Agriculture in Idaho is an important part of the state's way of life and represents a substantial portion of the state's economy. 20% of Idaho's sales each year are generated by agriculture and food/beverage processing. In 2015, agricultural products were valued at $7,463,718,000, with slightly over half of that from the sale of livestock and dairy products. [1] Cattle is the second largest agriculture sector of the state and Idaho is the third largest producer of milk and cheese in the United States. [1] Although dairy plays a significant role in the economy, Idaho is most known for its potatoes. Idaho is the number one producer of potatoes in the nation and contributes to 32% of the country's production. [1] Idaho has nearly 25,000 farms and ranches spread over 11.8 million acres [1] of land that produces more than 185 different commodities. The state's production ranks in the top ten in the nation in nearly 30 of the commodities it produces. [1]
Idaho has three approved wine-grape growing regions, or American Viticulture Areas (AVA), located throughout the state: [2]
In 2015, Idaho's top commodities, by value of production, were milk products and cattle/calves. Following dairy products, potatoes were the next highest producing commodity. [1]
Commodity | Acres Harvested | Value of Production ($1000) |
---|---|---|
Milk (all) | N/A | $2,357,038 |
Cattle & Calves | N/A | $1,731,000 |
Potatoes | 322,000 | $912,800 |
Hay | 1,330,000 | $836,640 |
Wheat | 1,155,000 | $478,800 |
Sugarbeets | 172,000 | $283,680 |
Barley | 580,000 | $306,763 |
Dry Edible Beans | 119,000 | $70,011 |
Corn (Grain) | 70,000 | $68,103 |
Onions | 8,000 | $49,803 |
Peppermint | 15,200 | $34,154 |
Hops | 4,900 | $30,799 |
Apples | 2,300 | $14,978 |
Dry Edible Peas | 50,000 | $9,380 |
Lentils | 32,000 | $8,960 |
Peaches | 900 | $6,253 |
Honey | N/A | $5,468 |
Sweet Cherries | 700 | $3,636 |
Spearmint | 1,300 | $3,629 |
Oats | 15,000 | $3,806 |
Prunes & Plums | 400 | $1,021 |
There are roughly 168 farms in Idaho that produce organic commodities. In 2015, 95,739 acres of cropland and 71,443 acres of pasture/rangeland produced $85,014,000 in sales. As the popularity of organic foods rises, we will continue to see an increase in the sales of these commodities. [4]
Number of Farms | 168 |
Cropland Acres | 95,739 |
Pasture/Rangeland | 71,443 |
Total Acres | 167,182 |
Total Sales | $85,014,000 |
In 2015, Idaho's agricultural products were valued at $7,463,718,000. Slightly over half of this amount was from the sale of livestock and dairy products. [1]
Year | Dollars (1,000) |
---|---|
2015 | $7,463,718 |
2014* | $8,768,017 |
2013* | $8,317,046 |
2012* | $7,586,979 |
2011* | $7,368,419 |
2010 | $5,889,969 |
2009 | $5,144,327 |
2008* | $6,216,935 |
2007* | $5,719,830 |
2006* | $4,589,839 |
2005* | $4,416,536 |
2004* | $4,405,372 |
*Record Setting Year
In 2015, Idaho's number one agriculture sector, with a value of production of $3,204,663,000, was all milk products and its second largest agriculture sector, with a value of production of $1,731,000,000, was cattle. [1] Slightly over half of the state's income comes from the sale of livestock and dairy products. Idaho is the third largest producer of milk and cheese, fourth largest producer of milk cows, sixth largest producer of sheep and lambs, and 13th largest producer of cattle and calves in the United States. [1] There are over 500 dairies in Idaho, most of which are family-owned.[ citation needed ]
Total Head | |
---|---|
Cattle and Calves | 1,813,000 |
Dairy Cattle | 587,000 |
Sheep and Lambs | 255,000 |
Livestock cash receipts | $4,551,997 |
Crops cash receipts | $2,911,720 |
Total cash receipts | $7,463,717 [1] |
Idaho's agriculture is sustained by a high acreage of farmland and ranches. Idaho has 24,400 farms and ranches that take up 11,800,000 acres of land throughout the state. [1]
Number of Farms/Ranches | 24,400 |
Land in Farms/Ranches (acres) | 11,800,000 |
Average Size of Farm/Ranch (acres) | 484 |
Irrigated Land (acres) | 3,365,292 |
Average Age of Operator | 57 [5] |
Idaho's agriculture production ranks in the top ten in the nation in nearly 30 of the 168 commodities it produces. The state ranks number one in the nation in the production of potatoes, Austrian winter peas, and trout. [1]
Commodities | Rank | % of U.S. |
---|---|---|
Potatoes | 1 | 32 |
Austrian Winter Peas | 1 | 51 |
Barley | 2 | 25 |
Alfalfa Hay | 2 | 7 |
Sugarbeets | 2 | 19 |
Wrinkled Seed Peas | 2 | 40 |
Prunes and Plums | 2 | 40 |
Hops | 3 | 11 |
All Mint | 3 | 19 |
Dry Edible Peas | 4 | 4 |
Lentils | 4 | 5 |
Onions (Summer Storage) | 5 | 11 |
Dry Edible Beans | 5 | 7 |
Spring Wheat | 5 | 5 |
Sweet Cherries | 5 | 1 |
Canola | 6 | 1 |
Winter Wheat | 7 | 4 |
All Hay | 10 | 4 |
Livestock and Livestock Products | ||
