The value of Idaho’s 2022 agricultural production totaled $11.7 billion, setting a new record high in Idaho since 2014, with a 37% increase from the previous year’s revised value of $8.56 billion.
The value of Idaho’s crop production in 2022 was $4.88 billion, up 38% from 2021. The value of livestock production in 2022 totaled $6.82 billion, up 35% from the previous year. Most of the top 10 ranking commodities remained unchanged from 2021. Barley value of production moved up to sixth in the state ranking for 2022, with sugarbeets dropping to seventh.
Milk remains the leading agricultural commodity in the state with a 2022 value of $4.29 billion, up 40% from 2021. This is the highest value of milk production on record, with the second highest being in 2014. Milk represented 37% of the total agricultural value, compared with 36% in 2021.
Cattle and calves remained in the second position and had a record-high value of production totaling $1.75 billion dollars in 2022, up 23% from 2021.
Potatoes ranked third in 2022 with a record-high value of production of $1.51 billion, up 35% from the previous year and surpassing the previous record-high value in 2021.
Hay value of production was at a record high of $1.42 billion, up 50% from 2021, remaining fourth in the state ranking.
Wheat rounded out the top five with a value of $748 million, up 43% from the previous year. The 2022 value of production for wheat is the third highest on record.
These five commodities had a combined value of $9.72 billion, or 83% of the 2022 value for all commodities (excluding government payments). The same five commodities in 2021 had a combined value of $7.09 billion, 83% of the total value. Barley, sugarbeets, corn for grain, onions and hops rounded out the top 10.
In addition to the top 10 commodities, a record-high value of production was established for barley, with a significant increase of 87% from 2021 and a value of production of $450 million. The value of corn for grain was up 12% from 2021 at $171 million. This is the second-highest record, following a record high in 2012. The value of hop production in 2022 decreased by 7% to $98 million after nine consecutive years of increasing values. However, the hop value of production for 2022 is still the third highest on record.
Other commodities outside the top 10 showed increasing values from the previous year. The total value of trout sold increased 29% to $43.4 million, representing 42% of the U.S. sales. Dry edible peas increased 27% from 2021, with value of production at $7.57 million. Honey increased for the third consecutive year with a value of production of $7.25 million in 2022.
Three of the top 10 commodities, sugarbeets, onions and hops, declined in value from the previous year. Other notable commodities outside the top 10 that declined in value in 2022 were peppermint, down 22% to $25 million, and lentils, down 12% to $3 million.
—From a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service press release1
