Historians seek to recognize century-old farms as pressures mount for Montana agriculture

Mont. historians seek to recognize 100-year farms

BILLINGS, Mont. — As employment pressures and the lure of faraway opportunities split up agricultural families, many farms and ranches are being consolidated, sliced into subdivisions or converted into oversized estates.

So the Montana Historical Society has started a drive to identify families that have farmed or ranched the same land for a century or more. It’s a bid to capture a slice of the state’s agricultural heritage.

The Centennial Farm and Ranch Program was created to honor Montana’s heritage while compiling family histories to be archived and eventually posted on the society’s Web site.

The number of agriculture operations in the state peaked in 1920 at about 57,000. It’s now fallen to about half that number, and industry representatives say the chances of a rebound are slim.

On the Net:

Montana Historical Society www.his.state.mt.us

Montana Farm Bureau: www.mfbf.org