“What Does Agriculture in the Wasatch Front South Region Look Like?”

By Cory Stahle, Regional Economist

In 1791, President George Washington began correspondence with Arthur Young, an Englishman who desired to understand what agriculture in America looked like. In an attempt to address his questions, Washington administered a farm survey and computed the results for the populated East Coast. Supported by his findings, the President sent a series of letters to Young addressing issues of crop yields, livestock, labor cost, and labor productivity.

Washington’s survey provided a basis for agricultural measurement that continued for decades until 1840, when the first comprehensive Census of Agriculture was administered. Originally conducted as a part of the decennial population census, the Census of Agriculture eventually evolved to operate and release census data every five years, and does so to this day. Despite the variance in methodology and collection of agricultural data since Washington’s day, the fundamental question he sought to answer is still relevant.

In the spirit of Arthur Young, we may then ask the question, “What does the agricultural economy in the Wasatch Front South Region look like?”

The most recent Census of Agriculture, which utilizes data from 2012, illustrates the agricultural economy in the region. Beyond the scope of crop and livestock production, the Census of Agriculture contains massive amounts of data, ranging from internet access on farms to the number of pickup trucks used for agricultural purposes. A distillation of highlights from this census follows:


Agricultural Labor 

• In 2012, the Wasatch Front South Region reported 1,110 workers in the category of hired farm labor.

• The total reported payroll for hired labor jobs in the region was $9.8 million dollars in 2012.

• The majority of farms using hired labor are smaller operations. Of the 249 farms utilizing hired labor, 76.3 percent employ one to four hired workers.

• In addition to employees classified as hired labor, there were 1,774 total operators* in 2012.

• Of the 2,884 total workers classified as hired labor and operators, 58.6 percent work in Salt Lake County. Hired labor and operator counts represent a 13.9 percent increase from 2007 and a 16.4 percent decrease relative to 2002.

• Expense per hired worker (calculated by dividing hired labor expense into quantity of hired workers) outpaced inflation and increased from $5,683 in 2007 to $8,829 in 2012.

• Unpaid labor also accounted for 1,661 workers in 2012.

Farms and Land 

• The number of farms increased 14.5 percent between 2007 and 2012, for a total of 1,106 farms. Of this total, 630 or 57 percent are located in Salt Lake County.

• Total acres of land used for agriculture increased by 18 percent as a result Tooele County’s 37 percent increase in farm acreage from 2007 to 2012. Salt Lake County reported a 27 percent reduction in farmland for the same period.

• The average size of each farm in the area remained fairly consistent between 2007 and 2012 at 384 and 373 acres respectively.

• According to tax filings, 81 percent of all farms in the area are classified as family or individually owned.

Agricultural Sales 

• Total farm sales increased 14.6 percent relative to 2007, for total sales of $61.9 million in 2012. Tooele County accounted for 65 percent of these sales at $40.4 million.

• Salt Lake County sales of agricultural products sold directly to individuals more than tripled in total value from 2007 to 2012, a nominal increase of $698,000. This expansion in sales may have been driven by growing trends in farmer’s markets and local food popularity.

• Crop sales accounted for a little over two-fifths of the 2012 agricultural related sales. For the region, nominal sales remained consistent between the 2007 and 2012 censuses at a total of $25.4 million.

• In 2012, hay production in the area equaled 17,521 tons, while wheat and corn production yielded 161,791 and 73,809 bushels respectively. Unfortunately, data confidentiality prevents comparison between 2007 and 2012 production.

• 2012 total sales of livestock, poultry and related products were up 27.7 percent from 2007, a nominal increase from $28.6 million to $36.5 million. Most livestock production occurred in Tooele County, where livestock sales accounted for 79 percent of the region’s total in 2012.

• The largest livestock markets in the Wasatch Front South Region are cattle, horses, and sheep. In 2012, the Wasatch Front South Region reported a total inventory of 25,158 cattle, 5,588 horses and ponies, and 4,451 sheep and lambs.

As reflected in the aforementioned economic indicators, the 2012 census illustrates the agricultural economy of the Wasatch Front South Region. From jobs to quantity of farms, many dimensions of the agricultural economy witnessed growth between 2007 and 2012. In addition to broad expansion, both counties in the region experienced localized expansion in the five years preceding 2012. Tooele County livestock sales saw healthy increases, while Salt Lake County experienced increases in direct sales of agricultural products to individuals.


*Operators, serve as farm managers and make “day-to-day decisions about…planting, harvesting, feeding and marketing.”

Sources: 2012 Census of Agriculture, Oklahoma State Extension, USDA NASS History
Visuals: Lecia Langston & Matt Schroeder