Mint Production in and around Montana

Reading level: 5th grade

What Is Mint?

Mint is a plant with a fresh smell and taste that many people recognize from gum, toothpaste, and candy. Common kinds of mint include peppermint and spearmint.

Farmers grow mint mainly for its oil, which is taken out of the leaves and stems and used to flavor many everyday products.

Where Mint Grows in the United States

Farmers in the United States grow mint on about 50,000 hectares (a hectare is a little bigger than two football fields). Spearmint makes up about 20 percent of that mint-growing area and crop value.

Most U.S. mint oil comes from the Pacific Northwest, especially the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. In 2023, about 93 percent of all U.S. mint oil was produced in the Pacific Northwest.

The federal government tracks total peppermint and spearmint oil production each year, but it now reports these numbers mostly for the whole country, not for each state. Montana is not listed among the top mint-oil-producing states today.

A slice of mint chocolate chip cheesecake.
Mint chocolate chip cheesecake.

Mint and Montana

Wild mint grows along streams and wet places in Montana. It is part of the state?s natural plant life and provides food and cover for some insects and other small animals.

Some Montana farmers may grow small areas of mint or use mint in gardens and local products, but the state is not a leading producer of commercial mint oil in recent national reports.

You can tell students that even though most large mint farms are now in nearby states, Montana?s cool climate and farm history connect it to the bigger mint?growing region of the Pacific Northwest.

How Farmers Grow and Use Mint

Farmers usually plant mint in fields that stay in mint for several years. Mint grows best in cool summers with enough water, which helps plants make strong?smelling oil.

After cutting the mint, farmers send it to special stills, where steam pulls the oil out of the plants. This mint oil is then used in chewing gum, hard candy, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoos, soaps, and some medicines.

Industry information shows that up to about 45 percent of mint oil goes into oral?care products like toothpaste and mouthwash.

Why Mint Production Changes

Mint farmers today face several challenges, including diseases such as Verticillium wilt that can hurt mint plants and lower yields. They also face competition from other countries and from man?made mint flavors, which can reduce demand for natural mint oil.

Because of these problems, U.S. mint?oil production in 2023 was about 17 percent lower than in 2014. Even so, American mint farmers still supply about 36 percent of the world?s peppermint oil, which is used by major companies in food and personal?care products.

Sources for Teachers

These links provide background information and data for adults who want to learn more about mint:

Grade Level: 5  •  Category: Crops, Mint

Updated: February 23, 2026