OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the value of Washington state’s farm products last year reached nearly $7.3 billion, down 8 percent from 2008.
Still, the USDA says record high values of production were set for eight crops: grapes, hops, sweet corn, mint oil, dry edible beans, wrinkled seed peas, alfalfa seed and apricots.
Washington Agriculture Department Director Dan Newhouse says the global recession has hurt prices overall, but the state’s high quality and diversified farm goods are still showing strong demand worldwide.
The state’s top five crops are apples, milk, potatoes, wheat, and cattle and calves.
