Crop & Livestock Values Set Record

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service production values for Washington cherries, apples, milk, wheat, potatoes, and hay all set record highs in 2011, and several other commodities, including blueberries, edible beans, and corn for grain, more than doubled their value from 2010. Here’s the Ag Information Network’s Greg Martin with a few of the those production numbers.

MARTIN: Apples remain the leading agricultural commodity in the State with a 2011 value of $1.83 billion, a 19 percent increase from 2010. Milk ranked second with a value of $1.28 billion, 34 percent above 2010 followed by wheat with a value of $1.14 billion. Wheat posted a 23 percent gain from the 2010 crop. Potatoes had the fourth largest value at $771 million, 18 percent higher than the previous year. New to the top five in 2011 was All Hay with value of production totaling $714 million, 40 percent higher than 2010. These five commodities had combined values of $5.73 billion, or 63 percent of the 2011 value for all commodities. The same five commodities in 2010 had a combined value of $4.58 billion, or 58 percent of the total value. The value of field crops, at $3.24 billion, was 22 percent above last year. Livestock, at $2.39 billion, registered an increase of 17 percent.

2011 was the first year for the value of Washington apples, milk, and wheat to exceed $1 billion.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.