1-23 IAN Ag 3-Peat

Idaho agriculture three-peat. University of Idaho agricultural economist Garth Taylor is excited about the future of Idaho agriculture. " It is the third straight year of increases, farm gate cash receipts in Idaho. Idaho agriculture is now bigger than it ever has been before." At $7.8 billion a year and that total for 2013 is up 3% from 2012. Taylor says that dairy and beef production carried the year. "We aren't through the ceiling but we are still seeing strong dairy prices for the state and its continued strengthening milk prices throughout most of the year. We saw at certain times of the year, record high beef prices. Those two components of our total cash receipts are over half of Idaho's total cash receipts. So whenever you look at the total, you always have to look at the beef and the milk first." While wheat and sugar struggled in 2013. "We had some real sore spots this year and that was sugar and wheat. Sugar beets were down 21%. We are coming off some high prices, we had some real disasters in sugar." In the Western states Idaho ranks third in production. "It is astounding and my feeling is that we have to wake up and start acting like we are big business, like you are a major driver of the state's economy." Potatoes led crop receipts with $965 million, a slight increase from 2012. Hay was Idaho's third ranking crop and looks bright into the future. Barley was at $337 million and a 10% increase while dry beans posted a strong 12% increase on sales of $104 million. A final report on one major Idaho crop, onions, was missing as a result of the government shutdown.