There's a surprising new star in Utah's agricultural industry, and it might be sitting in a vase somewhere in your home. The cut flower business is booming, accounting for about $1.3 million in state tax revenue in 2021, while Utah has gained an average of 30 new flower farms every year since 2018, as the number of farms jumped from 15 to 199 in seven years, according to a new report led by Utah State University researchers.
It's blossoming because many flowers can't be shipped into the state because they're prone to damage, and many of the ones that can are now rising in cost because of tariffs, said Brian Steed, executive director of USU's Janet Quinny Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University. Meanwhile, it shows that agriculture can remain profitable on smaller landscapes.
"You see a huge growth in this industry here in the state. The cut flower industry growing in greenhouses actually provides more revenue stream than strawberries or peppers, which I never would have thought," he said, as he summarized new findings included in the institute's report for the governor and Utah Legislature last week. The annual report outlines more than just flowers, though.
It highlights other recent trends and research across the environmental spectrum in the state, and it also describes some of the largest needs on the horizon, such as breaking down the state's anticipated energy needs. It puts the spotlight on upcoming issues, as well, like pointing out that there are still more than 100 "high-hazard" dams in the state that need costly rehabilitation to avoid the disaster of them failing.
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