Utah’s agricultural activity still significant part of the economy — to the tune of $2.3 billion in 2022

While Utah is becoming known for its technology and life sciences industries, agriculture still plays a significant part in the state’s economy, according to a recent report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah.

Utah’s farm and ranch operations generated $2.3 billion in animal products and crop sales in 2022, the latest year for which complete data is available.

The Gardner report, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “2022 Census of Agriculture,” offers a detailed look at the state’s farm operations and their economic footprint.

Utah-based agricultural activities, primarily concentrated in seven counties, employed over 16,000 people and utilized 10.5 million acres of state land.

“Utah’s agriculture sector is a dynamic part of our state’s economy, particularly in rural areas, generating over $2 billion in sales annually,” said Eric Albers, senior natural resources analyst at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report. “Our report … also illustrates the significant changes being felt by Utah farmers, from shifting market dynamics and rising input costs to an aging workforce.”

Although there is some farm and ranch activity in all of Utah’s 29 counties, 70 percent of agricultural product sales are concentrated in seven counties: Beaver, Millard, Utah, Iron, Sanpete, Box Elder and Cache counties.

Many of Utah’s farms are small, with nearly one-third (32.8 percent) operating on less than 10 acres. Over half (51.7 percent) of operations sold less than $5,000 worth of agricultural products, indicating a diverse structure of commercial and hobby farms.

The study also concluded that farming and ranching no longer attracts a young population. The average age of a Utah producer was 56.6 years in 2022, and more than one-third (35 percent) were 65 years or older. And farming is not the only thing these producers do. Nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) see farming as their secondary job.

Utah farm operations provided employment for over 16,000 people in 2022. More than half of the labor worked on the farm or ranch fewer than 150 days per year, spotlighting a diverse mix of seasonal and permanent positions.

Gardner report authors also reported that agriculture utilizes a significant portion of Utah’s land — 10.5 million acres, or nearly one-fifth of the state’s total land area. But that land usage is declining, according to the report: Total farmland dropped by 1.2 million acres between 2002 and 2022.

The institute report concluded with a caveat that shifting conditions will significantly affect future studies on the industry. For example, since the data reported in the current study — in December 2023 — Smithfield Foods terminated contracts with 26 Utah hog farms, idling a number of industry workers and reducing the number of hogs sold by state farmers tenfold. Additionally, beef prices reached all-time highs in 2025 while farm operations experienced skyrocketing operational and materials costs.