Shipping It In: Here’s A Look At Where Utah Stands In Producing Food As Compared to Other States

If the borders of Utah were shut down tomorrow, would there be enough food or do we depend on shipping it in from other states? Turns out you may want to cross the border to Colorado or Idaho for more food stability. 

States That Are Feeding the Rest of America 

The top three producing states for agriculture are California, Iowa, and Nebraska. These areas are doing the lion’s share of food production in the United States according to this information from the USDA. 

Utah is way down at #37 in the list of states with 45% of the amount of food produced from the state. Here in the beehive state we are relying on food getting shipped in. That isn’t a big deal unless the trucks were to stop. 

A study from Food Navigator says Utah exports 17% of the food produced to other countries. That isn’t nearly as much as Louisiana that sends 39% of what is produced in the state elsewhere. 

A Break Down of the Top Edible Products for Each State 

They looked at the kind of food each state produces the most. Washington is tops in apples. Maine is cranking out the potatoes of all things, and Idaho is ironically shipping out more milk. Somebody needs to change their license plate. 

What does Utah produce the most? Apparently, the state has a lot of range land because we provide beef as are most edible product. That is true for many of the western states. Better than states in the south that are all about poultry products. 

Read More: See What to Plant in Utah for a Survival Garden

It is interesting to see how much food each state produces and where it is going. If you were to factor in Utah’s home gardens and food storage, there’s probably more food in the state then it first appears.