Idaho Ag Production Up 6% To $8.25B

The value of Idaho agricultural production in 2019 hit $8.25 Billion, up 6% year over year. The rankings of the top nine commodities remained unchanged from 2018.

Coming in at $2.86 billion milk remains the leading agricultural commodity in the state. Not only did that value jumped 20% from 2018’s numbers, last year was the second highest value year for milk production in Idaho, with 2014 remaining the high-water mark. Milk represented 35% of the total agricultural value compared with 31% in 2018.

Cattle and calves remained in the second position and had value of production totaling $1.41 billion dollars in 2019, down slightly from 2018. Potatoes ranked third in 2019 with value of production of $1.04 billion, up 2% from the previous year. Hay value of production was $799 million, up 3% from 2018, fourth in the State ranking. The value of livestock production last year totaled $4.80 billion, up 9% from 2018 numbers. Wheat rounded out the top five with a value of $497 million, down 8% year-over-year.

These five commodities had a combined value of $6.61 billion, or 80% of the 2019 value for all commodities, excluding government payments. The same five commodities in 2018 had a combined value of $6.13 billion, 79% of the total value.

Sugar beets, barley, corn for grain, and hops all remained in the same ranking position as the previous year. Onions entered the top ten in 2019 with value of production of $65.8 million, up 35% from the previous year. Record high values of production were established for potatoes and hops. Value of hop production in 2019 was $89.3 million, up 4% from the previous record in 2018.

There were commodities outside the top five that showed significant increases in value from the previous year. Corn for grain, onions, peppermint, dry edible peas, and oats all increased in value by double-digit percentages. Corn for grain production, with a value of $137 million in 2019, up 16% from the previous year. The value of peppermint totaled $37.9 million, up 12% from 2018.

Only three of the top ten commodities, cattle and calves, wheat, and sugarbeets, declined in value from the previous year. Other notable commodities outside the top ten that declined in value in 2019 were trout, down 7% to $37.4 million; lentils, down 33% to $7.30 million; and honey, down 16% to $4.92 million.

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