NAF News

SIZING UP NEVADA AGRICULTURE

NUMBER OF FARMS AND RANCHES -- 3,000

DIMENSION - This is the same as the past few years. Ranches and farms are defined by the USDA's Statistical Reporting Service as having annual sales of $1,000 or more. It only takes the sale of a couple of calves or some rabbits to make the $1,000 and could be done on less than an acre. Past estimates indicate some 70% of all Nevada agricultural operations have annual gross sales of about $60,000 or less which puts them in what might called the "hobby" farm category. Most, if not all, who operate them work off farm and utilize evenings and weekends to run their spread. The remaining 30% could be considerd self supporting units although only some 3 to 4% have annual gross sales of over $500,000. The report, beyond those persons classified as farm operators, does not provide the total number of ranch and farm workers though they could equal the 3,000 farm operators. Interesting about Nevada farms and ranches, however, is that they average 2,100 acres compared to the U. S. average of 449 acres. The State has some very large ranches, typical of the West.

TOTAL GROSS FARM MARKETINGS -- $553,000,000.00

DIMENSION - Of this amount Net farm income amounts to $127,000,000. Agricultural and other economists have estimated that about three dollars are generated via the ripple effect in the general economy for each new dollar spent. Using this criteria, the 2007 gross Nevada farm sales stimulated more than a billion dollars of economic impact in the State. Most of this has benefitted Nevada's rural counties, cities and towns and forms the base economy in some of them. The agricultural income goes for buying farm and ranch machinery and implements, tools, fuel and tires, insurance, equipment repair, fertilizers and pesticide treatments, loan payments, groceries, fencing, animal medicines and veterinary services, clothing, human heath care and so on. This, in turn helps pay salaries of people who work in all of these areas. Significant taxes are paid to local, County, State and Federal governments.

Beyond the obvious of feeding the country, rural agricultural areas including small towns have considerable appeal to many Americans. Not only are some human values highly esteemed by these people, and a part of what has made this country great such as hard work, self reliance, independence, determination and a basic honesty, still a part of rural living but there is a certain charm about these backcountry locales. In Nevada, U.S. 50 would be a lot more loney if it were not for Austin and Eureka, both of which subsist to a significant degree on farming and ranching. Both break up the monotony of a long Nevada road and both have buildings, old court houses, churches and other structures which help perserve Nevada history and are interesting in themselves. The two towns, also, are a "port in the storm" for travelers. Many an old time Nevadan can relate a tale of car breakdown or other problems made easier because of Austin, Eureka and other similar towns on lonely Nevada highways. Finally, it's kind of fun to leave the traffic, the bustle, and the freeways of Reno and Las Vegas behind.

BEEF CATTLE MARKETING -- 231,000,000.POUNDS

DIMENSION - The largest single segment of Nevada agriculture. The figure is live weight. About 94 million of these pounds can be considered as table quality for human consumption. This amount of beef, for perspective, could feed 1,358,000 people for one full year at the average annual per capita beef consumption rate in the U.S. of 67 pounds. In fact, if the 2,800,000 Nevada citizens were willing to eat a few less pounds than the National average this production, in a pinch, could feed them all. The other 139 million pounds of hide, head, horns, bone, offal and so on will all be used for leather, bone meal, fertilizers, pet food, human medicine and a host more products valuable to humans. While this amount of production does not mean much Nationally, it is not "chopped liver" either and adds to the overall National food pot.

HAY HARVEST -- 1,750,000 TONS

DIMENSION- Hay ranks just behind beef as the most important Nevada agricultural commodity. All of this is alfalfa with the exception of 300,000 tons of grass hay. Nevada raises high quality alfalfa in terms of protein content and total digestable nutrients. The total amount of hay raised in Nevada '07 would feed 585,000 beef cattle for one full year at maintenance plus diets - that is they could gain on it. If we used it to feed dairy cattle where greater amounts are fed to keep milk production high, it would nourish 156,000 for a full year. This amount of milk cows at an average production of 20,000 pounds of milk per cow per year, would produce enough milk to provide two eight ounce glasses of milk per day for one full year for 8,000,000 people. We use these figures to give some practical idea of what this hay might produce in terms of serving humans. Later on in this article, we'll explain how Nevada hay is generally used - that is not all of it goes to beef cattle nor dairy cattle.

