By Jan Jackson
. . . The people who don’t know much, think Oregon is just a leafy place to hike in the woods. “Oh really?” say the nearly four-million people who are responsible for making it work? Ninth in size (and nearly 50% of that in timberland), Oregon is an agriculture state.
Oregon agriculture by the agriculture dollar:
$4.3 billion – the value of Oregon’s agricultural production
$3.7 billion – To grow their crops and raise their livestock, Oregon producers purchase more than $3.7 billion of inputs, including seed, feed, supplies and services from local companies – a significant contribution to the vitality of rural and urban businesses throughout the state.
$2 billion – As commodities move from farm to consumer, another $2 billion in value is added through processing.
12% – Nearly 12% of Oregon’s economy is related to agriculture when you add in transportation, marketing, warehousing and storage, and related services.
140,000 jobs – Approximately 1 in 12 Oregon jobs (140,000) are tied to the industry, with about 60,000 of these located on farms.
Photo of Bauman Farms by Jan Jackson
