SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has 23% more farms than it did in 1997, but the state has lost about 1.5 million acres of agricultural land over the same period — and no county tells that story more sharply than Davis County.
The most recent U.S. agricultural census data, from 2022, shows Utah farmland has shrunk by 13% since 1997. The number of farms grew over most of that period, but the last five years brought a decline.
A look at eight of Utah's counties — ranked by agricultural sales in 2022 — reveals wide contrasts in how farming shapes local economies.
Utah County, the state's second-most populous county, generated more than $250 million in farm sales in 2022, making it Utah's third-largest agricultural producer. But farming represents a small slice of Utah County's broader economy.
Beaver and Piute counties tell a different story.
Beaver County brought in more than a quarter billion dollars in farm sales. Piute County brought in $39 million. Those numbers look worlds apart. In fact, they are, with Beaver the number one agricultural earner and Piute number 14.
But measure agriculture as a share of each county's total economy. Piute County is small enough that its $39 million in farm sales represents nearly 40% of its entire economy, putting it on par with Beaver County in terms of agricultural dependence.
Then there is Davis County, where the numbers show what happens to farming when a small county is part of a growing major metropolis.
Farm income in Davis County dropped 46% between 2002 and 2022. Davis County has always been a place for crops more than for livestock, with famous orchards standing out. Crops account for seven-eighths of Davis County farming — and crops require land. Land on the Wasatch Front is scarce and expensive. Since 1997, Davis County has lost a net of 179 farms and roughly 19,000 farm acres.
