Farm Animals

Updated: January 26, 2026

Agriculture is an essential part of Montana's economy. It contributes more than 3.5 billion dollars to the state annually. Of that 3.5 billion, livestock contributes about 1.5 billion. The primary type of livestock in Montana is cattle.

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Montana?s economy, with farm cash receipts in recent years typically exceeding 5 billion dollars annually, and cattle and calves still the leading source of livestock income. Livestock accounts for well over half of Montana?s agricultural cash receipts, with beef cattle dominating the sector.

As of January 1, 2025, Montana had about 2.16 million cattle and calves in total, including roughly 1.25 million beef cows and 8,500 milk cows. Sheep and lamb inventory was about 185,000 head, keeping Montana among the top sheep?producing states in the country. Swine numbers are much smaller than cattle and sheep; Montana had about 240,000 hogs and pigs in late 2023.

Montana is also a significant honey producer. In 2023, producers with five or more colonies harvested about 9.69 million pounds of honey from 114,000 colonies, and Montana has continued to rank among the top honey?producing states in the nation.

• Bees
• Honey
• Cattle
• Beef
• Dairy
• The History of Montana's Cattle Industry
• Poultry
• Ostriches, Emus, and Rheas
• Horses
• Sheep
• Wool
• Swine

Sources:

• USDA 2024 STATE AGRICULTURE OVERVIEW
• USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service Montana Field Office
• USDA Honey Production

Updated: January 26, 2026