Celebrate Agriculture.

Celebrate Earth.

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Farm Service Agency

Natural Resources 

Conservation Service

April 2006

Farm Service Agency
 We are fortunate to live on the 

Earth. As far as scientists know, Earth 

is the only planet that can support life. 

In fact, there are billions of plants and 

animals on Earth, including 6 billion 

people. Think about the astronauts that 

have gone to the moon where nothing was 

living but them!

 The Earth’s plants and animals provide the 

things that we need to survive. Growing and 

harvesting natural resources from the Earth is 

called agriculture. Growing the food we eat and 

the clothes we wear is an important part of 

agriculture, and so is taking care of the Earth. 

Farmers and ranchers are the people that grow 

and harvest crops, livestock, trees, and wildlife. 

They also play an important part in keeping our 

soils healthy, waters clean, and plants productive.

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 To help keep Montana lands 

 healthy, farmers and ranchers 

 practice conservation. 

 Conservation means natural 

 resources like plants, soil, and

 water are used in a way that the 

 resources are improved instead of

destroyed or made unhealthy.

 So let’s celebrate agriculture and take a 

trip on Earth to a state called Montana 

where agriculture is very important. 

Montana ranks second in the nation in the 

amount of land that is used for agriculture. 

That means the safe, abundant food grown 

right here in Montana by our farmers and 

ranchers not only feeds the people in 

Montana, it also feeds people all over the 

Earth.

 In 2005, Montana farmers and ranchers used conservation that helped to save more than 

598,800 tons of soil from eroding into the state’s streams, rivers, and lakes. That is more than 

39,000 dump truck loads of soil! Unscramble the words below and match them with some common 

agricultural terms.

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.

Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.

Word Jumble
 Ranchers raise cows, sheep, horses, and other types of livestock to provide us with food as well 

as clothing, toothpaste, and even Jello! The type of land that livestock live on is called rangeland. 

Different kinds of livestock graze (eat) different kinds of plants, so all types of grasses, shrubs, 

and trees grow on Montana’s healthy rangelands. These plants are important because they hold 

soil together to protect it from wind and water erosion. Ranchers manage their livestock herds in 

ways that improve the health of vegetation (plants) and soil on rangeland. In 2005, Montana 

ranchers used conservation to make more than 1.2 million acres of rangeland healthier and more 

productive.

 Can you find these eleven different kinds of livestock that are raised in Montana in the word 

find below?

Find the Livestock

 Did you know that Montana ranchers manage more than 38 million acres of range and 

pasture? Lots of different kinds of animals use this rangeland. You already found some of the 

livestock in the word find, but wild animals depend on rangeland too. These might be deer, birds, 

rabbits, elk, bees, butterflies, and even snakes. Find and color the letters in the word, 

RANGELAND.

V T O U I O N W E T Y H N P M

A S M G M B H O R S E W A T F

S E I K I T T C J R D S W F L

B S H E E P N M L L A M A S A

X U O B C H I C K E N S W O C

M I L K C O W Z H C I R T S O

L G Y P R R E R A U I F L O W

cow, sheep, horse, calf, emu, ostrich, pig, milk cow, llamas, rheas, chickens

Find the Rangeland

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.
 Montana’s rangeland lies within the shortgrass prairie of the Great Plains region. Most of the 

rangeland receives between 10 and 15 inches of rainfall each year. The climate is very dry with 

low humidity, high evaporation rates, and periods of severe drought. Surviving in the shortgrass 

prairie requires lots of planning on the ranchers’ part.

 If you were a rancher and you had to manage plants in the dry shortgrass prairie climate, 

circle the three plants that you would grow on your rangeland. Draw the plants you’ve chosen on 

the prairie provided on the next page.

Shortgrass Prairie

 Circle the four types of livestock that ranchers raise on Montana’s shortgrass prairie and add 

them to the prairie you are creating on the next page.

 Did you choose buffalo grass, blue grama, and little bluestem? Well done.

 Can you imagine an elephant grazing Montana rangelands? It looks pretty silly doesn’t it?

This activity is based on the “Build-A-Prairie” activity developed by the Bell Museum of Natural History. 

You can experience the activity online at http://www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/.

Buffalograss

is native to the 

Great Plains 

and it tolerates 

prolonged 

droughts.

Blue grama

is a native 

grass that is 

hardy and 

resistant to 

drought.

