Oregon farming tops in nationwide production

What county leads the nation in pear production? The answer is Hood River County.

A total of 11,000 acres puts this county at the top of the list. Jackson County is ranked fifth, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Onions? Malheur is tops.

Green peas? It’s Umatilla.

Grass seed? Linn County, followed by Marion in second place, Polk in third, and Yamhill, Benton, Lane, and Washington in fifth through eighth among U.S. counties.

Christmas trees? Clackamas County is tops nationally.

Also, Oregon produces almost all the hazelnuts grown in the U.S. Yamhill County is the national leader, followed by Marion, Washington, Clackamas, Lane, Polk, Linn,. Benton and Douglas in the top nine. The census reflects Oregon agriculture in 2007.

For a state not always recognized as an overall agricultural leader in the U.S., Oregon has a large number of counties that crack the nation’s top 10 list in a variety of categories as listed in the latest Census of Agriculture. In those categories, which include acreage and value in sales, Oregon counties make the top 10 list of all U.S. counties at least 75 times. This from a state that ranks 25th of all states in value of agricultural products sold.

“There are more than 23,000 counties nationwide, and for us to show up in the top 10 in so many categories is a great testimony to the industry we have in Oregon,” said Katy Coba, director of the ODA.

Some of the high rankings should come as no surprise as Oregon tends to corner the market on several specific commodities. As the nation’s leading producer of Christmas trees, Oregon is home to the top two producers and four of the top five. Marion County is second, and Polk, Benton and Lane are fourth, fifth and 10th nationwide.