Dillon Detail

Submitted by Richard Jones, Soil Scientist at the MLRA-126 Soil Survey Project Office

This past May I received notification from the Montana State Office that I was selected to work in Beaverhead County for the summer. This is the largest county in Montana, and the leading beef producing county in the state.

The initial soil survey in Montana has not been completed, in part due to the vastness of the acreage, and the rugged terrain itself. Many areas can only be accessed via ATV or on foot. The focus in MT is not only on soil data collection and mapping, but Land resource unit and ecological site assessment for the rangeland as well. I totaled about 130 hours of overtime, collecting the above mentioned data on 18,000 acres so I went home a little weary, but my experience this past summer was great. The staff in Montana welcomed me and treated me very well. The bison, moose, elk, and antelope were everywhere! It was awesome.

Dillon is called the area the land of 10,000 haystacks. There was hay everywhere. The ranchers here do an excellent job producing (alfalfa, rye and orchardgrass mix) hay with what little precipitation they receive in the Beaverhead valley (9-14 inches). Of course, irrigation is a must.

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