Oct 14, 2021

Idaho’s 2020 potato crop worth $981 million, down 6% from previous year

The value of Idaho’s 2020 agricultural production was $8.40 billion, up 4% from the previous year’s revised value of $8.12 billion. The value of Idaho’s crop production in 2020 was $3.61 billion, up 8% from 2019.

The value of  livestock production in 2020 totaled $4.79 billion, up less than 1% from the previous year. The rankings of the top 10 commodities remained unchanged from 2019. 

Top agricultural crops in Idaho in 2020:

1. 1. Milk — $2.99 billion
   2. Cattle and calves — $1.25 billion
   3. Potatoes — $981 million
   4. Hay — $817 million
   5. Wheat — $576 million

Milk remains the leading agricultural commodity in the state with a 2020 value of $2.99 billion, up 4% from 2019. This is the second-highest value of milk production on record, with the highest being in 2014. Milk represented 36% of the total agricultural value compared with 35% in 2019. Cattle and calves remained in the second position and had value of production totaling $1.25 billion dollars in 2020, down 10% from 2019.

Potatoes ranked third in 2020 with value of production of $981 million, down 6% from the previous year. Hay value of production was $817 million, up 2% from 2019, fourth in the state ranking. Wheat rounded out the top five with a value of $576 million, up 16% from the previous year. These five commodities had a combined value of $6.61 billion, or 79% of the 2020 value for all commodities (excluding government payments). The same five commodities in 2019 had  a combined value of $6.60 billion, 81% of the total value. Sugarbeets, barley, corn for grain, hops and onions rounded out the top 10.  

A record high value of production was established for hops. Value of hop production in 2020 increased for an eighth consecutive year to $99.7 million, up 12% from the previous record in 2019. There were commodities outside the top 10 that showed significant increases in value from the previous year. Dry edible bean production, with a value of $50.9 million in 2020, increased 61% from the previous year, while the value of dry edible peas totaled $11.6  million, up 89% from 2019.

Four of the top 10 commodities: cattle and calves, potatoes, barley, and corn for grain declined in value from the previous year.

Other notable commodities outside the top 10 that declined in value in 2020 were peppermint, down 9% to $34.7 million, and oats, down 3% to $3.5 million.

— USDA-NASS