Oregon agriculture had it rough in 2009

Since we mentioned the University of Oregon in yesterday's local news post, we felt it was only fair that today we mention Oregon State University... Or maybe it's just a coincidence! In any event:

On Monday, OSU's extension service released agriculture sales data for 2009. The numbers show that Oregon's agriculture sales dropped significantly from 2008 to 2009. Some key points from the report:

- Total sales dropped nearly 15 percent over the year, which is the biggest single-year loss since at least 1976.

- Of the 12 broad commodity groups in the report, nine showed declines in sales from 2008 to 2009.

- Field crops, poultry, and vegetables and truck crops were the three that bucked the downward trend.

- For small fruits and berries, the level of sales in 2009 was about half the level of sales in 2008 -- the largest loss among the 12 commodity groups.

- Grass and legume seeds also saw a large decline (-37%).

More highlights are available in Monday's news release (extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=713&storyType=news).
For agriculture enthusiasts and other interested parties, the full report is also available.