Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Farming and agriculture-related industries account for nearly 15 percent of Utah's economy and provide jobs for more than 66,000 people, according to a new study.
The report from Utah State University also found they generate more than $15 billion annually to the state and $350 million in state and local taxes.
Officials say the study is the first of its kind in Utah that gives a broader, more accurate picture of agriculture's financial contribution. Traditional studies have focused solely on farm production and pegged agriculture's contribution at only 2 percent or less.
The study released Thursday counts agriculture, food-processing plants and other related industries, as well as the amount farmers spend in local communities.
"When people talk about agriculture, they tend to focus on the plows, cows and sows," economist Paul Jakus told the Salt Lake Tribune. "There's almost a disconnect in that most people don't look any farther than the farm."
But study authors Jakus, Ruby Ward and Dillon Feuz also took into account related industries that are dependent on farming, such as milk- and cheese-processing plants.
"That milk and those beef cows have got to go somewhere," Jakus said. "Agricultural processing is every bit a part of agriculture as is farming."
State Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham said the study shows urban areas also benefit from agriculture.
Utah County, part of the highly urbanized Wasatch Front, brings in the greatest value of agricultural receipts of any county in the state, according to the study. Other counties generating the largest agricultural cash receipts are Millard, Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Sanpete and Iron counties. The seven combined account for almost two-thirds of agricultural sales in Utah.
On the downside, Utah is losing agricultural lands at an alarming rate, Blackham said. Between 2003 and 2008, the state lost 500,000 acres of farmland to development.
Another recent study showed that in 20 years, Utah County will lose nearly a quarter of its existing farmland. Weber County is expected to lose more than 40 percent, Salt Lake nearly 50 percent and Davis 70 percent.
------
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
