Top Utah Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
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Utah agriculture is an asset to the state economy, producing everything from beef and dairy to wheat, hay, honey and much more. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 17,386 farms in Utah with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling more than $2.3 billion. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data was released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)
The number of farms in Utah has decreased by 6% since 2017 but increased by 14% since 2002. There are nearly 10.5 million acres of farm land in Utah, and the state’s average farm size is 604 acres.
The market value of crops grown in Utah, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled nearly $718 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to more than $1.6 billion.
What Are Utah’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Utah’s top agricultural products include cattle and calves, milk and other dairy products, hay, chicken eggs, and hogs, to name a few.
See More: Utah Agriculture
Who Owns Utah Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Utah farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 13,722 family farms as of 2022, or about 79% of all farms in the state. Corporations account for 1,466 farms, or 8.4%, while partnerships own 1,280 farms, or 7.4%. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 5.3% of farms in Utah.
Utah farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 20,976 male farmers in Utah in 2022, making up 63% of the state’s total producers. Utah’s 12,294 women farmers accounted for 37% of the total.
See More: What’s Growing in Utah?
How Old Are Utah Farmers?
Out of 33,270 farmers in Utah, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Utah farmer is 56.6 years old, up from 56.3 years in 2017.
Just under a quarter of Utah farmers (around 22.9%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 22.8% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 16.7%, followed by farmers ages 35 to 44 (16.3%), then farmers aged 75 or older (12.2%). Only 7.1% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 657 Utah farmers are under 25, or about 2%.
See More: Utah Local Food Revolution
More Utah Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 33,000 agricultural producers, 69% of Utah farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 10,000 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Utah has 1,970 farmers with current or past military service.
Utah has 64 USDA-certified organic farms.
In 2022, Utah counted 10,991 new and young producers, including 4,454 female farmers.
Utah was home to 24,409 honeybees colonies in 2022, up from 15,354 in 2017.
See More: Utah’s Own: The Taste of Success