Rule 42.20.681 - [Effective 1/1/2025] AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY PRICES AND VALUES(1) Commodity prices for the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle used for the determination of income are calculated using a 10-year Olympic average of prices from Montana Agricultural Statistics for the years 2014-2023. The department's Olympic average removes the highest price and the lowest price and averages the remaining eight prices. The commodity prices used for valuing agricultural land for the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle are as follows: (a) Spring wheat price used in the valuation of non-irrigated summer fallow and non-irrigated continuous cropped farm lands is $6.11 per bushel.(b) Alfalfa hay price, reduced by 20 percent as required by 15-7-201, MCA, used in the valuation of irrigated and non-irrigated hay lands is $124.20 per ton.(c) Private grazing fees used in the valuation of grazing lands is $24.69 per Animal Unit Month (AUM).(2) The minimum value of irrigated land as determined by the methodology detailed in ARM 42.20.675 is $501.21 per acre.(3) The statewide grazing productivity average is 501.21 AUMs per acre, and is used in calculating the values of:(a) nonqualified agricultural lands; and(b) nonproductive patented mining claims.(4) For the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle the capitalization rate for Class 3 agricultural land, which is used to convert an ongoing income stream into an estimate of value is 6.4 percent.(5) For the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle the highest productivity of non-irrigated continuously cropped farmland is 60 bushels per acre, and is used in calculating the values of specialty crop land.(6) For the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle, the value of the one acre beneath a residence on agricultural land is $2,326.(7) For the 2025-2026 appraisal cycle, the minimum carrying capacity for grazing land to be eligible for agricultural classification is 22 AUMs as determined by the Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, in accordance with ARM 42.20.620.Mont. Admin. r. 42.20.681
NEW, 2014 MAR p. 2994, Eff. 12/12/14; AMD, 2016 MAR p. 2341, Eff. 1/1/2017; AMD, 2018 MAR p. 2546, Eff.1/1/2019; AMD, 2022 MAR p. 2366, Eff. 12/24/2022; AMD, 2024 MAR p. 2553, Eff. 1/1/2025AUTH: 15-1-201, MCA; IMP: 15-6-133, 15-7-201, 15-7-202, 15-7-206, 15-7-210, MCA