Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistics Service’s (USDA NASS) released the final 2017 Census of Agriculture results. The Census of Agriculture is conducted once every five years and provides uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every county in the nation. Farms from one acre to more than 2,000 acres are counted if they produce and sell $1,000 or more in agricultural products. Census data provides federal, state, and industry groups with data necessary to make informed decisions about agriculture, food, and rural development.
“We are just starting to dig into the data, but at first glance we see the number of small farms is up,” Oregon Department of Agriculture, Director, Alexis Taylor said. “Also, with USDA changing the questions asked, it looks like we have a more accurate picture of how and where women are involved in their operation. Not surprisingly labor is the top expenditure for Oregon producers increasing 21 percent since 2012. And we continue to lose farmland, 340 thousand acres in the last five years – underscoring the need for the state’s land use system. I look forward to working with industry to explore these trends and better understand the changing landscape of agriculture in Oregon. I want to thank all the agricultural producers for taking the time to fill out the census, Oregon ranked sixth in the nation with a 73 percent response rate”.
Oregon’s Hood River County ranked first in the state for response rate reaching 80 percent. USDA NASS says county profiles will be published late May 2019. Congressional District Profiles and Rankings are expected by the end of June. Watersheds and American Indian Reservation data is scheduled by the end of summer.
2017 Oregon at a glance
Number of farms: 37,616
Land in farms: 15,962,322 acres
Oregon total land in farms down 2% or 340,000 acres (since 2012)
Average farm size: 424 acres
Female producers: 29,868
U.S. = 36%
Oregon = 44%
Oregon ranks fourth in the nation
Top 3 counties by total agricultural value
Marion $702 million
Morrow $596 million
Clackamas $376 million
Top 3 agricultural products by value
Cattle and calves $977 million
Nursery, greenhouse $886 million
Hay $780 million
Farms with internet access
Oregon 86%
U.S. 75%
Important Census of Agriculture Resources:
2017 Census of Agriculture Website
