Agricultural Manpower Study 1983-1990

Various surveys were conducted to determine the current level of personnel on Montana farms/ranches and in agribusinesses as well as the projected number of persons to be employed in those occupations through 1990. The study found that the current family work force on farms and ranches in Montana has remained the same since 1981 and it is likely that this figure will remain constant through 1990. The study also found that a reduction of 9,000 full- and part-time agricultural production workers took place in the state between 1974 and 1981, and a further reduction of about 5 percent is expected between 1983 and 1990. About two-thirds of these workers are considered part-time employees. In addition, the surveys found that there are about 1,900 agribusinesses in the state. In 1983, these businesses employed 15,704 persons, and they are expected to employ 19,660 persons, a 25 percent increase, by 1990. Finally, four regional corporations/cooperatives who operated 200 agribusiness firms in Montana in 1983 indicated that they had 1,303 employees in the state in 1979 and 1,243 employees in 1983. They expected this figure to decrease by 5 percent by 1990. (A number of statistical tables are contained in this report.) (KC)