Oregon Agriculture by the Numbers - 2017 Census of Agriculture Data

Oregon State University's Extension Service's Small Farms Program, Department of Applied Economics, and the Rural Community Explorer are collaborating with Oregon's Community Food System Network to analyze and discuss the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture. This includes:

Highlights Part 1: Total farms, total sales, and the distribution of farms by size and scale
Special Analysis: Oregon Agricultural Business Succession Planning
Highlights Part 2: Oregon's Farm Producers

A similar collection of findings from the 2022 Census of Agriculture is also available here on the Extension website. If you have questions or would like to see other data, contact Dan Bigelow, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics at OSU.

Census shows change in Oregon's farms by size and scale

From 2012 to 2017, Oregon’s agricultural sector grew by adding more farms and recording higher total sales, bucking national trends that saw declines in both areas. Farms grew by 2,177 and production increased 2.5%.

Mallory Rahe | Apr 2019 | Article

Oregon's Number of Farms and Total Agriculture Production Increases 2012 to 2017, Declines Nationally

Oregon’s total number of farm operations increased a net 2,177 between the 2012 and 2017 Census of Agriculture, this growth of 6.1 percent occurred while nationally the number of farms decreased by a net of 67,083 of 3.2 percent.

Mallory Rahe | Apr 2019 | Article

Agriculture is a Concentrated Industry in Oregon and the US

2.5% of all farms in Oregon produced 69.7% of all agricultural products sold, compared to 3.9% of all farms producing 69.3% of all sales nationally. Total sales by farms selling $1 million or more increased 5% in Oregon, and increased 1.9% nationally from 2012 to 2017.

Mallory Rahe | Apr 2019 | Article

Number of Small Farms Increases Faster in Oregon than US

A higher percentage of all farms in Oregon are small farms with less than 10 acres (33.3% of all Oregon farms and 13.4% of all US farms). These small farms are the fastest growing farm size in the state and increased 7.6% from 2012 (increased 2.8% nationally).

Mallory Rahe | Apr 2019 | Article

2017 Census of Agriculture Highlights: Oregon's Farm Producers

Demographic data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture are presented on Oregon's 67,595 producers. Changes to the census lead to more women being represented as farm decision makers, shown as an increase of 31.2% women producers ...

Shannon Caplan, Benjamin Antolin | May 2019 | Article

2017 ag census points to a lack of succession planning among farmers

The 2017 Census of Agriculture offers a snapshot of agriculture in Oregon: acreage is falling, the number of farms is rising and the average age of owners is 59.7. The data also show a lack of succession planning.

Christy Anderson Brekken | May 2019 | Article

Published Apr 2019, Reviewed 2024

Authors

Mallory Rahe

(Former)

Lauren Gwin

Community Food Systems Specialist

Shannon Caplan

OSU Open Campus, Rural Community Explorer Program/Department of Human Development & Family Sciences, Assistant Professor of Practice, SNAP-Ed state team

Benjamin Antolin

(Former)

handful of dried beans, split peas, lentils