Farmland Atlas · county record

Meagher County, Montana

Meagher County, MT: non-irrigated cash rent $22 an acre (2014); land and buildings $1,316 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 30059. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Irrigated cropland in Meagher County rents for $38 per acre, non-irrigated for $22 per acre, both 2014 figures. Sixty percent of harvested cropland is irrigated, and none of that irrigation water comes from groundwater as of 2015. The July nightly low has moved from a 1991-2020 normal of 47 F to 48.9 F over 2017-2026, part of a warming trend of 0.65 F per decade since 1976. Heat and drought caused 40 percent of the county's $8.1 million in crop insurance indemnities across 1989-2025, and its share by period was 10 percent in 1989-1999, 51 percent in 2000-2009, 36 percent in 2010-2019, and 66 percent in 2020-2025. Census land value rose 44.9 percent from 2017 to 2022, reaching $1,316 per acre in 2022.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$22/ac
2014 county average
too few 2014 county surveys in the state to compare
Cash rent, irrigated
$38/ac
2014 county average
too few 2014 county surveys in the state to compare
Land and buildings
$1,316/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
MT median $1,237 · 24th highest of 53
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
$11.77
2016–2025, closed crop years
MT median $13.95 · 13th lowest of 46
Farmland rented
24%
2022 census, rented from others
MT median 29% · 18th lowest of 56

Cash rent

Non-irrigated, 2014$22/ac
Irrigated, 2014$38/ac
Pasture, 2026$9/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$1,316/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$961/ac
Census 2017$908/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+44.9%+7.7% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022

Corn yield

County corn yield— fewer than 8 published county corn yields

Crop insurance record

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1989. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Claims paid per $100 of coverage, 2016–2025$11.77
Loss ratio, 2016–20250.68claims ÷ total premium
Loss ratio, 1989–20250.71$8.1 million paid
Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025heat and drought 40% · freeze 28% · other 13%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202514530

Weeks per year, U.S. Drought Monitor, with half the county or more in D2 (severe) drought or worse.

D2 or worse for half the county, 2000–2025332 of 1,357 weeks25% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200253 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202555 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202648.9 °F1991–2020 normal 47.0 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.65 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September13.2 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 94% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.4 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 202260%
Drained by tile, 2022none reported
Farmed no-till, 202221% of cropland18,415 ac
Cover crops, 20223% of cropland2,810 ac
198619911996200120062011201620211,3657,850283

Acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, USDA FSA, by fiscal year.

CRP enrolled, 2025283 ac0.6% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–2028281 ac99% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$26/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Solar and wind operating, 20250 MW solar · 17.7 MW windnameplate, EIA Form 860
Cattle and calves, 202238,901−23.7% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202224%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueClaims per $100
Meagher County——$1,316$11.77
Broadwater County$24 2024$215$1,894$6.78
Cascade County$46$100$1,234$11.82
Gallatin County$39$173$4,069$4.07
Judith Basin County$34—$1,350$12.63
Lewis and Clark County$36 2025$86$1,762$13.10
Park County$33$92$2,000$5.54
Sweet Grass County—$70$1,499—
Wheatland County$22—$1,197$23.77
Median next door$34$96$1,631$11.82

Counties that share a stretch of boundary. An older rent carries its year and stays out of the median.

Cite this page

AGSIST Farmland Atlas. Meagher County, Montana. Figures as of 2026-09-20, from USDA NASS, USDA RMA, USDA FSA, the U.S. Drought Monitor and NOAA. https://agsist.com/farmland-atlas/montana/meagher-county
Every figure is a county average from the sources named below. Ranks count counties with 10,000 acres or more in farms, in the same survey year for rent, within the state. Methods: how each figure is built. Downloads: all counties, CSV.
Sources, dates and arithmetic

"Figures as of" is the date this page's numbers last changed; it moves only when a figure on the page does. Source files and their retrieval dates are listed on the data page.

Rent: USDA NASS Cash Rents Survey, county. Land value: Census of Agriculture, operators' estimate of land and buildings. Yield: NASS county corn yields, trend fitted here over every published year since 2008. Loss ratio: claims (indemnity) divided by total premium, USDA RMA Summary of Business, 1989 on, open crop year left out. Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor, weeks with half the county or more in D2 or worse. July lows: NOAA nClimDiv county monthly minimum temperature. A dash means the record does not carry the figure or the source withheld it; the reason is printed beside it.