Farm and Ranch Land

Updated: January 14, 2026<

Montana encompasses 93.27 million acres of diverse landscapes - rugged mountains, deep valleys, and expansive plains. As the fourth-largest state by area, it ranks behind Alaska, Texas, and California.

Approximately 57.4 million acres (about 62% of the state's total land) are used for agricultural. About 65 million acres or 70% of the state's land—is rangeland, for cattle and sheep grazing. The rest includes fields for wheat (5.33 million acres planted), barley (910,000 acres), oats (65,000 acres), sugar beets (24,600 acres), corn, hay, lentils, peas, chickpeas, and more.

Over one-third of Montana's land - roughly 32.5 million acres - is publicly owned, managed by federal and state agencies. This includes 17 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land. State trust lands and BLM-managed areas account for even more public acreage. Ranchers and farmers pay fees to graze livestock or grow crops on many of these lands.

All stats reflect the latest available data through 2025/2026, with sources from USDA-NASS, Montana DNRC, and federal land-management agencies.

Learn more about Montana's farm and ranch land use.

Updated: January 14, 2026