To the Providers and Users of Pershing County Agricultural Statistics:
This is the fifth year that Nevada Cooperative Extension (NCE) and Nevada Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) have produced a fact sheet summarizing agricultural data for Pershing County. All of the information in this fact sheet came from the 2000-2001 Nevada Agricultural Statistics Service’s Annual Report and the 1997 Census of Agriculture. It is hoped that this county version will be helpful to those seeking agricultural data pertinent to Pershing County. Special thanks go to the Pershing County farmers and ranchers whose voluntary participation in the NASS surveys provide this information. Questions regarding any of these statistics or additional information are welcomed.
Located in northwestern Nevada, Pershing County’s population has continued to climb over the last several years, reaching 7,460 during 1999-2000 time period. The main industries are mining and agriculture. Pershing County is one of the foremost agricultural production regions in Nevada. The 1997 Census of Agriculture show the county with 120 farms and ranches covering nearly 120,000 acres excluding public grazing allotment lands. Average farm size is 995 acres. Alfalfa hay, alfalfa seed, and small grains are the principle crops. Sheep and cattle commonly graze dormant fields during the winter months. The county is home to the state’s largest sheep and cattle feedlots. While agricultural production for this past year is valued at approximately $39 million, if one considers the multiplier effect of this production, the total economic impact on the county is much greater.
Alfalfa hay continues to be the most important crop in terms of both acres harvested and value of production. Alfalfa seed is second, followed by all other hay, winter wheat, spring wheat, and barley. Together, these crops were valued at $18,006,770 during 2001. Livestock, including cattle and calves, as well as sheep, were valued at $21,870,000.
The census of agriculture counts as a farm every place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold or normally would have been sold during the census year. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every county in the nation. The latest census lists some interesting characteristics concerning farms in Pershing County. The following table shows the number of farms by size and sales.
This table is based upon a sample of farms and is taken from the 1997 Census of Agriculture. As can be seen, the cash value of receipts from the 1997 census is considerably less than the total value of production for 2001. While changes to “cash receipts” will change slightly from year to year, this table still provides an overview of the respective rankings of the state’s counties based upon agricultural production values. For any additional information or questions concerning the Pershing County data presented in this fact sheet please contact the authors at their respective addresses.
Don Breazeale
Extension Educator
Pershing County Cooperative Extension
P.O. Box 239
Lovelock, NV 89419
(775) 273 – 2923
Martin Owens
State Statistician
Nevada Agricultural Statistics Service
P.O. Box 8880
Reno, NV 89507
(775) 784 - 5584
