Dairy products help Idaho ag export value increase for first time since 2014

dairy-feedlot

The value of Idaho agricultural exports has increased for the first time since 2014.

After declining for two straight years, Gem State ag exports reached positive territory during the first three months of 2017 when compared with the same period a year ago.  The total value of Idaho farm product exports climbed 1.3 percent to $210 million during the quarter.

Idaho set records for ag export value from 2011 to 2014, but that ended in 2015.  Ag exports totaled $724 million in 2016, down 8 percent from 2015 and off 28 percent from 2014.

Dairy is Idaho’s largest farm commodity in terms of cash receipts, and rising dairy exports were a big reason for the first-quarter turnaround.  Idaho dairy product exports totaled $42 million during the quarter, a 20 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

More than $45 million in Idaho farm products in the “edible vegetables” category were also exported during the quarter.  Kidney beans and chickpeas were the top exports in this category, followed by peas, lentils, and black beans.

Idaho oilseed exports totaled $34 million, down 20 percent from last year.

More than $63 million worth of Idaho farm products were exported to Canada during the first quarter, a 3 percent increase over 2016, and $36 million worth were sold in Mexico, a 9 percent drop.  Idaho ag exports decreased to the Netherlands, but they were higher for both South Korea and China. (Capital Press)

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