Idaho cattle industry overtakes dairy in 2025 revenue

Cattle and calves overtook dairy to become Idaho's highest-earning agricultural commodity in 2025, according to state and university data released in September. The shift marks the first time in more than two decades that the livestock sector has displaced milk as the state's top earner.

The Department of Agriculture's Farm Income and Wealth Statistics report shows that cash receipts for cattle and calves reached approximately $3.9 billion in 2025. This figure represents a 17% increase from the $3.3 billion recorded in 2024. The dairy sector, which has held the top position since 2003, finished in second place with over $3.8 billion in revenue for the same period.

The University of Idaho attributed the surge in cattle earnings primarily to record beef cattle prices. The university noted that high-value beef cross calves also contributed to the growth. These calves are born to dairy cows bred with beef bulls and are raised for meat production. As beef prices climbed, the practice of breeding dairy cows with beef bulls became more common among producers.

Despite the revenue increase, the physical number of beef cows in Idaho declined by 4% in 2024. The USDA reported in September that the national beef herd is at a 75-year low. The university cited the loss of range land due to wildfires in 2024 as a factor that slowed efforts to rebuild the state's cow herd. The USDA launched the Ranchers First initiative in September to support the American beef industry.

The university expects the cattle sector's lead to be temporary. It projects that milk production revenues will reclaim the top spot in Idaho in either 2026 or 2027. Statewide, milk, cattle, and other livestock accounted for 68% of total agricultural cash receipts in 2025. The livestock sector was responsible for nearly all revenue gains in Idaho agriculture over the previous two years.

Potatoes remained the state's largest cash crop, ranking third in total commodity revenue with an estimated $1.1 billion in receipts for 2025. This represents a slight decrease from $1.25 billion in 2024. Wheat finished fourth with approximately $518 million in revenue, a 15% drop from the previous year. Sugar beets rounded out the top five with $460 million in cash receipts, down 2% from 2024.

Livestock cash receipts have surpassed crop cash receipts in every year since 2001, with the exception of 2009. In 2025, livestock revenues exceeded crop revenues by more than $4.3 billion. The full USDA report and the University of Idaho's financial condition report provide additional details on these figures.