Kentucky bluegrass

is found in meadows, open 

woodlands, and prairies. 

Because it is not a native 

species, it could compete 

with native prairie species 

for vital water, sunlight, 

and nutrients.

Prairie 

dropseed 

grows in the 

tallgrass 

prairie.

Little 

bluestem 

grows on short, 

tall, and 

mixed-grass 

prairies.

Horses 

are used by 

ranchers to 

move their cattle 

from pasture to 

pasture.

Beef cows 

are raised by 

ranchers to provide 

meat for us to eat 

as well as leather 

for our shoes.

Sheep 

are raised to 

provide wool for 

sweaters and 

meat for food.

Elephants 

live in tropical 

rainforests and 

savannas.

Llamas

are raised for wool 

and are also used 

by ranchers to 

protect sheep from 

predators.

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.
When was the last time you ate a plant? You may not realize it, but you eat plants all the time. 

For example, bread is made from flour, which comes from wheat. Fruits and vegetables all come 

from plants, too. These are all plants that are grown and harvested by farmers, but there are also 

plants you can eat that don’t come from a farm. Dandelions are abundant on the prairies of 

Montana. They have yellow flowers that bloom brightly in the spring and early summer. The 

following recipe for dandelion salad is fun to make and it tastes good.

Draw a Prairie

Dandelion Salad

Dandelion Salad Recipe

When gathering dandelion leaves for salad, be sure to pick the smallest, youngest leaves, as they 

are the tenderest. Also, only pick leaves off of plants whose yellow flowers have not yet developed. 

The leaves turn bitter after the plant flowers.

Ingredients:

dandelion leaves

1 clove of garlic

1 tablespoon of oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash all dandelion leaves thoroughly.

2. Cut the leaves in half.

3. Crush the garlic using a garlic press.

4. Heat the oil and garlic in a sauce pan to simmer.

5. Add the leaves, salt, and pepper.

6. Cook about 12 minutes or until tender. Add water if it gets too dry.

7. Cool slightly and serve.

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.
One bushel of wheat = about 70 one-pound loaves of bread.

 Montana farmers grow the food we eat and also the food that animals eat. The plants farmers 

grow in their fields are called crops, and the land used to grow them is called cropland. There are 

many different crops grown in Montana. Some of them are wheat, corn, potatoes, sugar beets, dry 

beans, peas, mint, cherries, sunflowers, hay, and safflower. The farmer has a very busy schedule. 

He must start very early in the spring planning and planting crops. All summer and fall he must 

water, harvest, or gather them from the cropland. After the crops are harvested, they are made 

into bread, cereal, sugar, chewing gum, or other types of food, and then sent to grocery stores and 

restaurants where people can buy them.

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 Unscramble the crops that are grown in Montana in the center of the circle, and match 

them to the words around the outside.

Crops and Cropland

mint sugar beets

wheat

potatoes

barley

alfalfa

canola

sunflowers

flax

corn

sorghum

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.
Play the Game!

Color and draw a circle around the foods that are produced from crops grown in Montana.

Answers: French fries, pasta, bread, popcorn.

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Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.
Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.

 Many of the products we use every single day come from some part of a plant or animal. Many 

of these plants and animals are raised by farmers and ranchers in Montana. Farmers and 

ranchers who work on the land every day to feed and clothe us also help to take good care of the 

Earth.

 Color in the items below. All of them are made from some part of a plant or animal.

 The USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service are proud to 

celebrate agriculture along with you. Agriculture is the backbone of our country. Without it, we 

would not have food, clothing, or many other items that are made from plants and animals.

 These two USDA agencies have been helping America’s farmers and ranchers for more than 70 

years. They have helped farmers plant crops in ways that prevent erosion, improve water quality, 

increase production, and save energy. These agencies have also helped ranchers manage their 

livestock herds in ways that maintain healthy wildlife habitat, improve plant health, and keep 

our air clean. Without the help of these two agencies, food would be much more expensive to buy 

in the grocery store and we may not be enjoying the healthy lands of Montana.

 Next time you go to the store to buy something, please thank the farmer or rancher that 

worked hard to grow and harvest the resources that were used to make it. Celebrate Agriculture! 

Celebrate Earth!

03/06/MT Page 8 USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Celebrate Agriculture. Celebrate Earth.