Production planning covers all of the details surrounding how your farm operation will produce products for market. This can include considering the production capacity of your land, the varietals or breeds you select for your climate and production practices, the types of equipment, buildings, and facilities you have or need, your production practices, and more. While the best tools for planning are personal experience, either from your own farm or working on similar farms nearby your land, there are a number of state and national resources that can help you work through the various things you should consider.
One of the most important things (if not the most important thing) you will need to consider is your land. Check out our resources on land access and evaluation to learn about resources that can help you evaluate your land’s soil, water, and other attributes.
For a variety of agricultural statistics, contact the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, which partners with a variety of organizations to provide timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to US Agriculture.
MSU Extension Resources
Pesticide Safety and Education
Cecil Tharp: Pesticide Safety
ctharp@montana.edu, (406) 994-5067
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
Jane Mangold: Rangeland and Invasive Weed Management
jane.mangold@montana.edu, 406-994-5513
Clain Jones: Soil Fertility
clainj@montana.edu, 406-994-6076
Fabian Menalled: Cropland Weeds
menalled@montana.edu, 406-994-5883
Laurie Kerzicnik: Entomology-horticulture
lauren.kerzicnik@montana.edu, 406-994-5704
Mary Burrows: Plant Pathology-agronomy
mburrows@montana.edu, 406-994-7766
Eva Grimme: Plant Pathology-horticulture
eva.grimme@montana.edu, 406-994-5150
Kevin Wanner: Entomology-Agronomy
kwanner@montana.edu, 406-944-5653
Noelle Orloff: Plant ID
noelleorloff@montana.edu 406-944-6297