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Agriculture remains vital to Oregon’s economy. The state is home to more than 37,200 farms and ranches and with the commercial fishing industry, the state produces more than 220 commodities, generating about $5 billion in annual farm gate sales and services a year. According to the latest estimated data, greenhouse and nursery products remain Oregon’s leading agricultural commodity with an estimated value of production of nearly $1 billion ($955,166,000) in 2019. Hay became the second top grossing commodity at $674,280,000 for 2019 value of production, up from $590,414,000 last year.
Cattle and calves ranked third, recording value of production at $625,158,000. Milk and grass seed round out the state’s top five spots. The data used to create the state’s top 20 agricultural commodities list is gathered using several sources of estimates including, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS), Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Oregon Wine Board.
The rest of Oregon’s top 20 list contains the same commodities as the previous year, although some positions have changed. Please note, cannabis (hemp and marijuana) is not included in the agricultural commodities list. Before the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp was not federally recognized as a legal agricultural commodity. For crops such as hemp, survey data is collected by USDA NASS. It is anticipated that hemp will be added to the list of crops surveyed by USDA NASS in the next couple of years. Additionally, there is no farm gate value available for marijuana at this time.
OREGON’S TOP 20 AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES: 2019
1 Greenhouse & nursery $955,166,000
2 Hay $674,280,000
3 Cattle & calves $625,158,000
4 Milk $552,096,000
5 Grass seed $517,406,000
6 Wheat $282,948,000
7 Grapes for wine $237,784,000
8 Potatoes $198,889,000
9 Blueberries $134,254,000
10 Pears $108,774,000
11 Onions $108,409,000
12 Christmas trees $104,451,000
13 Hazelnuts $84,480,000
14 Cherries $75,221,000
15 Hops $71,628,000
16 Dungeness crab $67,671,967
17 Eggs $56,798,000
18 Mint for oil $40,536,000
19 Apples $38,746,000
20 Sweet corn $38,103,000
Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture