Idaho agriculture at a glance

Idaho is well-known across the U.S. as the potato state, though many don’t know we produce numerous other crops such as: alfalfa, corn, wheat, sugarbeets, barley, winter peas, peppermint, hops (local breweries), canola, lentils, onions, spearmint, beans, grapes (table & wine), vegetables and some fruit – peaches/apples/prune/plum/cherries.

That is just a short list of what agriculture owners/operators/workers are producing on a yearly basis.

A total of 180 different commodities are produced in the state thanks to agriculture. In 2017 Idaho potato producers increased their production value by a total of 23 percent to $1.19 billion.

Another well-known sector of Idaho’s economy includes ranchers who are producing cattle for beef, milk, cheese and other dairy products, swine (mmm, bacon), sheep/lamb and goat.

Idaho leads the entire U.S. in the production of potatoes, Austrian winter peas, barley, peppermint oil and trout. Elmore County has numerous potato producers who grow several types of potato varieties including: Russet Burbank, Norkotah, Ranger, Bannock, Yukon Gold as well as some specialty organic varieties for the fresh market.

Various companies have contracts with several growers in our community, turning these potatoes into delicious fries or hash browns you may be eating right now as you read this article.

Potatoes are also commonly used for the production of glue, animal feed as well as fuel-grade ethanol.

If you put this all together into an estimated dollar amount per year, Idaho produces around $28 billion a year in sales directly related to agriculture. For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.