ST. GEORGE — Utah farmers are seeking local support to stay profitable as a recent report from Feed the Economy highlights the importance of agriculture to Utah’s economy.

Thirty food and agriculture groups released the sixth annual Feeding the Economy report on March 22, which revealed those sectors’ influence on both local and national economies.

And according to a press release issued by Utah’s Department of Agriculture and Food, the food and agriculture industries have had a $71.3 billion impact on Utah’s economy, both directly and indirectly. The state’s exports were valued at $1.5 billion. In addition, these industries support 438,644 jobs and $19.9 billion in state wages.

In Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, encompassing both Iron and Washington Counties, agriculture was responsible for 138,466 jobs and $6.3 billion in wages, according to Feeding the Economy’s website.

Farmers and the economy

Ron Gibson, president of the Utah Farm Bureau and a sixth-generation dairy farmer whose family has been milking cows since 1969, said his son is the seventh generation.

“We’ve got a little grandbaby that I tour the farm with every day and our goal is to be able to move this on to the next generation,” he added.

Gibson, who employs 100 people and purchases a variety of products to run his dairy farm, said more than 20% of Utah’s gross domestic product can be tied back to agriculture.

In addition, the services that Gibson uses hire their own employees and have their own purchasing needs. He said the plants that process his milk hire thousands of people. Then, once the food is processed, it is shipped to grocery stores and restaurants.

“A whole bunch of people have done a tremendous amount of work to get that food so that you can go sit down and order that meal at the restaurant,” Gibson said. “And that’s how the agricultural economy turns over and over and over and over. And there’s not very many industries that do that like agriculture does.”

Sherrie Staheli Tate, president of the Washington County Farm Bureau and a fifth-generation farmer at Staheli Family Farm, said she thinks people don’t connect their food to its origins. People tell her they can get what they need from the store, she said, but emphasized that food is grown before being shipped to the store.

In addition, she said farmers play a vital role in their towns and cities.

“If you think of agriculture as a whole and you think of a farmer, it’s a steward of the land,” Tate said. “It’s a steward of the community.”

Challenges facing agriculture

Since Utah was settled, citizens and the state have been developing the infrastructure needed for agriculture to thrive, Gibson said. However, starting in the ’70s, processing plants were getting shut down and Utah’s sugar beet and vegetable industries waned.

“We lost the ability to grow crops that we could sell and get premium prices for because we were growing things that were similar to what we could grow in Iowa, which you grow in Montana and Colorado and Oregon,” he said.

Gibson stressed that infrastructure is vital to the future of agriculture, adding that Utah’s second-largest meat processing plant was shut down last August in Draper, which hurt the state’s agriculture industry.

“That’s something that we have to start doing is figuring out how to replace the infrastructure that gets taken out by some of the development that’s happening in Utah so that our industry can thrive, and so that we can continue to grow our own food,” he said.

Utah’s access to land will continue to be a challenge for farmers and ranchers, as the state’s population size could double in the next 25 years. Gibson said he expects most of that growth to be on the Wasatch Front, which is where he says much of the fertile farmland also resides. Additionally, 66% of Utah’s land is federally owned.

Tate said they started raising beef cows in the ’60s and have been selling meat to grocery stores and restaurants. Recently, they’ve gotten approval to sell directly to consumers. Around 21 years ago, Staheli Family Farm shifted into agritourism to keep their farm profitable.

“Why is everybody selling their land? Well, because the land is more valuable than farming the land,” she said. “So for us to do agritourism … helps us keep that balance, you know what I mean? Helps us so we can keep farming and afford to farm but also, you know, provides a living because we couldn’t do it with just the farm anymore.”

Tate said they don’t have current plans to sell the primary farm.

“It’s more than just dirt. You know, it’s been a provider, educator – it’s my sanctuary,” she said. “I love it here. When I come home like, this is my happy place. … I had a meeting with our city yesterday, and obviously, this property to them is worth a lot for commercial and new homes and I said, ‘I just want you guys to see the value in it as a farm because it’s very valuable.'”

Supporting Utah’s farmers

The Utah Farm Bureau is in the process of creating a 30-year plan, Gibson said. The purpose of the plan is to guide the future of agriculture in Utah and plan for what farmers and ranchers will need going forward. Additionally, he said the Bureau is considering how to bring processing facilities back into the state.

For citizens interested in showing their support, Gibson suggested buying meat or produce from local farms. He said that Utahns should seek out seasonal produce, in particular, because most of what goes unsold is thrown away. Otherwise, he said, those products will be imported from another state or country.

He also suggested that individuals call or visit local farms and ask what products they have available. Consumers can also ask restaurants and grocery stores to sell local products.

Red Acre Farm CSA owner Sara Patterson who started her business at 14-years-old, said much of what local farms produce is sent out of the community. She said a small amount of agriculture grown or raised in Cedar City is sold and consumed by locals.

“We aren’t taking advantage of the farms that we have,” she said.

Tate said it’s more work to visit a farm but if locals want to support the Southern Utah food chain, they should reach out on the consumer end.

“I like to know who’s growing my food,” she said. “I mean, I want to meet the person who raised that cow or grew that tomato. I think that whole process is beautiful.”

Patterson echoes these sentiments, saying if locals spent 1% of their grocery budget on local food, it would make a big difference to farmers.

“We wouldn’t be able to produce enough,” she said.

Additionally, Patterson said that when locals buy from local farms, more money remains in the community.

“They’re making a lot off a small amount of land but the money is also staying in that economy instead of going to wherever,” she said.

Gibson said that he’s the type of person who chooses to buy locally, even if it costs more because he wants to support his neighbors.

“I like to support the people that are local in our communities,” he said. “And to me, that’s what built America, and I think that’s what makes America awesome and as farmers and ranchers, we’re just asking that you support your local producers.”

Gibson said he understands it’s easy for people to buy everything they need at the grocery store or online. Because of this, the Bureau developed an online marketplace, Farmers Feeding America Inc., so local products can be delivered to front doors throughout the state, he said.

Gibson added that local and state governments should consider farmers and ranchers when making decisions regarding housing, roads and other types of development.

“How’s that gonna affect the people that are feeding us?” He asked.

Consumer Supported Agriculture

Patterson said individuals can also support farms by buying shares in small farms through consumer-supported agriculture. Farms participating in consumer-supported agriculture offer shares to locals who pay the farmer for what they produce. Red Acre Farms’ season begins mid-March, and shareholders can visit the farm each week and choose produce from what’s currently available, she said.

The consumer and farmer share the risk of agriculture and both will lose out in case of an unexpected event, like a flood, Patterson notes.

“Because they’re buying into the risk as well as the bounty,” she said. “Which is a really cool thing, which is how I think agriculture should be.”

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