Ag’s Impact On Idaho Is Deep & Not Changing Anytime Soon

Agriculture has an enormous impact on Idaho’s overall economy.

How big?

According to 2024 numbers, the state’s farm sector accounted for a record $44.5 billion in annual sales, which is 17.2% of the state’s total economic output. University of Idaho professor Phil Watson noted while production agriculture is key to the state's success, that’s not the only area impacted by farm country.

“And then of course, we talked about the processing and that there's the whole, the trucking and the, wholesaling," Watson noted. "So there's a lot of businesses that are connected directly to ag that through that supply chain. Again, you want to think about ag as a supply chain that goes from putting a seed in the ground to tending it to, all the way to turning it into a food product and selling it to either a consumer or around the world. So there's a lot to that.”

Ag Impacts So Many Across Idaho

Watson added Idaho’s farm economy includes so many sectors the average person may not think about, such as crop dusters, mechanics, fertilizer sales reps and many others. Plus, he said there are jobs, such as local waitresses, teachers, and others directly impacted by agriculture, but never step foot on a farm.

Watson said Idaho’s overall economy is deeply connected to agriculture and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

“I think the story's pretty clear. It's kind of sustained growth in both production, but especially in processing,” Watson said.

Click Here to check out the University of Idaho’s study.

The U of I also found that agriculture itself employs 137,900 Idaho workers, which comes out to roughly one in every nine jobs across the state.