NEVADA MILK PRODUCTION -- 550,000,000. POUNDS

DIMENSION - This amount would provide two eight ounce glasses of milk per day for a full year for 1,560,000 Nevadans. Again we use this as an illustration since, in reality, Nevada produced milk does not all go for fluid or drinking milk. Most of this production comes from the Fallon area, with the second highest from Nye County because of large dairy operations in Amargosa Valley in Southern Nevada..

OTHER CROP AND LIVESTOCK MARKETINGS -- $70,000,000.

DIMENSION- Included in the total Nevada farm marketings of $553 million, the above amount marks the sales of potatoes, garlic, onions, alfalfa seed, wheat, barley, sheep, lambs,wool, and hogs While these are not major Nevada farm commodities, they are highly important in some areas. Onions are the leading income producer at $33 million. Most onion acreage in the State is located in Lyon, Washoe and Humboldt Counties. The onions produced go into both the fresh markets and for dehydration. Potatoes at $16.4 million followed by all wheat at 8.4 million, and Alfalfa Seed at $6.6 million are next in line. Much of the potatoes are grown in Humboldt County with considerable processing done there. They are sold fresh as well as processed. Humboldt and Pershing Counties are the major growers of Alfalfa Seed with Nevada ranking among the top producers of such seed. Some of the seed is processed in Nevada but much goes to big seed companies. Garlic, mostly grown in Lyon but also in Washoe and Humboldt is primarily used for dehydration. Winter and Spring Wheat along with Barley is usually grown for home use and for rotation crops. Some 1,300,000 bushels (78,000,000 pounds or 39,000 tons) of wheat and 90,000 bushels (4,320,000 pounds or 2,150 tons) of barley were grown 2007 in the State. Among other crops are mint, melons, row crops such as vegetables and corn. Silage corn is grown, too.

Among the other livestock products, sale of sheep, lambs and wool at $4 million is most important. This is a far cry from what once was the case. In 1918, for example, there were (USDA figures) 520,000 cattle from which there were marketings of $24.7 million. This compared to 1,268,000 sheep with marketings of $17.6 million. (These figures if cited in today's monetary values would amount to $525 million for cattle and $170 million for sheep) In 2008, there were 70,000 sheep in the State. Where have all the sheep gone? That is an other subject for another time. Sale of hogs in the State amounted to $600 thousand. Honey, an animal (insect) product, provided sales of $1,008,000.

DISTRIBUTION OF NEVADA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

DIMENSION - In relating Nevada gricultural production to its impacts on society, we have used some contrived illustrations such as if we fed all hay produced in the State to dairy cattle, how many people could we supply two eight ounce glasses of milk a day for one full year. In reality, Nevada milk, beef and other productes are not distributed in this way. Nevada's beef marketings generally include a minute amount for home use, a few more pounds for the less than a handfull of small local meat processing plants with the rest going to Nevada and out of state cattle feedlots for eventual shipment to large out of state slaughter and meat processinng companies like Hormel and others. Some Nevada cattle are sold as herd replacements rather than for slaughter.

A considerable portion of Nevada alfalfa hay stays on the farm or ranch where it is produced, or sold to Nevada ranches, primarily as winter feed for cattle or for ranch horses and other livestock. The rest goes to Nevada dairies and feedlots, city horses in such places as Reno and Las Vegas, California dairies, feedlots and horse enterprises including race (Thoroughbred) horse operations, and to some other states. Nevada alfalfa is also cubed and pelleted and shipped to foriegn countries like Japan. Nevada milk goes to Nevada milk processing plants to be used for drinking milk or for ice cream, and other dairy products. Other of our milk is processed in California for drinking milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and similar products. The same is true for most all of our other agricultural commodities though nearly all Nevada wheat and barley stays in the state. So, Nevada agricultural products, like those in other states, contribute generally to the National food pot which provides abundantly not only for Americans, and at very reasonable prices, but also for shipment to other countries. Only about 10 cents out of every dollar Americans spend goes for food. More, exported U. S. foodstuffs contribute about $40 billion a year to our balance of trade status. Finally, the Nation's and Nevada's farmers and ranchers do us a service that may not always be fully appreciated.

Herefords graze in a Nevada field

Nevada alfalfa being loaded for delivery

Nevada onion harvesting

Cattle feedlot (Nevada Nile) in Lovelock