Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Montana
The state-level CSP data only includes practices that had more than four contracts in a state for a particular year. Because of this, the data contained within the state pages will not sum up to the total payments by practice on the national page.
CSP payments by fiscal year in Montana
CSP payments by county, 2017-2022
Practices and enhancements on CSP acres, 2017-2022, Montana
| Rank | Practice | Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cropland Annual Payment | $106,916,229 |
| 2 | Rangeland Annual Payment | $35,431,448 |
| 3 | Pasture Annual Payment | $10,924,736 |
| 4 | Existing Activity Payment-Land Use | $4,477,989 |
| 5 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $3,003,396 |
| 6 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing precision pesticide application techniques | $2,071,707 |
| 7 | Existing Activity Payment-Resource Concern | $1,472,182 |
| 8 | Non-Industrial Private Forest Land Annual Payment | $1,134,716 |
| 9 | Maintaining quantity and quality of forage for animal health and productivity | $1,119,485 |
| 10 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses to surface water | $1,048,663 |
| 11 | Farmstead | $1,038,601 |
| 12 | Harvest of crops (hay or small grains) using measures that allow desired species to flush or escape | $840,685 |
| 13 | Reduce ozone precursor emissions related to pesticides by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $821,093 |
| 14 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $777,762 |
| 15 | Reduce risks of nutrient losses to surface water by utilizing precision ag technologies | $737,122 |
| 16 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risks to air quality - emissions of GHGs | $623,809 |
| 17 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses to groundwater | $567,588 |
| 18 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses  | $548,821 |
| 19 | Reduce risk of pesticides in water and air by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $544,466 |
| 20 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife food sources | $466,577 |
| 21 | Pest Management Conservation System | $434,499 |
| 22 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing precision pesticide application techniques | $423,234 |
| 23 | Supplemental Payment | $416,862 |
| 24 | Modifications to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $414,338 |
| 25 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $334,822 |
| 26 | Use of body condition scoring for livestock on a monthly basis to keep track of herd health | $323,327 |
| 27 | Associated Ag Land | $296,191 |
| 28 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain or improve wildlife habitat (cover and shelter) | $230,993 |
| 29 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife cover and shelter | $183,393 |
| 30 | Harvest of crops (hay or small grains) using measures that allow desired species to flush or escape | $175,790 |
| 31 | Nutrient Management | $141,350 |
| 32 | Manage livestock access to streams/ditches/other waterbodies to reduce nutrients in surface water | $139,952 |
| 33 | Improved grazing mgmt for plant productivity/health through monitoring | $135,340 |
| 34 | Upland Wildlife Habitat Management | $124,438 |
| 35 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $122,262 |
| 36 | Conservation cover to provide food habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects | $107,389 |
| 37 | Grazing management for improving quantity/quality of plant structure/composition for wildlife | $107,138 |
| 38 | Herbaceous weed control (plant pest pressures) for desired plant communities/habitats | $99,435 |
| 39 | Conservation cover to provide cover and shelter habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects | $96,860 |
| 40 | Management Intensive Rotational Grazing | $92,619 |
| 41 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain wildlife habitat continuity (space) | $92,377 |
| 42 | Improved grazing management for enhanced plant structure and composition for wildlife | $88,792 |
| 43 | Reduce risks of nutrient loss to surface water by utilizing precision agriculture technologies | $87,527 |
| 44 | Grazing management that protects sensitive areas from gully erosion | $84,661 |
| 45 | Cover Crop | $78,849 |
| 46 | Improved crop rotation to provide benefits to pollinators | $78,124 |
| 47 | Herbaceous Weed Treatment  | $77,395 |
| 48 | Enhancement - Soil Management | $70,467 |
| 49 | Herbaceous weed treatment to create plant communities consistent with the ecological site | $69,276 |
| 50 | Resource conserving crop rotation for soil organic matter improvement | $67,588 |
| 51 | Herbaceous weed control (inadequate structure and comp) for desired plant communities/habitats | $67,559 |
| 52 | Manage livestock access to waterbodies to reduce nutrients or pathogens to surface water | $66,276 |
| 53 | Resource conserving crop rotation | $65,078 |
| 54 | Advanced Automated IWM - Year 2-5- Soil moisture is monitored- recorded and used in decision making | $61,526 |
| 55 | Prescribed Grazing | $59,367 |
| 56 | Minimum Payment Adjustment | $57,957 |
| 57 | Implementing Bale or Swath Grazing to increase organic matter and reduce nutrients in surface water | $56,492 |
| 58 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife | $53,166 |
| 59 | Conservation Crop Rotation | $48,124 |
| 60 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain wildlife habitat cover- shelter or continuity | $46,284 |
| 61 | Irrigation Water Management | $46,050 |
| 62 | Use of SHA to assist with development of cover crop mix to improve soil health and increase SOM | $44,070 |
| 63 | Pastured Cropland Annual Payment | $39,727 |
| 64 | Establish Monarch butterfly habitat | $39,462 |
| 65 | Fence | $38,331 |
| 66 | Conservation cover to provide habitat continuity for pollinators and beneficial insects | $38,259 |
| 67 | Residue and Tillage Management- No Till | $35,482 |
| 68 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife food | $34,119 |
| 69 | Grazing management that protects sensitive areas-surface water from nutrients | $33,958 |
| 70 | Improved grazing management for plant productivity/health through monitoring | $32,983 |
| 71 | Enhanced field border to provide wildlife food for pollinators along the edge(s) of a field | $32,714 |
| 72 | Pasture and Hay Planting | $32,164 |
| 73 | Enhanced field borders to increase carbon storage along the edge(s) of the field | $31,824 |
| 74 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife cover | $30,083 |
| 75 | Forage and biomass planting that produces feedstock for biofuels or energy production | $29,485 |
| 76 | Cropland conversion to grass-based agriculture for soil organic matter improvement | $28,881 |
| 77 | Enhanced field borders to reduce water induced erosion along the edge(s) of a field | $27,580 |
| 78 | Herbaceous weed control for desired plant communities/habitats consistent with the ecological site | $20,734 |
| 79 | Grazing management that protects sensitive areas from gully erosion | $19,296 |
| 80 | Advanced Automated IWM - Year 1 - Equipment and soil moisture is monitored- recorded and used in dec | $19,044 |
| 81 | Cover crop to minimize soil compaction | $16,089 |
| 82 | Conservation cover for pollinators and beneficial insects | $15,979 |
| 83 | Enhanced field border to provide wildlife habitat continuity along the edge(s) of a field | $15,468 |
| 84 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $11,772 |
| 85 | Cover crop to suppress excessive weed pressures and break pest cycles | $9,982 |
| 86 | Conservation Cover | $9,757 |
| 87 | Forage Harvest Management | $9,411 |
| 88 | Adding food-producing trees and shrubs to existing plantings | $7,749 |
| 89 | Installing electrical fence offsets and wire for cross-fencing to improve grazing management | $7,326 |
| 90 | Roof Runoff Structure | $5,647 |
| 91 | Improved grazing management that reduces undesirable plant pest pressure through monitoring | $5,195 |
| 92 | Tree/Shrub Establishment | $3,804 |
| 93 | Livestock Shelter Structure | $3,487 |
| 94 | Watering Facility | $3,151 |
| 95 | Soil health crop rotation | $2,946 |
| 96 | Structures for Wildlife | $2,941 |
| 97 | Intensive cover cropping to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $2,911 |
| 98 | Grazing management for improving quantity and quality of cover and shelter for wildlife | $2,742 |
| 99 | Complete pumping plant evaluation for all existing pumps on a farm. | $1,701 |
| 100 | Brush Management | $1,665 |
| 101 | Cropland conversion to grass-based agriculture to reduce soil erosion | $1,557 |
| 102 | Reduction of attractants to human-subsidized predators in sensitive wildlife species habitat | $1,489 |
| 103 | Critical Area Planting | $1,471 |
| 104 | Brush management for improved structure and composition | $1,220 |
| 105 | Cover crop to reduce water erosion | $1,191 |
| 106 | Access Control | $871 |
| 107 | Reduction of attractants to human-subsidized predators in sensitive wildlife species habitat | $729 |
| 108 | Conservation crop rotation to reduce the concentration of salts | $576 |
| 109 | Field Border | $502 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
| Total Payments, 2017-2022 | 181,205,881 | |
NRCS 2024 climate smart practice.
NRCS 2024 provisional climate smart practice.
NCRS climate smart practices on CSP acres, 2017-2022, Montana
| Rank | Practice | Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses | $548,821 |
| 2 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $334,822 |
| 3 | Nutrient Management | $141,350 |
| 4 | Management Intensive Rotational Grazing | $92,619 |
| 5 | Reduce risks of nutrient loss to surface water by utilizing precision agriculture technologies | $87,527 |
| 6 | Cover Crop | $78,849 |
| 7 | Herbaceous Weed Treatment | $77,395 |
| 8 | Herbaceous weed treatment to create plant communities consistent with the ecological site | $69,276 |
| 9 | Resource conserving crop rotation | $65,078 |
| 10 | Prescribed Grazing | $59,367 |
| 11 | Implementing Bale or Swath Grazing to increase organic matter and reduce nutrients in surface water | $56,492 |
| 12 | Conservation Crop Rotation | $48,124 |
| 13 | Irrigation Water Management | $46,050 |
| 14 | Residue and Tillage Management- No Till | $35,482 |
| 15 | Pasture and Hay Planting | $32,164 |
| 16 | Grazing management that protects sensitive areas from gully erosion | $19,296 |
| 17 | Conservation cover for pollinators and beneficial insects | $15,979 |
| 18 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $11,772 |
| 19 | Conservation Cover | $9,757 |
| 20 | Tree/Shrub Establishment | $3,804 |
| 21 | Brush Management | $1,665 |
| 22 | Cropland conversion to grass-based agriculture to reduce soil erosion | $1,557 |
| 23 | Critical Area Planting | $1,471 |
| 24 | Field Border | $502 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
| Total Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $1,839,219 | |
| Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $1,644,833 | |
| Provisional Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $194,386 | |
NRCS 2024 climate smart practice.
