S7-c
196-C
962-C
5285—s
Mo.
of
18
18
24
18
10
7
Owned
As. acres
of I r r . &
croc lend
570
187
156
280
1730
420
Schsan, o p .c it. , p. 55,
lands
Average
acres
er&sine
Av. to ta l
estimated
value
660
762
556
865
4718
7087
I 8,810
11,141
6,725
15,105
55,454
41,577
Leased lands
acres Av. acres Av.
Biy
grazing to ta l
I r r . Fans
rental
At .
200
60
55
54
**
25
90
10
-
287
960
156
55
5,565
10,596
(From P.C.A. records)
TABLE XXVI. APPENDIX.—LEASE COST OF QRAZIIiQ USD
Bo. of
cases
Sn. c a ttle and
sheep
Small sheep
Sne.ll c a ttle
Bediua c a ttle
Large c a ttle
Large sheep
Source*
S
12
11
I
10
7
At . lea se co&t per
9
i
13.2#
8.5#
11.5#
11.8#
9.5#
U.S.D.A., o p .c it.. Appendix, p. 17*
records)
So. acres
ner animal
6
10
7.5
4.55
9.5
5.25
(From P.C.A
$111
207
118
60
470
968
TABLE m i l .
Area
^PPEiiLIX.-FLK CEST OF LATiL 0IE2D ST PUBLIC #JGESCIES, 1934
Total
acres in
All onued
by public
njfrncica
i
United States
Public
Al l Porast omy in
%
It
%
State
Coimtv
%
%
^icc.
%
Beererheed County
Artifctead
Billon
Lime
Hisdcm
5,552,GOU
544,P80
918,590
1,023,577
I , 086,ESI
71.2
71.1
64.5
72.5
75.9
61.7
60.6
53.6
53.2
71.7
59.1
27.2
27.2
23.6
84.5
22.6
85.4
26.4
29.6
7.2
9.2
10.5
10.8
15.1
5.5
0.3
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Madison County
Brandon
Hot & rings
Jefferson
Madison
Union
2,279,650
182,458
525,217
359,356
824,564
587,455
56.2
52.6
41.5
49.0
58.0
67.3
49.2
34.2
35.5
40.5
54.5
60.4
24.7
21.2
23.2
15.5
48.0
59.7
14.5
15.0
10.3
27.2
6.5
20.7
6.6
17.5
7.5
7.4
5.4
6.7
0.4
0.9
0.7
1.0
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
TABLE ZXVIII.
Area
Total
acres in
APPENDIX.—PEE CENT OF L-ME OIRED BI CORPORATE GROUPS, 1934
Land in­
vest. & Coaa .
roads s o rt. cq. banks
I
I
I
0.61
0.13
0.21
0.54
0.06
0.00
0.79
0.21
0.15
0.75
0.04
0.01
0.46
1.05
0.51
All otmed Insur­
by corpor- ance Rail­
CO.
%
Beeverbeec County
Araste&ti
Dillon
Lisa
Sisdoa
3,55P,606
544,260
-310,390
1,025,577
1,066,561
1.70
0.71
2.02
1.26
2.54
0.P4
Hadieon County
Brandon
Hot Springs
Jeffereon
H&dison
Union
2,279,650
162,458
525,217
359,956
624,584
587,455
7.95
6.09
4.47
11.45
11.52
5.51
0.27
0.35
0.27
0.40
0.35
0.09
0.00
0.57
0.52
0.00
5.57
2.01
1.79
6.35
9.74
2.07
0.61
0.75
0.81
2.05
0.60
0.56
1.10
2.25
1.26
1.82
C.78
0*66
Fed.
Lnd
Bank
~T~
0.15
0.12
0.17
0.00
0.23
0.14
0.59
0.10
0.25
0.05
0.11
Joint
Stock
Land Bank
"IT
0.12
0.00
0.04
0.14
0.22
0.05
0.18
0.24
0.00
mI sc.
