Agriculture

Rising fuel and fertilizer costs tied to the Iran war are compounding agriculture’s challenges. Add Utah’s lowest recorded snowpack into the mix, and the 2026 growing season looks to be one of the toughest yet.

For almost a decade, people working in Utah agriculture have noticed a steady uptick in farmers offering tourist-friendly operations, like corn mazes, pumpkin patches and farm tours.

With fewer young producers entering the industry, Utah’s agricultural workforce is aging on the farm.

Honey bees are considered domesticated livestock by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pollinators native to Utah, on the other hand, aren’t typically cared for by people.

“We're just trying to be proactive,” said one Carbon County farmer. “Hopefully, we can make some kind of difference in the big picture.”

Cuando el presidente Donald Trump anunció que reduciría los precios de la carne de res cuadruplicando las importaciones desde Argentina, el mercado ganadero se desplomó de inmediato. Pero los productores de Utah dicen que su idea no afectará los precios a largo plazo debido a un déficit ya grande en la cadena de suministro de Estados Unidos.

When President Donald Trump announced he would lower beef prices by quadrupling imports from Argentina, the cattle market spiraled in the moment. But Utah producers say his idea won’t impact prices long-term due to an already large hole in the U.S. supply chain.

Several environmental groups want the federal government to curb water waste in the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to move thousands of employees out of Washington, D.C., aiming to save money and bring them closer to farmers and ranchers. Around 2,600 workers will relocate to five hubs from North Carolina to Utah.

A local pest control company owner says he’s never been busier, especially since Utah had a lackluster winter where temperatures started to climb early.

Foodscaping Utah, an Ogden-based nonprofit, recruits volunteers to help with the work and asks participants to donate some of what they grow to the community in return.

The basin has lost 27.8 million acre-feet of groundwater since 2003. That's roughly the volume of Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir.