In northeast Montana, agriculture is the economy. Much of the landscape you’ll see as you drive down the road grains, grasses for cattle, or undisturbed prairie and badlands.
Most of the crops you see are spring wheat. This is planted in May and is harvest from early to mid-September. Some farmers will take their chances with winter wheat. While there’s always a chance of winter kill, the yield in bushels-per-acre is higher than spring wheat.
Wonder what the long rows of green or golden grain alternating with the dark earth stretching endlessly are? It’s called strip farming. This practice reduces wind erosion of the soil and conserves moisture. The strip that remains fallow will have more moisture in it when it is planted the next year. The strips are alternated each year.