%
0.05
0.00
0.10
0.01
0.00
0.01
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.05
0.00
0.00
-85—
table xxix.
appendix. —per cent
or land owned by
individuals
1954
All owned
by
Residents
of
Area
Total
acres in
Wi\H
Boaverfaend County
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
NisdMi
5,552,608
544,260
918,590
1,025,577
1,060,561
27.1
28.2
53.5
28.4
21.7
26.6
27.8
52.2
£6.1
21.5
o%
0.5
1.5
0.5
0.2
M&dison County
Brandon
Hot Spring*
Jefferson
Madison
Union
2,279,650
162,456
525,217
559,958
824,584
567,455
$6,9
41.5
54.0
59.5
50.5
29.4
51.8
56.0
49.1
55,5
26.1
26.9
4.0
5.5
4.9
4.5
4.4
2.5
Non­
residents
TABLE XXX. APPENDIX.—PER CENT OF LAND IN AREA OWNED BY
PUSLIC AGENCIES, CORPORATE GROUPS, MiD INDIVIDUALS , 1954
Public
Assfe
Total
acres in
area
Beaverhead County
Armstead
Dillon
Lima
Nisdom
5,552,608
544,280
916,590
1,023,577
1,066,561
71.2
71.1
64.6
72.5
78.9
1.7
0.7
2.0
1.5
2.5
27.1
28.2
55.5
26.4
21.7
Madison County
Brandon
Hot Springe
Jeffernon
Madison
Union
2,279,650
182,456
525,217
559,956
624,584
567,455
56.2
52.6
41.5
49.0
58.0
67.5
7.9
6.1
4.5
11.4
11.5
8.5
55.9
41.5
64.0
39.6
50.5
29.4
i
Corporate
Individm ls
arouns
~68~
TABLE m i . APPEimiXe-MABKETE TO SHICri STEERS, COWS,
AND CALVES ARE SHIPPED* A SEVEN-YEAR AVERAflE, 1989
THROUGH 1955
Beaverhead Countv
Market
Total shipped
9,801
100.0
4,894
100.0
Los Angeles
Francisco
Ogden—Salt Lake City
5,459
1,597
1,258
59.5
15.2
15.6
670
96
75
15.6
2.2
1.7
Portland
Seattle
Spokane
529
229
29
5.6
8.6
0.5
225
278
504
5.2
6.4
7.1
Denver
Ornehe
Sioux City
South St. Paul
Chicago
87
554
O
6
45
0.5
5.6
0.0
0.1
0.5
7
1,600
96
559
594
0.2
57,8
2,2
8.4
15.8
Sources
Livestock shipment date complied from brand Inspec­
to r1s rvports by the Montana Experiment Station.
TABLE XXXII. APPENDIX.—RETAIL DISTRIBUTION Iii 1989
Madison
Beaverhead County
Total Dillon Balance . Counter....
Item
6,654
Population
117
Humber of stores
Proprietors and firm members
150
(not on pay ro ll)
£48
Employees (fu ll time)
Het kales in thousands of dollars 5,669
Stocks on hand 1 1 end of year (at
797
cost, in thousands of dollars)
Total pay r o ll (fu ll and part562
time, in thousands of dollars)
551
Het sales per cap. in dollars
Sources
8,422
74
4,252
45
6,525
65
78
197
2,671
SE
SI
796
85
68
1,685
626
171
589
218
1,185
66
189
105
266
Fifteenth census of the United S tates,
-87-
TABLL XXXIII. APPEHEIX.—RATKfi OF TAXATION IN
BEAVEBHEAE AND MADISON COUNTIES, 1958
Madison County
Taxes levied for sta te purposes*
General property tax (levied
on BO per cent assessed value)
Livestock (levied on 85 1/5 per
cent of assessed value)
5.555 s i l l s
5.555 B ills
5.50
"
5.50
"
Taxes levied for county purposes
£7.84
11
81.00
"
Taxes levied for school purposes
(average levy for county)
84.51
«
88.76
“
Total average levy
57.685 ft
Average levy for atetel
Source*
65.095 "
57.475 mill*
Seventh Biennifil Report of the Montana State Board of
Equal! station, 1954-1988.
—68'
table xmv. appbbdu, - taxable value AKD average
TAX PER ACRE OK FARK AKD GRAZHiG LAKES, TAX PER HEAD
OK LIVESTOCK, 1958
Item
State
Beaverhead
County
Madleon
Coimtv
All Tfjrm land
Average taxable value
Average tax per acre
$1.79
,102
#1.22
.08
$1.56
.07
Irrig ated landi
Average taxable value
Average tax per acre
6.91
.54
8.69
.46
Non -irrig ated tilla b le Lmdl
Average taxable value
Average tax per acre
5.20
.18
2.25
,12
.60
.05
.66
.04
Graalng land
Average taxable value
Average tax per acre
Livestock
C attlel
Average taxable value
Average tax per he ad
9.58
.574
8.49667
.496
Bheepi
Average taxable value
Average tax per head
1.48667
.096
1.59555
.082
Sourcei
Seventh Biennial Report of the Montana State Board of
Equalisation, 1954-1956.
