Natural beauty, vibrant cities and diverse ecosystems make up USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Northwest Region, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. With its temperate northern climate, it’s no surprise that the region is diverse in crops and livestock. With the 2022 Census of Agriculture, we discovered more about these agricultural treasures in the Northwest Region.
Alaska, the largest (sorry, Texas) and most northern state in the U.S., led the nation with the largest percent increase in total farms. Standing out like Denali Mountain, it was one of only five states to increase total farms from 2017 to 2022. Alaska’s agricultural commodity with largest value of production was aquaculture at $43.5 million.
Stereotypical as it may seem, Idaho’s reputation for growing potatoes sprouts from fact, according to ag census data. The Gem State’s potatoes continued to hold the number one spot in the nation, representing 27% of total U.S. acreage. Idaho’s farmers are dynamic business owners, developing additional revenue streams in agritourism. Idaho agritourism brought in $16,909,000 in 2022, an 83% increase from 2017.
Women in ag thrive in Oregon, where 30,150 female producers accounted for 44% of all Oregon producers, the fourth highest in the U.S. In terms of number of female-only farms, Oregon is 3% above the national average. Do you dream of hazelnuts? Oregon growers accounted for 94% of all acreage planted to hazelnuts in the nation. The number of bearing acres of hazelnuts in Oregon increased 60% from 2017 to 2022.
Craft beer innovators source a variety of essential hops from Washington. The state led the nation with 69% of total hops produced. In fact, Idaho, Oregon and Washington accounted for 98% of all production in the U.S. Looking for something sweet and healthy in the Evergreen State? Washington also leads the U.S. in apple and sweet cherry acreage, at 188,973 and 43,429 acres respectively.
Of course, there is much more beyond these stats to discover about the Northwest Region. Learn more by visiting nass.usda.gov/AgCensus or contact your state agricultural statistician.