View of Cache Valley from Hyrum. Picture taken by Peter Schmid in August 1993 (2)

Section 1 is cropland, Section 2 is pastureland, and Section 3 is other uses. Data comes from 2012 Census of Agriculture (3).

Average size of a farm in Cache County. Data from US Agricultural Census.

Number of farms in Cache County.

Acres of farm land in Cache County.

As of 2010, only about 1% of the population of Cache County were farmers, with the average age of a farmer at 57 years old. However, agriculture and agricultural-related business makes up about 14% of the revenue of the county (1).

Agricultural Diversity Has Decreased in Cache Valley

Agriculture has changed in Cache County over the past 40-50 years. The number of farms has declined slightly, though growth in the number of small hobby farms and the average size of farms has remained relatively constant (see Figures). The number of farms and the average farm size actually increased since 2007, suggesting that agriculture is still a viable enterprise in Cache County.

Agricultural enterprises in the valley are now geared toward livestock production, specifically beef and dairy cattle. Three main crops are grown in the county: grain, field corn, and alfalfa. According to recent data from the Census of Agriculture, the total value of livestock, poultry, and their products makes up 84.3% of the total market of agricultural products sold, which are processed in the two main agricultural processing industries located in the valley: meatpacking and cheese factories.

Since the late 1960's, there has been a decline in the diversity of agriculture. In the past, Cache County has supported a wider range of enterprises, such as fruit orchards, sugar beets, potatoes, and other vegetables. These relied on processing capacity such as the Del Monte cannery for vegetables, and refineries for sugar beets. As these businesses left Cache County, agricultural diversity died out because there was no economic profit and they could not compete against processors located in other regions.

Increasing Development is Threatening Agricultural Lands

Not only has the structure of agriculture in Cache County changed, but growing populations have created pressures for land use change out of farming. The current rate of development is consuming 600 acres of farmland a year. The acres of land in the county zoned for agriculture has been decreasing as well, as shown in the chart titled Acres of Farm Land. Conservative estimates predict that by 2040, the population of Cache Count will have doubled to nearly 250,000 reisdents. County officials have been working on creating development restrictions to make sure plenty of agricultural land remains in Cache County in the future.