Grant County leads Washington State in agriculture sales

MOSES LAKE - Grant County is the top agricultural seller in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest ag census report.

The market value of agricultural products sold out of the county in 2012 reached $1.7 billion - a 48 percent increase from the $1.1 billion in products sold in 2007, when the last census took place.

According to the 2012 census, 76 percent of sales were crop sales and 24 percent were livestock sales.

The increase between the 2007 and 2012 census was enough to bump Grant County up one spot on the state's list of top agricultural sellers. In 2007, Grant County had the No. 2 spot on the list, coming in after Yakima County which recorded $1.2 billion in agricultural sales that year.

They were followed by Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties, respectively. Benton County sold $525 million in 2007; Franklin, $467 million and Walla Walla, $344.4 million.

In 2012, Yakima County recorded sales of $1.6 billion; Benton County, $923.2 million; Franklin County, $740 million and Walla Walla County, $437.5 million.

Neighboring Adams County was ranked sixth during both census years, selling $344.1 million in ag products in 2007 and $430.1 million in 2012.

The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2012 Census of Agriculture reports for all 50 states and Puerto Rico earlier this year. The census, which is conducted once every five years, is the only time the agency releases agriculture data down to the county level for all U.S. counties.

The state and county profiles provide snapshots of agriculture in specific areas, NASS Administrator Joseph Reilly said.

"Census information is heavily relied on at the local level and is an excellent resource for anyone searching for data about farmers and agriculture production in their community," he said in a statement.

The profiles include top crop and livestock items, the number of farms and average size of farms, crop sales and livestock sales and market value of products sold in a certain county.

The 2012 census is the 28th federal census of agriculture and the fourth conducted by NASS. The U.S. Department of Commerce conducted the census of agriculture prior to that.

According to the 2012 census, Grant County had 1,552 farms - down 16 percent from the 1,858 farms in the county in 2007. The average size of farms increased between the two years, going from 586 acres in 2007 to 621 acres in 2012.

There were 440 farms in the county that were valued at $500,000 or more in terms of sales.

The top valued commodity groups in terms of sales in 2012 were fruits, tree nuts and berries; cattle and calves and vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Fruits, tree nuts and berries tallied 674.5 million in sales; cattle and calves, $294 million and vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes, $293 million.

The top crop in terms of acreage that year was wheat for grain. Cattle and calves, colonies of bees and horses and ponies were the top livestock inventory items, according to the census.

Statewide, Washington sold $9.1 billion in agricultural products in 2012, up 34 percent from the $6.7 billion sold in 2007. Crop sales accounted for 71 percent of that figure, and livestock sales for 29 percent.

Washington's $9.1 billion in sales ranked the state 17th in the nation in terms of the total value of agricultural products sold. The top valued commodity group in the state in 2012 was fruits, tree nuts and berries - sales of which reach 2.9 billion.

The number of farms in the state decreased by 5 percent - from 39,284 in 2007 to 37,249 in 2012. However, the average size of farms went from 381 acres in 2007 to 396 acres in 2012.