Like most of the country, Idaho had fewer farms in 2022 than five years earlier in 2017.
The state lost more than 2,000 farms — about 8.5% — during that time, according to the latest agricultural census published last month.
"I think we can see some of the impacts there of how hard that that COVID-era pandemic hit in terms of forcing small farms to sell and consolidate," said Brett Wilder, an assistant professor of agricultural economics at the University of Idaho. "We just lost a lot of people out of the business in the last five years."
One industry where consolidation is evident is dairy. There are fewer farms, but more cows.
"Most of the processors don't give out new contracts, and so the only way you can acquire more production is to purchase your neighbor, in many cases," Wilder said.
Many small dairy farms in the Treasure Valley are going out of business because of tight margins, he said.
Plus, Idaho's farmers are getting older. The average age is 56.6, slightly younger than the national average of 58.1. Still, more than 5,000 farming businesses in the state are operated by someone over the age of 75.
"Many of those people have no one to pass that farm onto," Wilder said.
Despite these shifts, agriculture remains important to Idaho's economy. It ranks 5th out of all states for the share the sector contributes to the GDP.
The census also revealed one way Idaho farmers are increasingly trying to lower the cost of production: by generating their own electricity from renewable sources.
In 2017, just over a thousand farms had some form of renewable energy. By 2022, it was closer to 1,700 — a 37% increase.
"That's huge growth," Wilder said, "and very important, especially as it's expensive to run the electricity to operate some of these farms."
Farms adding solar panels accounted for the biggest increase. But dairy farms in the state also added six more methane digesters in those five years to capture some emissions from the potent greenhouse gas released by cows.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on X @racheld_cohen
Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio
