About Nevada Agricultural Statistics

Nevada Agricultural Statistics located in Reno, Nevada is the Nevada field office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NASS is the official statistical agency of the United States Department of Agriculture with the mission to serve the United States, its agriculture, and its rural communities by providing meaningful, accurate, and objective statistical information and services. Nevada Agricultural Statistics operates with assistance and cooperation from the Nevada Department of Agriculture and the College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology of University of Nevada.

About Nevada Agriculture

Agriculture often goes largely unnoticed behind the glare of casinos and tourist attractions in Nevada, and most of it cannot be seen from the interstate highways. Farming and ranching, however, provide a cornerstone to the economies of many of Nevada’s rural communities and greatly enhance the aesthetics of life near the urban areas. Farming is concentrated in valleys where water is available for irrigation, while vast rangelands and mountains provide grazing for livestock. Range livestock production is predominate in Nevada with well over half of the farms raising cattle or sheep. The highest concentrations of cattle are in the northern part of the State. Cow-calf operations are most common type of operation and Elko county ranks among the leading counties in the Nation in number of beef cows. Northern Nevada is also home to the vast majority of the sheep.

Dairying is a growing industry in the State, as is the manufacture of dairy products. The dairies are concentrated in the vicinity of the large market centers of Las Vegas and Reno. Horses are big business in Nevada, both for work and pleasure. Swine production is limited and most producers market locally. Other livestock enterprises, including goats, emu, and llama, are becoming more common.

Nevada’s high desert climate is very well suited to the production of high quality alfalfa hay and alfalfa hay accounts for over half of the total value of crops produced in the State. Much of the alfalfa is marketed to dairies in California and a significant quantity is exported overseas. A variety of other high value crops are gaining in importance to Nevada agriculture. Potatoes, onions, garlic, grain, and seed crops contribute greatly to the total value of production. Across Nevada lie valleys rich in agricultural resources: most unseen from the interstate highways.