Utah’s Urban Farmers – Agricultural Activity on the Wasatch Front

By John C. Downen, Research Analyst
2009 | Volume 69, Number 3
Bureau of Economic and Business Research
University of Utah

Excerpts:

This study examines urban farming along Utah’s Wasatch Front. It covers agricultural activity in Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties using data from the USDA’s Census of Agriculture from 1974 to 2007. It begins by looking at the amount of farmland and farms, as well as the distribution of farm sizes. Next we consider farm ownership and operator characteristics, noting that most farms on the Wasatch Front are sole proprietorships. The study then turns to farm finances, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and an analysis of direct sales and current organic practices. A summary concludes the piece.

Organic and locally produced foods have grown in popularity in
recent years, both at restaurants and on grocery store shelves.
Farmers’ markets too have grown in number and attendance. And with the economic downturn home gardens have gained
popularity as a source of food. All of this has brought more
attention to the role of agriculture in urban areas.

In the fall of 2009, the Salt Lake County Council approved a plan to convert unused and underused county-owned land to community gardens until it is needed for parks or infrastructure. A press release from Utah State University Cooperative Extension quoted County Mayor Peter Corroon as saying, “In the new parks Salt Lake County purchased, we will set aside land for farming or gardening. In our existing regional parks, we are now master planning in areas for community gardens.”

Conclusion

The Wasatch Front has seen substantial population growth over the last three decades. Not surprisingly, much of this growth has come at the expense of agriculture. The total amount of farmland has decreased, farms have become smaller, farming is the primary occupation of a smaller share of farm operators, and there has been a shift from land-intensive livestock and poultry farming to crops. However, despite the long-run declines there have been some recent gains. Cash receipts from agricultural sales grew in three of the four counties between 2002 and 2007, farmland increased in Weber County from 1997 to 2007 and in Salt Lake and Utah counties from 2002 to 2007, and the number of farms in Utah County has grown steadily since 1992. Agriculture on the periphery of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, i.e., in Weber and Utah counties, is faring better than in the urban core. Despite experiencing the largest relative population growth during the study period, with the number of residents increasing by almost 200 percent, Utah County has seen the smallest relative decline in farmland, losing 28 percent between 1974 and 2007. In addition, the number of farms is up 35.5 percent, second to Weber County’s 41 percent growth.

Read the complete paper here.