An overview of Utah agriculture:

Constraints of weather and water largely determine what crops can be produced in Utah.

Crop Information:
Utah grows barley, wheat, alfalfa hay, dry edible beans, potatoes, onions, and corn. Crop production accounts for 29%, or $388.9 million, in farm cash receipts. Alfalfa hay accounts for over 500,000 acres of production. Small grain production occurs on over 250,000 acres. Nearly all of this land is irrigated.

Utah is well known for its homegrown sweet corn and tomatoes that are sold across the state at local farmers’ markets.

Nationally, Utah ranks second in tart cherries, third in apricots, seventh in sweet cherries, ninth in pears, and twelfth in peaches.

Utah had 15,000 farms in 2007. The average size of a farm is 773 acres.

Utah has 11 million acres in farm and ranch production. It produced $1.3 billion in cash receipts for crops, livestock, produce, and aquaculture in 2007.

The growing season ranges from 60 days in Northern Utah to 190 days in the southern part of the state.
Due to its geographic diversity, annual precipitation varies greatly. In most of Utah, the annual precipitation is between 10 and 15 inches. Utah is the second driest state in the nation.

Irrigation of the rich, but arid land has long been crucial to agricultural development. Utah’s agriculture is dependent upon numerous reservoirs and vast reclamation projects.