TABLE IlXV.
APFliiDIX.-FjJftM IfflHTDAfiE DEBT, 1950
State
Item
All fame ODerat^ by ■ysi.e^t
Proportion of ffti't b mortgaged
Free from mortgage debt (number)
Free froa mortgage debt (teres)
Value of lend and buildings
Mortgaged (amount of debt rep.)
Mortgaged (acres)
Value of land and buildings
Amount of mortgage debt
Ratio of debt to value
Average value per farm (land & bldg.)
Average amount of mortgage debt
Average value per acre (lead & bldg.)
Average amount of mortgage debt per tore
Annual debt cbf rges per fans a t
6 par cent in te re st
Annual debt charges per farm a t
8 per cent in te re st
Beevezfeead
County
Madison
County
469
41.8*
585
56.8*
555
168
450
$228
$456
$517
$505
$808
$422
55.7*
£9.48*
$ 9 ,6 4 4
$5,808
$18.52
$ 7.51
Fs.r&fi operated h r -Yll owners oanln-" no other Perm I; no:
Reporting both mortgage debt snd chargeat
Number
Acres
Velue of land t-r-.d buildings
Amount of mortgage debt
Ratio of debt to value
5 8 .8 7 *
Chvrges on m o r t g a g e debt, 1 9 2 9
Ratio of ehrrsrefl to debt
6 .7 6 *
Source*
- -.......
Fifteenth ceaeu.# of the lfeited S tates.
168
155,824
72,956
$2,598,628
$1,644,875
126
252
114,695
127,206
$2,595,575
$5,242,476
$ 957,525
$1,550,999
40.00*
41.05*
$18,997
$12,867
I 7,599
I 5,282
$20.87
$25.49
$ 8.55
$10.48
111
1 0 1 ,1 5 8
$ 2 ,0 5 5 ,2 2 0
$ 8 0 1 ,2 4 8
5 9 .4 1 *
$ 5 6 ,0 9 1
7 ,0 0 *
215
1 0 7 ,7 2 1
$ 2 ,6 6 2 ,4 9 5
1 1 ,0 5 5 , 0 8 7
5 9 .6 5 *
$ 7 2 ,6 0 1
6 .9 0 *
30-
TfBLE XIXVI. APPENDIX.— TiUXMCY IH BEAVERHEAD AND
KADISOK COUNTIES, 1920 TO 1355
BeaverheadMadison
l i s a ________________________ Sislfi-________ Comity_______ UmmV ,
Per cent of ton&ncjr
1355
1930
1925
1920
Tenure of operators, 1950
All
Owners
Part owners
Managers
Tenants
Land in farms, 1950 & 1920
Owners, 1950
1920
Part owners, 1950
1920
Managers, 1950
1920
Tenants, 1950
1920
27.7
24.6
21,9
11.5
15.9
14.1
7.5
7.2
26.1
20.2
15.4
15.9
681
555
156
50
62
748
450
ISS
14
151
297,507
405,970
649,581
84,485
83,558
104,067
78,751
42,489
209,505
276,562
300,858
180,209
62,209
40,966
96,728
84,779
Source* Fifteenth census of the United States.
—21—
TABLE I i X V I I . APPE JH B IX O PrJvA TIK a UNIT IliCOHE
FOR MOUNTAIN Va LLEY CATTLE RANCHES
Total coat of operation (Inc.
in te re st and depreciation.
Year
«19*70 per animal unit
21.18
20.87
19.06
14.27
12.09
1929
1950
1951
1958
19ES
1954
Net p ro fit or
Ioes per eniaal
unit a /
*5,74 p ro fit
.74 lose
2.50 "
6.12 "
4.67 "
1.57 "
Slieep outfitti showed much tho same conditions in 1954 with
n lose varying from 96 to 45 cents per bead, depending on tho type
of operator and sise of outfit*
Sources
Schwan, op«cit., pp* 54, 56, and 56*
jg/ All c a ttle over one year of age as of January equal
one f u ll animal u n it end under one year of age as of Jenuary,
equal one-half an anleal u n it.
57203
3!
f*
cop. 2
N'578
Young, Dudley E
An economic survey 0 '
Beaverhead and Madison
counties
57203