This fact sheet profiles the size and scope of agriculture in Garfield County, Utah. It includes location, land ownership, growing season, crop and livestock production, and farm income and age of operator

Feuz, Ryan

Heaton, Kevin

Larsen, Ryan

English

DigitalCommons@USU

August 2019   AG/Farmland/2019-02pr 1  Size and Scope of Garfield County Agriculture 2019           Ryan Feuz, Post-Doctoral Researcher           Ryan Larsen, Assistant Professor            Kevin Heaton, County Director Location Garfield County is located in the south central part of the state. Its economy is driven by cattle, lumber, and tourism. Some points of interest in Garfield County are Bryce Canyon National Park, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Lake Powell.  Land Ownership The land ownership within the county is divided as shown in Figure 1.  Source: 2017 Utah Counties Fact Book The vast majority of the county is federally owned and is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Only a small percentage of the ground is privately held and is primarily farm ground and grazing areas.  The 2017 Census of Agriculture indicated there were 82,637 acres in farms or ranches in the county with an average size of 289 acres and an average value of $3,127 per acre. The county had 16,297 acres of cropland of which 13,013 were harvested. Cropland is defined as land that currently has crops growing on it plus land that historically has been cropped.  Growing Season The growing season length varies quite drastically between different areas of the county. Table 1 displays some of the details on climatology in three areas of Garfield County according to the Utah Climate Center (2019). The much shorter growing season in Panguitch, as compared to the other two areas highlighted, is primarily due to the relatively higher elevation in that area. Panguitch sits at approximately 6,600 ft. Federal90.0 %State4.8%Private5.1%Figure 1. Garfield County Land Ownership2 while Tropic and Escalante are at 6,300 ft. and 5,800 ft. respectively.  Crop Production Hay is the primary crop grown in Garfield County. Total acres harvested and yields for 2017 are displayed in Table 2.   Table 2. Garfield County 2017 Crop Acres and Yields Primary Crops Yields Harvested Acres Average Yield/acre Hay 46,870 tons 12,783 3.7 tons  Source: 2017 USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture  Garfield County has three main agricultural areas:  Panguitch, Escalante, and Tropic. Panguitch is the county seat and is located in the western part of the county. Escalante is located 70 miles east of Panguitch in the middle of the county. Tropic is located 30 miles southeast of Panguitch below the rim of Bryce Canyon National Park.  Typical ground preparation for planting alfalfa is begun by plowing or deep disking to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. The ground is then finish disked and land planed. Alfalfa is often planted with no cover crop with a surface drill. In Panguitch, a cover crop of oat hay is more commonly practiced. The ground preparation for the oat hay is the same with producers planting in the spring. Fall triticale or three-way are also popular rotational cereal crops.  The crops are irrigated by sprinkler systems, with the most prevalent being wheel lines. In Panguitch flood irrigation is still a very popular irrigation method. Pivot irrigation systems are becoming more popular in Panguitch Valley and throughout Garfield County. The most used crop rotation that producers practice is to leave alfalfa in for7 to 8 years and then reestablish. Producers typically get two cuttings of alfalfa in Panguitch and three in Escalante and Tropic each season, if water is plentiful. The majority of the alfalfa is harvested as large 3’x 3’ or 3’x 4’ bales.  Approximately 30% of all inputs (e.g., seed, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) are purchased locally, 50% are bought in neighboring counties (Iron and Sevier), and the remaining 20% is bought statewide.  Approximately 50% of the irrigation water available in Garfield County is from the Sevier, Escalante, and Paria rivers. In addition, 45% of the water comes from Panguitch Lake and the Tropic and Wide Hollow reservoirs. The remaining 5% is drawn from deep wells.  Livestock Production  Approximately 95% of the farms have both crops and livestock. There are no dairies in Garfield County and the majority of the livestock are beef cattle. The inventories of the major classes of livestock produced in the county as of 2017 compared with 2012 inventories are listed in Table 3.    Table 3. Major Livestock Commodities Livestock 2012 2017 % Change All Cattle 17,717 14,764 -16.6% Beef Cows 12,053 10,219 -15.2% Sheep & Lambs 474 652 37.6%  Source: 2017 USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture  Farm Income and Age of Operator Garfield County has seen growth in farm revenues. Cash receipts from 2017 crops equaled $3,600,000 and cash receipts from livestock totaled $18,176,000. Total 2017 cash receipts were Table 1. Garfield County Annual Precipitation and Average Frost-Free Days  Location  Annual Precip.  Last spring freeze  First fall freeze  Freeze -free period  Escalante   10.94 in  May 16  Oct.     3   142.2 days  Panguitch  9.78   in  June 20 Sept.    4 76.7 days  Tropic 12.07 in June   2 Sept.  23 114 days 3 $21,786,000, up 80% from 2012 ($12,043,000). The average age of the primary farmer or rancher was 56.5 in 2017, which is a notable decrease since 2012 (59.7), and is the lowest average operator age for over 20 years. The principal operator age is graphed below in Figure 2 for all USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture years since 1997.  Sources United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (2019). 2017 Ag Census Data. Retrieved from: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/Census_Data_Query_Tool/index.php Utah Association of Counties. (2017). 2017 Utah Counties Fact Book. Murray. Retrieved from https://uac.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/2017-Utah-Counties-Fact-Book.pdf Utah Climate Center. (2019). Retrieved July 10, 2019, from Utah State University: https://climate.usu.edu/      Source: 2017 USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture          Utah State University is committed to providing an environment free from harassment and other forms of illegal discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and older), disability, and veteran’s status. USU’s policy also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment and academic related practices and decisions.   Utah State University employees and students cannot, because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’s status, refuse to hire; discharge; promote; demote; terminate; discriminate in compensation; or discriminate regarding terms, privileges, or conditions of employment, against any person otherwise qualified. Employees and students also cannot discriminate in the classroom, residence halls, or in on/off campus, USU-sponsored events and activities.   This publication is issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ken White, Vice President for Extension and Agriculture, Utah State University. 57.8 57.659.6 59.756.5545556575859601997 2002 2007 2012 2017AgeYearFigure 2. Principal Operator Age

Size and Scope of Garfield County Agriculture 2019

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Size and Scope of Garfield County Agriculture 2019

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