Trout | 1 | 47 |
Milk | 3 | 7 |
Cheese | 3 | 8 |
Milk Cows | 4 | 6 |
Sheep and Lambs | 6 | 5 |
Wool | 8 | 6 |
Cattle & Calves, All | 13 | 3 |
Honey | 14 | 2 |
Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, veal is more expensive by weight than beef from older cattle. Veal production is a way to add value to dairy bull calves and to utilize whey solids, a byproduct from the manufacturing of cheese.
A farm is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used for specialized units such as arable farms, vegetable farms, fruit farms, dairy, pig and poultry farms, and land used for the production of natural fiber, biofuel, and other commodities. It includes ranches, feedlots, orchards, plantations and estates, smallholdings, and hobby farms, and includes the farmhouse and agricultural buildings as well as the land. In modern times, the term has been extended so as to include such industrial operations as wind farms and fish farms, both of which can operate on land or at sea.
Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that goes back to the early Neolithic era, around the seventh millennium BC, in many regions of Europe and Africa. Before the 20th century, milking was done by hand on small farms. Beginning in the early 20th century, milking was done in large scale dairy farms with innovations including rotary parlors, the milking pipeline, and automatic milking systems that were commercially developed in the early 1990s.
Dairy cattle are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species Bos taurus.
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Free range denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals can roam freely outdoors for at least part of the day, rather than being confined in an enclosure for 24 hours each day. On many farms, the outdoors ranging area is fenced, thereby technically making this an enclosure, however, free range systems usually offer the opportunity for the extensive locomotion and sunlight that is otherwise prevented by indoor housing systems. Free range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farming.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is the statistical branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. NASS has 12 regional offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and a headquarters unit in Washington, D.C. NASS conducts hundreds of surveys and issues nearly 500 national reports each year on issues including agricultural production, economics, demographics and the environment. NASS also conducts the United States Census of Agriculture every five years.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture; it maintains programs in five commodity areas: cotton and tobacco; dairy; fruit and vegetable; livestock and seed; and poultry. These programs provide testing, standardization, grading and market news services for those commodities, and oversee marketing agreements and orders, administer research and promotion programs, and purchase commodities for federal food programs. The AMS enforces certain federal laws such as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and the Federal Seed Act. The AMS budget is $1.2 billion. It is headquartered in the Jamie L. Whitten Building in Washington, D.C.
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Idaho wine refers to wine produced in the state of Idaho. Idaho has a long history of wine production with the first vineyards in the Pacific Northwest being planted here in the 1860s. Grapes were first planted in the state by French immigrants Louis Desol and Robert Schleicher, and Jacob Schaefer from Germany before grapes were ever planted in Washington and Oregon. Idaho wines were receiving national recognition before Prohibition crippled the industry and shutdown production. In fact, Idaho issued a state prohibition in 1916 before the 18th Amendment was enacted in 1920 and repealed in 1933. The state’s viticulture industry was not revived until the 1970s when first grape vines were planted in the Snake River Valley toward its southernmost area. Today, Idaho's viticulture is its fastest growing agricultural industry.
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Agriculture is a major industry in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the most recent United States Census of Agriculture conducted in 2017, there were 53,157 farms in Pennsylvania, covering an area of 7,278,668 acres with an average size of 137 acres per farm. In 2016, Pennsylvania ranked first in the United States in Agaricus mushroom production, fourth in apple production, fourth in Christmas tree production, fifth in dairy sales, fifth in grape production, and seventh in winemaking.
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