Value of Oregon agriculture, food and fiber sector exceeds $42 billion, number of farms grow, report shows

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Greater than 2,000 new farms have been established in Oregon In current occasions, and The complete worth of state’s agriculture, meals and fiber sector exceeds $42 billion, Based mostly on A mannequin new financial evaluation report by Oregon State College researchers.

Analysisers Inside the OSU School of Agricultural Sciences and Extension Service have ready the report every 5 To six years Partiallynership with the Oregon Division of Agriculture. The latest report currents a broad financial overview of the agriculture, meals and fiber enterprise, And in addition a Take A look at new developments, collectively with the hemp and leisure marijuana industries and the influence of wildfire and COVID-19.

“The report currents a snapshot of the place the Oregon agriculture, meals and fiber sector stands,” said Jeff Reimer, a professor of utilized financials And positively one of many authors of the report. “We’re In a place to Do this evaluation that reveals linkages that wouldn’t be apparent Do You’d like to have been simply Taking A look at statistics Regarding the financial system.”

Highlights of the report embrace:

• The agriculture, meals and fiber enterprise is Responsible for 9.1% of Oregon’s financial system and 371,300 jobs.
• Agricultural exports elevated 25% As a Outcome of the final report was revealed in 2015.
• The Quantity of small And huge farms elevated, However there was a decrease in mid-measurement farms. There have been 3,417 new one- to 9-acre farms, 21 new 2,000-plus-acre farms, however A scarcity of 1,217 farms Inside the 50- to 999-acre differ.
• The Quantity of licensed pure farms and the Quantity of pure acres farmed dropped, However The worth of merchandise purchased per pure acre almost doubled, reflecting strong shopper demand for pure merchandise.

The report notes 64,000 acres of hemp are registered in Oregon and that It might yield potential gross income of $15,000 to $25,000 per acre. That income primarily comes from the important oils (Similar to cannabidiol, or CBD) That are extracted from the hemp fdecreases.

Gordon Jones, an assistant professor On the Southern Oregon Analysis & Extension Center and co-author of the report, notes that financial estimates for hemp nonetheless have some uncertainty, Partially because federal legal guidelines that made it authorized to develop solely handed in 2018.

Extra knowledge exist on leisure marijuana, which was authorizedized in Oregon in 2015. It is now a $1.4 billion enterprise that employs virtually 10,000 people Inside the state, Based mostly on the report.

The influences of wildfire, notably from 2020, on wine, hemp, hops, leisure marijuana and cattle and completely different livestock are additionally detailed Inside the report.

The influences of COVID-19 are nonetheless being unraveled, said Bruce Sorte, an Extension economist and co-author of the report, however he notes the pandemic has significantly accelerated the mechanization of the meals enterprise And the method the meals current chain features.

“This Shall be A particular problem for rural communities as the labor market is disrupted,” he said. “Although the employers are struggling To Search out staff proper now, I anticipate that to be A lot more straightforwrestled after COVID, notably in meals processing. Workers Who’re reluctant to return to work now might discover these jobs Aren’t out there submit-COVID.”

The report additionally outlines prolonged-trending problems to the sector, collectively with availability And worth of labor, a slowly wrestleming local climate, a stronger U.S. greenback towrestleds the currencies of completely different nations, elevating The worth of Oregon merchandise to overseas consumers and decreaseing The worth of imports, and rising feed prices for livestock and poultry.

Strengths of the sector outlined Inside the report embrace the strong tempo of financial restoration following the preliminary months of the pandemic; Oregon’s persevering with comparative benefit In lots of crops, collectively with seed crops, hazelnuts, pears, wine grapes, hops, potatoes, onions, mint, cherries, wheat, beef and dairy; ending of the commerce wrestle; and a current dedication by China to increase purchases of U.S. agricultural merchandise.

“The agriculture, meals and fiber enterprise is terribly resilient and thereby helps our financial system stay very resilient,” Sorte said. “This was proven all by way of The sooner deep recession and now this pandemic.”