NRCS 2024 provisional climate smart practice.
CSP payments by county, 2017-2022
| Rank | State | CSP Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniels County, Montana | $17,535,331 |
| 2 | Chouteau County, Montana | $17,506,453 |
| 3 | Hill County, Montana | $14,296,250 |
| 4 | Toole County, Montana | $11,886,465 |
| 5 | Teton County, Montana | $11,690,028 |
| 6 | McCone County, Montana | $11,018,922 |
| 7 | Phillips County, Montana | $8,990,388 |
| 8 | Valley County, Montana | $8,511,711 |
| 9 | Richland County, Montana | $8,319,388 |
| 10 | Roosevelt County, Montana | $8,113,050 |
| 11 | Sheridan County, Montana | $7,155,184 |
| 12 | Dawson County, Montana | $6,765,188 |
| 13 | Cascade County, Montana | $6,558,158 |
| 14 | Pondera County, Montana | $6,459,038 |
| 15 | Blaine County, Montana | $6,155,479 |
| 16 | Liberty County, Montana | $5,436,013 |
| 17 | Yellowstone County, Montana | $5,085,515 |
| 18 | Golden Valley County, Montana | $4,319,998 |
| 19 | Wheatland County, Montana | $4,270,950 |
| 20 | Glacier County, Montana | $4,247,552 |
| 21 | Rosebud County, Montana | $3,835,800 |
| 22 | Stillwater County, Montana | $3,201,987 |
| 23 | Musselshell County, Montana | $3,173,980 |
| 24 | Fergus County, Montana | $2,746,150 |
| 25 | Garfield County, Montana | $2,583,705 |
| 26 | Broadwater County, Montana | $1,663,459 |
| 27 | Fallon County, Montana | $1,626,902 |
| 28 | Prairie County, Montana | $1,601,154 |
| 29 | Big Horn County, Montana | $1,559,313 |
| 30 | Park County, Montana | $1,043,877 |
| 31 | Carter County, Montana | $903,124 |
| 32 | Judith Basin County, Montana | $836,855 |
| 33 | Madison County, Montana | $811,307 |
| 34 | Wibaux County, Montana | $624,198 |
| 35 | Jefferson County, Montana | $597,947 |
| 36 | Petroleum County, Montana | $593,376 |
| 37 | Carbon County, Montana | $555,784 |
| 38 | Lewis and Clark County, Montana | $401,520 |
| 39 | Gallatin County, Montana | $298,080 |
| 40 | Sweet Grass County, Montana | $153,046 |
| 41 | Sanders County, Montana | $102,200 |
| 42 | Meagher County, Montana | $89,073 |
| 43 | Powder River County, Montana | $43,432 |
| 44 | Custer County, Montana | $28,740 |
| 45 | Flathead County, Montana | $26,834 |
| 46 | Lake County, Montana | $24,655 |
| 47 | Beaverhead County, Montana | $15,443 |
| 48 | Ravalli County, Montana | $12,061 |
| 49 | Powell County, Montana | $7,458 |
| 50 | Missoula County, Montana | $376 |
| 51 | Silver Bow County, Montana | $0 |
| 52 | Granite County, Montana | $0 |
| 53 | Deer Lodge County, Montana | $0 |
| 54 | Treasure County, Montana | $0 |
| 55 | Lincoln County, Montana | $0 |
| 56 | Mineral County, Montana | $0 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
The state-level CSP data only includes practices that had more than four contracts in a state for a particular year. Because of this, the data contained within the state pages will not sum up to the total payments by practice on the national page.
USDA Census of Agriculture Data for Montana, 2022
Land in Montana, 2022
| Land type | Acres |
|---|---|
| Number of Farms: | 24,266 |
| Total Acres in Farms: | 57,601,320 |
| Cropland Acres: | 16,069,748 |
| Permanent pasture and rangeland: | 38,162,444 |
| Woodland Acres: | 2,617,919 |
Livestock in Montana, 2022
| Livestock | Number of Animals |
|---|---|
| Cattle and calves inventory | 2,118,284 |
| Layers inventory | 1,235,100 |
| Hogs and pigs inventory | 230,387 |
| Sheep and lambs inventory | 197,784 |
| Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold | 133,389 |
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